I hate this question...

masry123 · Aug 18, 2009

The only acceptable answer is "I'm a workaholic". Do NOT, NOT, NOT go discussing your temper or your personal weaknesses, For God's sake!!! That is just nobody's business.
"Oh, I just can't stay away from work, even on my days off. I hate having holidays off, especially the major ones, like Thanksgiving and Christmas". "I don't like to eat at work. It makes me sluggish". "Well, I do tend to ignore nature's call at work". "I really hate straight shifts. I love to work all 3 shifts in a week - in reverse order -graves, then eve's, then days." "Weekends? Never heard of them." Some malarkey like that.
Come on, what would you as an employer want to hear? Do you really think that an employer will hire you if you admit to being human and having a temper or any other weakness that everyone has but that never should be named on an interview when you are supposed to be shining like gold? I always just feel like telling them, "Look, Jack, ypu're hiring and I need the money. Can we make beautiful music together or not?"
"Oh, I probably am too wiling to volunteer for OT and to cover my coworkers for lunch breaks". I should probably let someone else have some OT. "I"m too poetic. I believe in teamork and will bend over backwards to promote harmony."
"I love being called upon to translate for the six languages I speak and no, you don't have to pay me extra and I will still do all of my own assignment, even though I had to take about 2 hours to translate when you tally it all up, but I don't expect the staff for whom I translated to offer to help me with my own assignment."
I think whoever asks such questions is an idiot. Do you want to hire someone or not? Stop asking these insane, inane, ridiculous questions and just hire the person, for God's sake. Yeah, yeah, do the background checks, verify the license and experience, just stop being a priest and acting like the interview is a confessional.
"I keep my car and back-up car running too well. That leaves me with no transportation excuse to call off." "I keep a uniform in the car and you can always reach me by cell phone. So I never will miss a chance at OT. There's that old workaholic thing again."
Or you can say, "Can we come back to that?" and see if they do. I've had interviewers who did not!
Get real, people.

Oh my God , You are 100% right. this is exactly what I say. Make them feel you have no life, and when you wake up in the morning you are crying to to go to work. If you have children , let them know that your whole family of 500 members lived next door , Pluse your 2 extra babysitter who have nothing to do but to wait on your emergency call. Your daycare allways open on holidays. Your husband or boyfriend allways wiling to calloff so you can go to wark. snow is no big deal cause you own CDL truck plus the 2010 new 3cars available for you any time cause your dady own dealership. about getting ill say " I don't " . It sounds funny but that what they want you to say "THEY are first ,Then you and family" . Please don't you ever say the truth about your weekness. find something so great about you and make it your weeknes like " I allways like to come to work couple hours early with no pay to help others go on time, I should stop that!!!!!!!!!!!! " :clown: :yeah:

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 18, 2009

I think interviewers who ask this are looking for how well you know yourself and what mechanisms you use to overcoming your imperfections. .

Exactly! I have interviewed many people for jobs over the years. That is primary reason for asking this question. It's also used to test whether or not the job applicant is being honest with the interviewer or just spewing contrived answers that they think you want to hear.

Thus ... some of the worst answers you can give are the ones such as "perfectionist," "workaholic," etc. It tells interviewers that you are either lying to them or at least not giving a really truthful answer. You have made up an answer that you think they want to hear. It tells the interviewer that they can't believe anything you say during the interview and that's not good. What I do to people who give those fake answers is ask them for more details, ask them to give me examples of how that supposed weakness has hurt them in the past, how they deal with it, etc. It usually becomes apparent that they are not being truthful as they struggle with the follow-up questions.

The best approach is to start with an honest answer. Prepare by doing an honest self-evaluation and then prepare to discuss those in a way that demonstrates how you have successfully dealt with those weaknesses so that they will not be a problem for this particular job. It also demonstrates that you have insight into yourself and your behaviors (an important strength), take responsibility for addressing your weaknesses, and that you are being honest with the interviewing. All those things make a positive impression. Lying with a fake answer makes a bad impression.

