EastWest

Hi folks

This question is being asked sometimes in job interviews: what are your weaknesses?
How would you answer this question?

commander

my weakness, is none of your business...

Embrace...

mentalist

Try, my wife tells me that I am always working too hard. Shouldn't get a bad reaction.

The Dean

It's an appalling question, and shows laziness on the part of the interviewer (and I bet he/she doesn't know how to interpret the answer, nor how to determine whether the answer is even truthful). Isn't it the interviewer's job to find that out, rather than mine to reveal it?

Best one I ever heard though was on a third party basis - a mate was asked it in a reference for someone else (i.e. 'What is HIS biggest weakness?'). He replied that 'he drives himself too hard in a search for perfection' which can't have done much harm.

I was asked it once, and replied 'I get really irritated by stupid questions'....... I smiled while I was saying it, and had sensed I'd already got the job anyway (I had), but it gave me immense satisfaction........

shiva

An intolerance for incompetence and buzzword bingo.

Yes I have said it and yes I got the job

Millhouse

Eczema

Oyibopeppeh

That's a bit of a flaky response

Tockalosh

Chocolate, English chips, Guinness and Gusset
Shagging female bosses in the office

Just as well not been asked this in an interview yet

jackthehat

Agreed! I did exactly the same recently before I came across this thread, with the response of "Absurd Questions! - As Absurd Questions demonstrate the inability to make a decsion!" it does smack of laziness; as any decent Human Remains Person could determine this from interview responses! The same applies to any Manager who is recruiting also.

In a reference for one former member of staff I did say (sarcastically) "He sets himself an exceedling low standard, which he fails to achieve!" Unbelievably, he got the job! - Perhaps this had gained something during translation! (Probably into Malayalam, where the interpretation might have been "This is Jolly Good Top Hole person, isn't it! Setting standards and not achieving! - This fellow is being Perfectionist!")

The Dean

You've reminded me of a reference written by an old mate of mine back in London:

"You'll be very lucky if you can get this man to work for you."

jackthehat

Love it! - I will put that one into my 'Employment Reference Quotations Folder!'

Patsy Stoned

I once wrote a reference for a chef of mine who left, warning me that I wasn't allowed to write a bad reference "Darren has totally lived up to all my low expectations of him"

OleJanx

You weren't allowed to write a bad reference? Why was that?

The Dean

It's illegal.

OleJanx

O.K. I presume the only option if someone is hopeless is to refuse to write a reference, then?