Summarize:

If you’re preparing for an interview, you’ve probably already spent a lot of time thinking about your strengths. Now, take a little time to think about some of the major challenges you’ve faced in previous jobs or in school. If you’re not sure where to begin, ask yourself:  What sorts of issues have come up on past employee evaluations? Were there any recurring problems that your supervisor regularly brought up with you? What were some things you really disliked about your last job and would like to avoid in future jobs? What are some areas where you’d like to improve, personally or professionally? Consider how your personal attitudes and behaviors may have affected your job performance in the past. Don’t judge yourself harshly – just consider your personality objectively and try to think of a few concrete examples. For example, do you:  Try too hard to please others? Get frustrated easily when a project is not going as well as you would like? Procrastinate too much? Avoid asking for help even when you need it? Lack confidence in yourself or your wok? Being able to work well with others is an important part of most jobs. Think about what sorts of issues you might have faced in this area, and how those issues affected your work. Consider some of the following:  Do you have a hard time dealing with conflict? Do you ever have a hard time communicating with others? Do you struggle with being confident and assertive when speaking to a group or communicating face-to-face? Do you get frustrated with your co-workers easily? Look carefully at the job description, and think about areas where you lack experience or confidence. For example, are you familiar with current technology and software in your field? Does the work match well with previous job experience you’ve had? Were there some areas of your last job where you particularly struggled and would like to improve (e.g., grant writing or research)? Once you’ve had time to think about your weaknesses, write them down. Include both general weaknesses (e.g., issues with confidence or interpersonal skills) and weaknesses more specific to the type of work you would like to do. For example:  “I have a hard time dealing with conflict.” “I second-guess myself too much, which can make me indecisive.” “I don’t have very much experience with grant writing.” Some interviewers may ask you to address more than one weakness. Before you go into an interview, decide which weaknesses you want to talk about. Pick one primary weakness to focus on, but be prepared to address a couple others as well. For example, you might plan to talk primarily about how you’ve had to work hard to build your confidence as a public speaker. You could follow up by addressing your lack of experience with making spreadsheets, and your tendency to take on too many projects at once. Avoid bringing up any weaknesses that might be seen as preventing you from doing the job you are applying for. Instead, focus on issues that are peripheral to the job’s core functions, and that you are already working to resolve. For example, if you are applying for a job as a lecturer, don’t emphasize a fear of public speaking.
Brainstorm your weaknesses and past challenges. Make note of habits or personality traits that could be weaknesses. Assess your interpersonal skills. Look for deficiencies in your job-related skillset. Write out a list of your weaknesses. Prepare to talk about 3 of your weaknesses. Stick to weaknesses that aren’t critical to the job.