For example, I tend to procrastinate. So ... I deal with it by setting strict deadlines that I commit to. If I have procrastinated and get behind on a project, I stay late or do whatever it takes to meet my self-imposed deadline. That way, I am the only one who suffers from my procrastination. Another tactic I use is that ... if I know I am going to procrastinate, I try to do something useful as I procrastinate ... such as work on another project or work on another aspect of the project. Thus, I am still being productive while I am procrastinating and probably thinking about my original task so that I can accomplish it quickly and well once I settle into it. So, the work gets done on time and was productive the whole time -- no harm done in spite of my procrastinating tendencies.

If you truly can't think of a weakness ... then you actually have one of the worst weaknesses that an employee can have. You lack insight into yourself and are unable to see yourself realistically as others see you. People don't want to hire people who can't assess their own behavior realistically. Such people are hard to work with, hard to teach, etc. as their perceptions of themselves are not realistic. You don't want to give that impression.

Vito Andolini · Aug 18, 2009

To the 2 people who use that question on interviews to see if people know and assess themselves realistically - why not just be more direct? Why intimidate the interviewee, who is already sweating bullets inside, by asking indirect questions that cause the person to think they should confess to being criminals or don't play nicely with others or share their toys well, or might sometimes be fearful, tired, out of sorts, etc.? Why intimidate and confuse and mislead people? And of course someone has had to learn something new. That is everyday life! So why would you ask them that?

Perhaps it would be kinder and simpler to say, "How do you learn best?" "How did you handle it in the past when you could not get a coworker to relieve you for lunch and you were starving and your bladder or bowel was about to burst?"

Why not just be direct yourselves? Stupid as I am, I had no idea what the purpose of such a question really was. All I know is that I was not born rich and didn't marry it or find it under a rock, so I need a job. Do you want me or not?

and look at your quote, llg; Do you like messing with people's heads?

How about "My wife says I spend too much time maintaining our cars but I like always having a back-up so I don't ever have to call off over lack of transportation".

Suppose the interviewee confesses to a weakness you can't abide? You might not him or her and might have lost a great nurse. What if they say they have terrible handwriting but you chart by hand? Or can't learn to chart on the computer and that's what your facility does? With maybe some extra effort and time, maybe they could learn to do whichever is needed satisfactorily? But just ask directly, 'Can you chart by computer?" instead of what is a weakness of yours. I think games are for kids, not for adults who are trying to work instead of starve?

"Well, I tend to feel responsible for helping agency nurses, newer employees, doctors, and students but I think maybe they don't always want or need any help. If I get that sense, I stop but am glad to help later if they ask."

Diaper, RN · Aug 18, 2009

yeah that was my thought. "I'm a perfectionist and sometimes I feel like I'm constantly rechecking myself to make something better. Even if I know I've done the best I can do, I still try to find ways to make it better for the next time."

My manager asked me the same question: " what is your weakness?"

Me: "I considered myself as a perfectionist...etc"

Then he burst out laughing. Apparently, he interviewered 5 candidates and 4 of them said that they considered themselves as 'perfectionist' !!! :coollook:

Vito Andolini · Aug 18, 2009

Try to find something about yourself that is both a curse AND a blessing. When I've been asked that question, I say I'm very organized and sometimes I feel stressed if I can't be as organized as I'd like. Being organized is good! So the negative could be a positive in the employer's eyes. See what I mean?

I'd be afraid you would stress too much and flip out if you felt disorganized too much for too long or too often.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 18, 2009

Try and think of something related to job you are interviewing for and not the generic i am a perfectionist because if they ring your referers and get a bog standard reference rather than "she was a perfectionist who paid great attention to every little detail" you have painted yourself into a corner!!

Exactly. If you are not truly a perfectionist or a workaholic ... your record and your references will show that you are lying. That type of lie is pretty easy to spot. It's best to go with an "appealing" version of the truth.

