Answering Interview Questionsmind working an extra hour or two or taking some
work home on a Saturday if there’s a really impor-
tant deadline for my department to meet. Meeting
deadlines is essential in this business, and I am more
than willing to do my part.A word of warning, though: Many interviewers have heard this
supposed weakness so many times that you might risk coming off
as unoriginal if you use it. Here are two other possible answers to
this question:
ANSWER: Some people have asked me why it is that I try so
hard to get along with everyone. I just like to feel
that we’re all working in a team environment where
people need to like and respect each other. I think
that when a team really gets along well, they’re also
more productive.
ANSWER: I’ve been told a few times that I’m just too much of
a perfectionist. Yes, it’s true. I do make it a practice
of checking my work at least once or twice to make
sure that it’s absolutely accurate. When working in
a medical lab, I have to stay on top of every detail.
If the cost of knowing tests have been done correct-
ly takes a fraction of a minute more, that’s a small
price to pay when someone’s life could depend
on it.
Even if the preceding answers sound a little twisted, they are bet-
ter than bringing up real issues like not being able to follow direc-
tions or having hostile relations with coworkers. If you bring up
weaknesses of that nature, you are surely going to invite the
interviewer to probe further into the problem.
Another thing to remember here is that this is a stress question.
It’s not designed to specifically gather information about weak-
nesses. It is designed to throw you off balance. With that in mind,
all you have to do is answer calmly with perhaps a smile or a lit-
tle chuckle, as if you are shrugging it off.
Sometimes stress questions are very bizarre and seem not to
relate to the interview at all: