What are your weaknesses?

By Chris Trout | October 26, 2008

I recently did a quick Google search on advice regarding the dreaded interview question, "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?" Now, I'm no expert on hiring and employment, but what a mess! Nearly every article I found both misunderstood the definition of strengths and advised people to say they are working to grow their weaknesses. The irony here is that once you redefine the meaning of strengths, there is no reason to focus on growing your weaknesses. But I'll get to that.

First, unless you want to be miserable, strengths should never be defined as "what I do well." Most of us, especially if we are "competent" (that is, smart enough to figure most things out), have at least a few things we do well, but despise doing. They make us feel weak and suck the energy right out of us. These aren't strengths; they are skills or competencies.

Strengths are those qualities and activities that make you feel strong, that create energy in you, and that you love doing. Gratefully, these are often things we do well. Better than that, these are the areas where learning and growth is likely to be fast, easy and nearly limitless. In terms of ROI (return on investment), these are the activities (or ways of getting things done) that will require minimal investment of resources from your employer in exchange for huge growth. Making sure employees are using their strengths every day offers a great ROI for an organization.

Weaknesses, on the other hand, are those qualities and activities that make us feel weak, drain our energy, and that we despise doing. In terms of ROI, these are the activities (or ways of getting things done) that require a massive investment of resources in exchange for slow and minimal growth. Trying to grow employees' strengths offers a terrible ROI.

So assess whether the position for which you are interviewing will allow you to use your strengths. If so, share how you will maximize these strengths for the benefit the organization. If the position also requires that you work in your weaknesses, name the weakness and share with them 1) how you've learned to manage this weakness, or 2) how you would restructure the task to play more to your strengths, or 3) how you would utilize the strengths of others within the organization who would be faster and better at doing what is a weakness for you, but a strength for them. Explain the efficiencies of these strategies. Explain the ROI. Explain how you will save them money and increase productivity by not wasting your time and their money trying to get better at your weaknesses.

I'm no expert and don't pretend to offer expert advice here. What I do suggest is that the research now tells us that this is true. It seems to me that telling your potential employer how you will help them be better at what they do (at less cost, with higher productivity and lower turnover) can't be too bad a strategy.

Let me know what you think.