What's your greatness weakness?

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Nov 11, 2014

I don't feel the need to be praised, so I really have to work on remembering to express praise towards others. People often feel that I don't like or appreciate them if I don't make a conscious effort to show them otherwise.

catlovingRN, BSN, RN · Nov 14, 2014

My go to is that I don't have any experience so I have a lot to learn. I then quickly turn it into a positive angle by saying how eager I am to gain more nursing skills and how I feel this job could help me do that, etc. :)

BirkieGirl · Jan 1, 2015

My TRUE weakness is that i am a huge talker and i ask a lot of questions to learn stuff...it could be interpreted as a positive, but i truly see my constant talking as a personal weakness! also, in my current job (which is very much a desk type job) i find it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to stay parked in my seat. i have to get up and walk, get water, go for a quick walk around the department, grab a snack, check the fax machine, or just about anything else every 10-20 minutes. this was definitely a sign that i needed to start pursuing other work possibilities.

guest769224 · Jan 1, 2015

I have a bit of a potty mouth when I'm around my patients...is that going to be a problem?

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 1, 2015

Here is a cut and paste of something I wrote from another thread where this was asked:

Don't try to spin it into a positive. Answer honestly, and tell them what you've done to help overcome the weakness. For example, I often answer for that question "I sometimes have difficulty with the paperwork aspect of things, or returning emails in a timely manner. My boss and I discussed this in my last performance review, and I started making 'to-do' lists to help me make sure I"m doing paperwork in a timely manner. I also make sure to set aside 15 minutes out of every shift to return emails. So while this has been a weakness for me, the to-do lists have definitely helped!"

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2015

I've been asked several versions of this question over the years of interviews . . .

And answered different things :) I just accepted a job and when this question was asked, my prepared I mean canned response vaporized and I blundered through a slightly uncomfortable version of the truth If nothing else, at least they got the idea I was honest.

My last job was in oncology, and to be perfectly honest, it DID get to me in exactly the predicted way. I was there for six and a half years, much longer than I would have predicted. As it began to wear on me, I compared myself with the RNs who'd been at this work for ten years, fifteen and twenty years. One nurse in particular LOOOOOOOVES her job, I mean really honestly loves it, grieves with the families and staff appropriately, has good boundaries, and dam if she doesn't pop back up like the Energizer Bunny. I was SO jealous (now I can admit that) of that . . . resiliency. So in a nutshell, this was my TMI response in my latest interview. The new manager probably thought I was going to write her a check to pay for the therapy moment.

If you do share something, like you tend to get bogged down in paperwork, include your 'coping strategies' you've used in the past to keep your paperwork organized and complete. I agree with not turning a negative into a positive. But that doesn't mean do the exact opposite.

I had one nurse admit to me that she struggled with depression during an interview. Hint: Don't say that. It's none of my business. And it had nothing to do with working as a nurse. As she went on about her depression, I got the uncomfortable sense that 'depression' was like her family tartan, or something. It didn't help that she was very, very thin, seemed listless and should have washed her hair. My heart really went out to her, having had plenty of experience of depression myself.

Stick to actual 'deficiencies' you are already always working on. Keep it professional, about nursing itself. And convey a sense that in spite of this deficiency you are already working on, you believe you are a good candidate for the position.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2015

Are you a new grad? If so, you can probably answer with honesty that time management is a great weakness. Think about things you can do to get better at it, and when you answer say that you are doing a,b,c to overcome it. It is expected that new nurses are going to struggle with this, so it won't make you look bad, and having discussed what you are doing to get better at it shows that you are giving it a great effort.

Nienna Celebrindal · Jan 2, 2015

I agree, have an honest weakness because everyone actually has one. Being honest about what your weakness is works in your favor in this case, because it tells them you are self aware and conscious of the areas you need to improve in. Tell them what your weakness is and what you plan to do to fix it. If you are a new grad coming up with something is easy. If you are applying to a new unit it could be something unit based, things you are not familiar with. I said pharm was a weakness of mine at one interview, my previous job we used a lot of the same medications and it made me feel very rusty. I told her I was reviewing the meds now (which was true) and how, and that I would continue to do so. My interviewer told me she was impressed that I had considered what skills I may need to improve on and already had a plan of how to change that, I got that job.