Tim Tams or Time Management?

It’s 11am on a Tuesday morning. You’re sitting in an interview room, thinking to yourself that things are going great. You’ve shaken off your initial nerves and talked about the skills you can bring to the company. Overall, you’re feeling awesome! Then, just as things are wrapping up, the interviewer asks one final question, “What’s your greatest weakness?”

Uh…

The last thing you want is to be stunned into silence when faced with this tricky question, but how are you meant to answer it without crushing your chances of getting the job?

This is where you face an important decision: Tim Tams or Time Management?

Option 1 is to take a lighthearted approach, like telling the interviewer that chocolate covered biscuits are your greatest weakness. It pays to be selective who you use this technique with, as not all interviewers will appreciate the humourous approach. While this shows that you have a sense of humor, it’s also a bit of a copout!

That’s where Option 2 comes in. When an interviewer asks about your weakness, it’s not to make you feel insecure, it’s to show that you’re not afraid of a bit of self-reflection. When you’re able to share an honest, relevantanswer, it demonstrates your self-confidence.

Maybe your weakness is time management, and you struggle with taking on too many tasks at once. One of the best ways to discuss any weakness is to turn it into an area of improvement. If you can talk about how you’re overcoming poor time management through learning to prioritise, you not only show that you’re aware of where you can improve, but that you have the initiative to do it!

Damian, our Hamilton Branch Manager, suggests that knowing your weakness is a strength in itself!

 

 

Before your next interview, sit down with some chocolate biscuits and do some reflecting. What’s your greatest weakness?