Interview question

[lipper]

Use the math answer to get a good chuckle to show you have a good sense of humor, and then say "but, in all seriousness, etc etc etc."  I agree with the advice to always put a positive spin on it, but it has to be honest and not something stereotypically interviewish.  I always said that I was overbearing, and proceeded to talk about how I was probably too attentive in a previous job to the point of annoyance, the idea being that there is no thing as a lawyer that is too attenive.

I've heard that interviewers see right through this answer.

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

I had a friend who was asked that question in an interview and he told the interviewer he didn't like the question. His point was, he explained, if you have a weakness you should focus on strengthening whatever is weak. My friend is pretty damn sure of himself though so he was being sincere(he got the job.) Personally, I couldn't pull off an answer like that but I do agree that the "biggest weakness" question is lamer than hell. Most people always have a prepared answer for that question so it doesn't really say anything meaningful about you. I don't know why interveiwers even bother asking it.

[landrover06]

ok i have a question. What do u say when an interviewer asks u what your biggest weakness is? I hate saying something gay like i work to hard or I get to wrapped up in my work. Does anyone have a better answer.

This is an easy question.  When I interviewed for my first software engineering position some years back, I was asked this question.  The books all give answers that I figured they had already heard a thousand times.  No way was I going to manufacture an answer from a book written by some person who knew nothing about me.  I told the interviewer that my weakness now is that I don't have enough of the type of experience in my background that I can only get from working here.  I then elaborated.  I was hired.

[kmpnj]

My biggest weakness is looking down on shitheads that ask me what my biggest weakness is...

Seriously, I got that question yesterday and I pulled "Sometimes, I expect people to care about the job as much as I do and I don't make allowances for the fact that they might have other things going on in their lives" out of my ass.

The lady smiled when I said that, so I think she liked that answer, but who the hell knows

[Lenny]

Use the math answer to get a good chuckle to show you have a good sense of humor, and then say "but, in all seriousness, etc etc etc."  I agree with the advice to always put a positive spin on it, but it has to be honest and not something stereotypically interviewish.  I always said that I was overbearing, and proceeded to talk about how I was probably too attentive in a previous job to the point of annoyance, the idea being that there is no thing as a lawyer that is too attenive.

I've heard that interviewers see right through this answer.

Maybe, but I had plenty of success with it as my stock answer.  I agree that it could be transparent if all I said was "I'm too overbearing."  But I then backed it up with something from my past.

[brewha]

scotch.

HAHAHAHA