It’s easy to feel confident sitting in front of a hiring manager as we go about a lengthy albeit alluring spiel over our unmatched ability to deliver quality results. However, when it comes to exposing our own Achilles' heel, we can feel distinctly vulnerable, and rightly so. I won’t lie, sometimes that long pause after I tell a prospective client a weakness gets to me, because it tells me that I’ve most probably just dropped the ball.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. At least, not always. There is a way to use your weaknesses to your own advantage and thereby stand out from a crowd of candidates without feeling too icky about it. So, here’s how it’s done:
Don’t expose a weakness that directly undermines your credibility
Ideally, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place, but sometimes you’re put in situations where you have no option but to figure a few things along the way, whereas the rest of it is pretty much handled. So, go in with an attitude that’s open, and don’t be afraid to talk about weaknesses that can be used to improve your chances – which we’ll be discussing next.
For example, don’t go to a job interview for an accountant position if you’re bad with numbers. On the off chance that you do go (because you like to play the odds), don’t say you’re bad with numbers. Simple as that.
Frame your weaknesses in a positive light
This is an obvious one, but don’t let its simplicity fool you – it’s actually very effective if you learn to use this regularly. Here’s an example; say you’re someone who gets overly sensitive when you receive criticism. While you’ll still need to learn how to get feedback and not get rattled, you can use this as an opportunity to say that this puts you in a position of knowing how to give feedback without hurting the other person’s feelings.
How about that for turning a deal breaker into a dealmaker, huh?
Talk about a weakness you’ve previously overcome
Nothing speaks to a hiring manager than concrete proof that you actually walk your talk. If you have some kind of evidence on how you used to struggle with a personality trait, or something that might come with the job – and now you’re embodying its flipside like it’s a part of you… then you’ve got a very solid argument to support your case.
Thought I was going to leave you without an example, didn’t you? It’s one of my weaknesses that I’ve been working on. See, even I am learning from my own content. That said, it’s time to get personal. Here’s a real weakness that I’ve been working on myself.
Storytime
In the past, I’d get flustered before and during job interviews. It’d take away from my ability to think straight, because I’d feel overwhelmed with emotion. Thankfully, it never got me to the point of going blank when the interviewer was waiting for an answer, but I always knew I could have been more eloquent in my answer had I not felt so anxious.
As you can see, this would vastly undermine my chances at winning a job that involved me dealing with people like, say, a customer representative role.
But as I’ve been working on my “inner game,” so to speak, my fear has decreased from this overwhelming monster shrieking in my face to hum in the background. And as more time passes while I chip away at it (and the more experience I accrue), the more confidence I feel going into job interviews, and even meeting people in general.
Exude confidence as you expose your greatest professional flaw
This one is less about what to do than it is about what to be.
Let me explain.
When you’re spilling the beans on what your greatest weakness is, like I said, you want to frame it in a way that’s actually positive and supports your case for taking the job. But beyond that, you also want to show that you believe it’s actually positive. Look straight at your hiring straight in the eye and be assured as you talk. Don’t fidget and try your best to show that you’re comfortable – even if you aren’t.
If you show that you’re not afraid of being professionally vulnerable – in a way that is professional, mind – then your efforts are paradoxically going to be more appreciated by whoever is on the other side of the table.
It can be difficult to admit to having flaws, especially to someone who might have the keys to your professional future. But when you learn how it’s done properly – and mess up a few times along the way (because that will probably be the case) – you’ll eventually be able to thread the needle like nobody’s business.
And when that’s done, you’ll have no problem hitting the ball out of the park in any job interview. In fact, if you’d like further instructions on how to swing the bat, I’d go here first. Ta-ta!
