

Your strengths are not your weaknesses - twoolley
https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/1f718f357682

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dmd149
The point of that question is not really to find out your greatest weakness.
Here's what they want to know:

1\. Whether or not you're reflective and self aware enough to identify
weaknesses you have

2\. What steps you've taken to improve that weakness. This demonstrates you
can follow up on your self-reflection with action.

Here's a way you could answer the question:

One of my weaknesses is that I like to take tasks and do them on my own. This
usually comes from my enthusiasm to accomplish a task, but unfortunately, I
miss a few things along the way.

For example, I was tasked to build product X. I (thought) I understood what
was required, and just built it. I was super proud of myself for building X in
record time and even added features that weren't requested.

When I showed the final product to my boss, he said it was nothing like he
wanted! I had to do the whole thing over again. That was crushing.

I learned from that point on that I should ask clarifying questions to the
people I'm working with and gather their input as I do my work. While this
"slows" me down, I rarely build the wrong thing now.

You answer with a concrete story about how you identified a weakness and then
addressed it later, you'll be golden.

Never just answer the question; get in the interviewers head and figure out
what they're really asking, and answer that instead.

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ericb
I think the point of this (terrible) question is to show the degree to which
you play "the game."

Possible outcomes:

You state a real detrimental flaw -> Employer wins by not hiring you and
avoiding the consequences of the flaw. You have also demonstrated an inability
to think on your feet or plan ahead by prepping for gotcha questions.

You state a real flaw that is not detrimental to the job -> You have shown you
are suited for the job, but not smart enough to play the game (employee but
not management material).

You name a strength -> You have demonstrated that you are willing to gloss
over the truth when it is against your interests. You have demonstrated
management potential!

~~~
twoolley
It is logic like this that makes glad I now do what I do.

------
twoolley
Why was "Don't be a douche" removed from the title?

