Why do some HR managers ask us for our weaknesses?
The answer to this question tells a lot about your character, so it should be taken very seriously. There is nothing unethical about asking this question. In fact on the face of it, it is very innocent looking. However you should choose to answer it with lot of tact, because your response may make it a make and break point in the interview. This question is asked by HR managers (btw, it is my favorite question to ask in interviews, esp. when I am interviewing students for our MBA Programs) not to know the exact weakness of an individual. Instead it is to see how self-aware and articulate a person is when asked a difficult question. We all have flaws, and all matured professionals realize that the presence of a flaw does not make a candidate unsuitable. What matters is how the person deals with this flaw/weakness/limitation/mistake. Do you have a way of reflecting on your behaviour, personality, attitude and do you make adjustments for it? Are you resilient and persistence in pursuit of your expected outcomes and goals? What process do you follow to continuously improve upon yourself and emerge as the best version of yourself? Career counsellors at FIIB, New Delhi share these tips with their students when answering this question - Be sincere, but stay away from mentioning an essential skill as a weakness - So for example if a job is for a research analyst position, dont mention your low love for numbers and data or tools like excel to be a weakness. Or if you are interviewing for a HR department job, saying your dislike for people and crowds as a weakness is not acceptable. Only mention work related weaknesses - So saying chocolates are my weakness is not an appropriate response. Dont mention cliched responses - So the obvious strength dressed up as weakness responses like my hardwork, attention to detail should be avoided. Contextualize your weakness and show a forward path - When you mention a weakness, do not stop at just listing it. go the extra step to explain with an example of why you consider it a weakness, and most importantly outline what you do with the knowledge of that weakness to ensure that it doesnt come in your way of delivering results. Hope this helps!