[MUSIC] In this module, you'll learn strategies for answering the question about your weaknesses. This question can be asked in a variety of ways, which you will see shortly. This is just one of the many jokes you can find on the Internet about this question. It captures the feeling of most candidates who hate this question. They consider it pointless. After all, no one is going to answer candidly about their biggest flaws. So how should you respond to this question? Your best strategy is similar to all the strategies you've learned so far, understand why the hiring manager asks the question. To reiterate the top level strategy you've been learning throughout this specialization, you adopt an outer focus. You think from the hiring organization's point of view. The hiring organization wants to know, first, that you can do the job, and they typically define that in terms of competencies they're looking for. Second, they want to know, will you do the job? And they frame that in terms of personal qualities they're looking for. And third, they want to know if you'll fit into their organizational culture. They'll look for your enthusiasm, your desire to share in and take up the mission of the organization and work as part of the team. So why does a hiring manager ask this question? First, believe me when I say that in the vast majority of cases a hiring manager is not looking to humiliate you. And nobody wants you to treat the question like a secret confessional. Now some career advisers say the question is just trying to throw you off your game. Well, as a former hiring manager myself, I think that's a bit cynical. The question is meant to make you think, to think hard and think deeply, and you better have done that thinking well before the interview. But what we want to see, what almost any hiring manager wants to see is, first, how you handle challenges. How do you respond when you're under pressure? How effectively do you maintain your composure under adverse conditions? Second, your honesty. We know that honest self-assessment is critical for growth in life, on the job, on a team. Are you capable of it? Assuming that you are, then third, can you take corrective action? In other words, can you take responsibility for your own growth and development? Finally, every hiring manager recognizes that there is risk in any hire. The simple fact is a certain percentage of new hires will not work out. Is there reason to think that you would represent a greater than normal risk? In other words, we want to see you approach this question as a mature, responsible adult who's ready to take up his or her role in the 21st century. Thoughtful and intentional self-examination is a critical discipline in the modern world. Developing self-knowledge is a journey into uncharted territory for many. However, it is a discipline that's critical in a work world that is increasingly multicultural, where people with diverse backgrounds and divergent outlooks have to work together in a reasonable semblance of harmony. So you see, it's more about your attitude towards this question than your specific answer. Watch your body language. Approach the question with the attitude of a responsible adult, a contributing member of the human race. That means you are aware of the devices often used to avoid honest self-reflection. These are the things you do not want to do. First, denying any weakness at all. Doing so marks you as perhaps arrogant, maybe dishonest, certainly immature, and definitely non-hireable. Second, sidestepping the question, using the cliched trick of pitching a weakness as a strength. My standards of excellence are too high. I'm such a perfectionist. Now turning a weakness into a sign of strength, that's a high level skill. You'll learn about that in the next lesson. What I'm warning you of here is the superficial approach. In fact, some interviewers will even ask you to explicitly talk about a weakness that's not a strength. Third, laughing off the question, also not smart. My greatest weakness is my love of chocolate ice cream [LAUGH]. When you answer the question with a joke, you're telling the hiring manager A, you don't respect the question enough to give it serious thought, and B, you don't take life seriously. In order words, you're immature and non-hireable. And please don't be naive. The interviewer is not an analyst or your counselor. You're not asked to explore some dark hidden recesses of your personality. And finally, as you've heard before, an interview is not an interrogation. You're not being asked to confess your wrongs to the career police. So you want to be honest, but also be real. This is an interview. Remember what the hiring manager is looking for, be diplomatically honest. You'll learn about that in the next lesson. This slide shows you a language frame you can use in responding to the weaknesses question. Fill in the blanks as appropriate, based on your own experience. The key is to demonstrate awareness and to take or have taken corrective action. This brings up a related point. You may get a question about a competency that you know is not a strength for you. This is known as a competency gap. So what can you do about that? You can do a competency gap analysis. That's a part of strategic business planning. It's a part of strategic HR planning, as you see in this slide. It should be part of your strategic career planning. Go through the process shown here and then focus on the block in white, training and development. Show that you're aware of your competency gaps, show that you're taking steps to overcome them. Maybe you compensate for your difficulty in giving presentations by focusing on writing white papers. Maybe you're taking a class, or have volunteered for a project that will give you the chance to develop more strength in that area. If so, let the interviewer know. You'll see an example of addressing an experience gap later in this module. Interviewers have other ways of probing your self-assessment. Asking about skills that need improvement may uncover a competency gap. Asking what you would change about yourself may reveal a personality characteristic that needs refinement. Asking what you disliked about your last job can uncover issues with organizational culture. Again, these questions are motivated by the hiring manager's three main concerns. Can you do the job? Will you do the job? And will you fit into the organization? You'll find other variations on this question in the readings for this lesson. You'll also find their example answers to serve as guides for developing your own approach. Remember, a hiring manager asks you about your weaknesses to evaluate your composure, your ability to assess yourself honestly, and your willingness to take responsibility for your own growth and development. With that in mind, you can face this question with confidence and respond to it with strength. [MUSIC]
