World’s Worst Interview Question and How to Respond
Posted on July 09, 2021 by Jeff Rothman, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Ever been asked about your strengths and weaknesses? Wondering about the best way to respond? Here’s what I recommend to my career coaching clients.
“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
Why employers continue to ask this question is beyond me. Asking it rarely provides much useful evidence about a candidate’s ability to be effective in the role they’re interviewing for.
Interviewers would be better served by asking targeted, behavioral-based questions that elicit examples of when interviewees have achieved outstanding results by using the skills necessary for success in the role. After all, past success is the best indicator of future success.
When prepping my clients for interviews, I coach them to turn that question to their advantage. First, before the interview, determine what skills are most critical for success in the role. Then, if the question comes up, they can respond to it by:
1. Giving specific examples of how you’ve used those skills in the past and what you achieved.
2. Sharing stories about times you realized you needed to bolster a skill, what you did to develop it, and how that improved your performance.
3. Providing examples of when you used your strengths to compensate for a weakness.
4. Telling the interviewer what you’ve done recently to further develop the skills it takes to be effective in the role.
These behavioral responses to non-behavioral questions are a great way for you to take control and show how you’re the best candidate for the role.
