Canned Weakness

On July 13, 2010 · 23 Comments · In Alpsisms, Business, Career, Life

I have attended several job interviews already and I realized that the most recurring question is: “What’s your weakness?”. Before I go to my interview appointment, I rehearse my answers to the most common interview questions–and I do it in our house’s comfort room. There’s something in the CR that makes me more eloquent and that conditions my mind to deliver kick-ass answers. If there’s a company that holds their interviews in such sacred room, I’ll come out as a highly revered saint.

Weakness a la Twilight

Weakness a la Twilight | From Dilbert.com

Anyway, let’s go back to the topic at hand. You guessed it, I have a ready answer for that common question. And I formulated it in such a way that it will appear as a strength too. They said it, “weakness” should be a double edged sword but you have to minimize the penetration of the edge pointing at you.

Being very keen to details or being obsessive compulsive is my weakness. I devote a huge amount of my working time to check every detail at hand. With it, you could consider me as a slow worker because I make sure that every aspect is checked and polished.

Guess what? A masked weakness won’t be sold even if you put a luxurious price tag on it. Every time I give my template answer, my interviewer asks for more. And I give another canned weakness. And my interviewer asks for more. I gave a real weakness and my interviewer was satisfied like a fisherman who caught a big fish after hours of butt-aching fishing. These fishers want the fresh catch, and not the canned one. Here’s something I found after some little research about “canned weaknesses”.

“What is your greatest weakness?”

Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, “I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,” or “I’m a bit of a perfectionist.” Interviewers have heard these “canned” answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you’ve done to overcome it. For example: “I’ve had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This has sometimes backfired because I’d end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I’ve taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I’ve overcome this weakness.”

IMPORTANT: Be sure the weakness you talk about is NOT a key element of the position!

It is a given that we are not perfect. It is a given that we have our personal weaknesses. It is a given that we can readily admit them one by one. But, it is not a given that all people will admit them without thinking about pride.

Source: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com/questions.html

Related posts:

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  3. Everyone Communicates; Few Connect
  4. The Bureaucracy of Accountability
  5. Notes on Self Improvement
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  • http://clevearguelles.com Cleve

    Parang FBC Interview! :)

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha! Fierce din pala ang FBC interview! :D

  • http://clevearguelles.com Cleve

    Fake answers or yung canned-answers are not accepted. Uulit lang ang tanong. :)

  • Dea

    Perfect cartoon. I thought you drew it, then I saw Dilbert. Haha! Your insights are helpful. Makes me feel like I’m better prepared to face the HR of a big company. =P

    P.S. I like your writing style. Your topics are serious, but you know how to put a touch of comedy so that it’s interesting to read.

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    You’ll job hunt too really soon! Good luck! :)

    Haha, yeah, that’s my compromise between good matter and interesting manner. Haha. Thanks! ;)

  • http://alkorhythm.wordpress.com Carlo

    I never give “canned” weaknesses, just because I know it isn’t true to me. I can’t go “i’m a perfectionist” coz i really am not. haha Though i do what it says in the last part. Always with a follow up on how I address the weakness! :P

    Serious job blogpost Alps!

  • J

    “There’s something in the CR that makes me more eloquent and that conditions my mind to deliver kick-ass answers.”

    Ako din. :) Dun ako nagmomoment sa CR, o kaya nagbabasa ng mga readings. Mas naaabsorb ko yung binabasa ko pag nasa CR, kaysa sa room. I don’t know why :))

  • http://soirish.wordpress.com irishprecious

    I’m pretty sure I heard something like this from Sir Barry, the state-your-weakness-then-spin-it-off-to-what-you-did-to-overcome-it answer to that question. I’m also sure you did fine. Company X and Company Y. :D

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha! Yeah, there’s a difference between a “canned weakness” and a “weakness with a solution”. ;)

    And, yeah, I find this serious–but I can’t help but share my wacky job hunting adventures! I might post a crystallized version soon!

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha! I’m not alone! This calls for an academic or scientific inquiry! ;)

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha! I’m still not sure about Company Y! Major kwento soon!

  • http://theparadoxicleyline.blogspot.com/ Ishmael Ahab

    This is a good tip for many job hunters out there. Yeah, interviewers are expert in catching made up answers. Unless super galing ka gumawa ng kwento eh hinding hindi ka mahuhuli.

    Aha, so sa CR pala ang effective way to practice, Masabi nga ito sa mga kakilala ko na naghahanap ng trabaho. :-P

  • http://fromthegills.wordpress.com Patsy

    I was about to say the same thing about your writing style. It’s the kind of style that I try to do but couldn’t accomplish. Will you bless me with your skill?

    Good luck!

  • http://fromthegills.wordpress.com Patsy

    Maybe because we know that inside that divine space, we can go all out – pun intended. The very reason why it’s called ‘rest room’ or ‘comfort room’. I wonder if future interview spaces will be tiled similarly to rest rooms.

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha, I can’t directly bless you with my “skill” but you can transform it into your personal brand of talent by reading my entries often. LOL, marketing much? Joke. Hehe. Anyway, thanks for the compliment! I guess all writers have their own brand of skill–there might be some similarities and conscious mimicry but at the end of the day, a writer is still a unique writer. Keep writing, Patsy! ;)

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha! So the tiles were responsible for that “nice aura”? ;)

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha, there’s no stopping you in spreading “my secret in nailing job interviews”. :))

  • mita

    template election question. :))
    ooooh, i missed blog hopping. :D

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    ALPSaguado.com missed you! :P

  • mita

    I’m glad its mutual! :))
    sana pati kay sa blog ni jow mutual. =))

  • http://www.alpsaguado.com/ Alps

    Haha. Wait, who’s Jow? :D

  • mita

    http://akosiblink.blogdrive.com/ dear friend alps, meet another dear friend-jow. :D

  • mita

    http://akosiblink.blogdrive.com/ alpsaguado.com meet jow aka blink. :D

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