If you don't admit to having any deficiencies, you'll demonstrate a lack of self-awareness and immaturity. You must be willing to discuss your problem areas, but there's an effective way to do so.
What are your personal weaknesses? Are you doing anything to try to correct them? What are your biggest personal failures? Why did they occur? What have you done to prevent them from recur ring?; and What are your professional weaknesses? What have you done to try to improve yourself in this area? Never offer a list of deficiencies. Mentioning one will suffice. Also, don't tell an inter viewer about a weakness that will interfere with your ability to perform the job or that could cause him to doubt your qualifications. (If you have such a problem area, you probably shouldn't pursue the position.) Instead, discuss a deficiency that will have little impact on your performance or that could even be viewed as a strength. Examples of the latter are the tendency to become overenthusiastic about one's work and allow it to interfere with personal life, or to be impatient with delays and want to complete assignments successfully, but in the least possible time.
Of equal importance, explain what you're doing to correct the liability or compensate for it. Don't let an interviewer feel that you're ignoring it. For example, suppose you have difficulty man-aging your time or planning your daily activities. When discussing this problem, tell the interviewer about the measures you take to improve yourself: Each night before leaving the office, you deter mine what you want to accomplish the next day and how much time each task will require; then you write down the steps you'll take to assure you attain your goal. By discussing a liability in this fashion, not only do you minimize its seriousness but you turn it into a strength, since you force yourself to be proficient in planning your time.
What do people criticize about you? This is another way of asking you to describe your weaknesses. Respond as above.
What are your biggest professional failures? Why did they occur? What have you done to prevent them from recurring? In addition to answering as above, try to mention a failure that took place early in your career or that's unrelated to the position for which you're being interviewed.
Your liabilities may also surface through the course of conversation. An interviewer could then make a negative comment about some past activity. Although this reproach isn't a question, it demands an immediate response. Otherwise, the objection will crystallize in the interviewer's mind and his interest in you may diminish.
Try to offset such a remark with a positive statement, or explain what you learned from the experience, how it enhanced your capability, and why you can now prevent a similar situation from occurring.
The following are three challenges job-seekers frequently encounter, with suggested responses.
In addition to all the questions that have been discussed, some interviewers might ask about your age, race, religion, national origin, marital/family status and plans, financial situation, a physical handicap, or if you've ever been arrested. You might take offense at some of these questions and you should know that the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission has ruled that they're illegal, since they don't pertain to the job that someone will perform or to an applicant's work life. (An inter viewer may ask, however, if you've ever been convicted of a crime; he just can't ask if you have ever been arrested.)
If you're asked questions along these lines-and you don't want to answer them-you're in a difficult situation. On one hand, you're protected by the law and don't have to cooperate with the interviewer. But on the other hand, if you tell the inter viewer that he's just asked an illegal question or that you don't see how his question pertains to the job that's being discussed, you'll alienate him and hurt your chances of being made the offer.
Unless you strongly object to a certain question, the best approach to take is to be tactful and answer the interviewer as good naturally as you can.
An Exercise to Conduct
When answering an interviewer's questions, how you say something is as important as what you say. Poor articulation will dilute your credibility and your replies will have little impact. To ensure that your answers will be convincing, there's an exercise to conduct:
First, practice each response by asking yourself a question and then reciting your reply out loud. Never memorize your answers, however. You want to sound natural and spontaneous at your interviews. If you practice with a tape recorder, you'll hear how you actually sound.
Next, have yourself "interviewed" by your spouse or a friend. Be sure you aren't asked questions in any logical sequence, though, and that their order is always changed. There's no telling when an interviewer might suddenly shift direction and ask a question about a fresh topic.
Completing this exercise will enable you to develop a polished delivery with credible responses.
This exercise also provides additional benefits:
Because you'll have formulated your replies before meeting with a company, you'll know that you can't be asked a question for which you aren't prepared. As a result, you'll never get caught short for words or have to grope for answers. This will increase your level of confidence, lessen any apprehension about being inter viewed, and assure that you make the best presentation possible.
The ease with which you respond to an interviewer's questions will project intelligence, poise, decisiveness, and maturity. All interviewers are impressed with these qualities. Your responses will also evidence the self-assessment you've done and the amount of thought you've put into your career. This will convey your seriousness of purpose, commitment to success, and the full effort the company can expect from you if it hires you.
