Exposing your greatest weakness in an interview

“What’s your greatest weakness?”

Have you ever been asked this question in an interview and were like, “Yea, uhm, well…I sometimes want to achieve too much?”

This question is tricky, but here is how you can crush it.

Foreword

I’ve interviewed quite a few times in the last few years, and I also had the honor to interview a few outstanding software engineers. I witnessed this question many times, although I never asked it myself. My job as a tech lead is to assess the technical quality of candidates and see how much they fit into my team. I like to use other techniques to do this, but I still understand why HR managers love to ask questions like this one.

Why this question is important

Self-awareness is important for everyone.

It’s valuable to know what your

• Strengths
• And weaknesses

are and what you

• Like
• And dislike.

Knowing your own weaknesses is especially crucial.

It gives you the ability to know:

• Where you could improve
• Which tasks you might struggle with