What Are Your Weaknesses? The Dumbest Interview Question Ever

What are your weaknesses? If you have ever been to a job interview, chances are this question popped up. Who invented this question, and what is it supposed to achieve? Do interviewers honestly expect you to open up and tell them your flaws, as if that is going to help you land the job?

I once replied during an interview, “Do you expect me to tell you my weaknesses?” As you may have guessed, that interview did not go well. But I stand by that response. It is a ridiculous question. No one is going to say something that actually puts them in a bad light. Everyone knows this. Interviewers know it. Candidates know it. Yet the charade continues.

Go ahead and search online. There are entire websites, forums, and videos dedicated to giving you the “best answers” to this question. You know what those answers are? Lies. Carefully scripted lines designed to satisfy the interviewer without giving away anything real.

“I work too hard.” “I care too much.” “I am a perfectionist.” Please. Who are we fooling here?

The truth is, this question serves no real purpose other than filling time and creating a false sense of depth. If the goal is to evaluate honesty or self-awareness, there are better ways to do it.

Can anyone out there explain why this question still exists in interviews, and why interviewers pretend they will get a truthful answer?

If you are not going to believe the answer, then maybe stop asking the question.

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