Today’s post will hopefully help to relieve a little bit of stress while preparing for job interviews. Ideally, before each interview, you should be reviewing questions with a friend, family member, career counselor, or anybody willing to help to make sure you have your answers ready for the big day. One question that you might want to skip over and never have to think about is “what’s your greatest weakness?” I could never come up with an honest answer that still made them want to hire me but career experts J.T and Dale from Careerealism have some advice...

A reader wrote in:

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been on three separate interviews in the past month where the hiring manager asked me, “What’s your greatest weakness?” I didn’t get any of the jobs, and I think it’s because of the way I answered that question. I was completely honest and told them I have a low tolerance for ignorance and sometimes show my frustration when co-workers make stupid mistakes. Do you think I should answer this differently? — Rae

And they responded:

Dale: Rae, Rae, Rae…this is a major, major weakness you’re confessing to, and I get the sense that you think that because it’s true, you should say it. One of the important skills of corporate life is knowing when NOT to blurt out the truth. In fact, a critical corporate skill is biting your tongue like a piece of Juicy Fruit. So, the answer is yes, your answer disqualified you.

J.T.: I can’t disagree with that conclusion, but let me back up and explain that lots of hiring managers are utilizing “behavioral questions” as a way to get inside the heads of potential employees. The “weakness” question is one of them. Proper answers are always truthful, but it’s not just what you say but how you say it! I would argue that how you’re describing your personality is scaring employers away because it implies that you would create tension in the workplace. Instead, I would reframe your response to something like this:

“I love doing good work, and push myself hard to be the best I can be. I do find at times that I can get frustrated with co-workers if I feel they aren’t trying. However, I try to remind myself that everyone makes mistakes and that showing my frustration won’t help the situation.”

Notice you don’t just explain your weakness, but you define how you negate it.