RNAnnjeh, MSN, CNS · Aug 18, 2009

to the 2 people who use that question on interviews to see if people know and assess themselves realistically - why not just be more direct? why intimidate the interviewee, who is already sweating bullets inside, by asking indirect questions that cause the person to think they should confess to being criminals or don't play nicely with others or share their toys well, or might sometimes be fearful, tired, out of sorts, etc.? why intimidate and confuse and mislead people? and of course someone has had to learn something new. that is everyday life! so why would you ask them that?
perhaps it would be kinder and simpler to say, "how do you learn best?" "how did you handle it in the past when you could not get a coworker to relieve you for lunch and you were starving and your bladder or bowel was about to burst?"

to answer your questions, in my experience interview questions are grouped into 4 categories: learning, organization and prioritization, interpersonal relations and nursing knowledge. the interview questions are both direct and indirect in order to assess critical thinking skills; demonstrate knowledge, skills and judgement, and to provide the interviewee several different ways to respond to questions. some people give better examples when asked an indirect question.

reference checks are generally very specific and direct: does rn xyz work well with others? are they on time? etc.

the op realizes that she has difficulty with the indirect question---great insight---knowing that she has trouble answering this type of question, and is seeking help with it could be her example!

employers aren't trying to trip you up or make you look like a fool...they're looking for a great employee and offering the interviewee several ways to demonstrate that.

and before i get flamed...i am not a manager...just a nurse who's been through the process and understands it.

rnannjeh

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 18, 2009

To the 2 people who use that question on interviews to see if people know and assess themselves realistically - why not just be more direct?
Perhaps it would be kinder and simpler to say, "How do you learn best?" "How did you handle it in the past when you could not get a coworker to relieve you for lunch and you were starving and your bladder or bowel was about to burst?"
and look at your quote, llg; Do you like messing with people's heads?
How about "My wife says I spend too much time maintaining our cars but I like always having a back-up so I don't ever have to call off over lack of transportation".
Suppose the interviewee confesses to a weakness you can't abide? You might not him or her and might have lost a great nurse. What if they say they have terrible handwriting but you chart by hand? Or can't learn to chart on the computer and that's what your facility does? With maybe some extra effort and time, maybe they could learn to do whichever is needed satisfactorily? But just ask directly, 'Can you chart by computer?" instead of what is a weakness of yours. I think games are for kids, not for adults who are trying to work instead of starve?
"Well, I tend to feel responsible for helping agency nurses, newer employees, doctors, and students but I think maybe they don't always want or need any help. If I get that sense, I stop but am glad to help later if they ask."

I think asking them directly about their weakness IS being direct. That IS information I want to know and by asking directly, I am killing mulitple birds with one stone. I am finding out about their weaknesses as I find out if they have sufficient insight and integrity to answer the question. Asking them how they learn best or how they might respond in a given scenario won't give me that information.

No, I don't like messing with people's heads as a form or torture or cruelty. However, if someone is sitting there wasting my time by giving me fake answers in an interview, I have no qualms if they squirm a little when I ask them legitimate and reasonable follow-up questions. It's quite reasonable to ask people to elaborate on the answer they just gave to get more detail, depth, etc. If they have lied in response to the first question, then it's their fault the follow-up makes them uncomfortable, not mine. Someone who truly suffers from excessive perfectionism or workaholism should be able to discuss it. It's only the liars who have a problem with the follow-up questions.

Depending on the specifics of the situation, it can take up to a year's salary to hire and orient a new nurse. Employers have a real need for accurate, in-depth information as we screen candidates. We need to get beyond the basic qualifications on paper and the fake platitudes that job applicants spew to hide their weaknesses and emphasize their strengths. If you are truly the wrong person for the job, you should not be surprised if you are not chosen. If you are the right person for the job, you should not have to worry about answering the questions honestly.

As to your response about the car ... I would be OK with that answer as a start, but I would follow-up with something like, "Do you behave similarly at work?" "How does that relate to your work?" etc. Liking back-ups can be a good thing and it would be worth talking about.

As for the one about agency nurses, I would ask, "How do you see that as a weakness?" "Why do you think that is a weakness?" If you can't say why you see it as a weakness, then I would wonder why you gave it as a response to a question about weaknesses. Why didn't you respond with a weakness?

Sometimes when people seem very uncomfortable with the word weakness, I'll talk about "learning needs" or "things you want to improve upon" etc. Sometimes people are more comfortable being honest if those words are used, but it is really just a different ways to get at the same thing.

MaraG. · Aug 18, 2009

I use to work as a manager of a a few retail stores. Interviewing potential employees and being interviewed I learned a lot about the whole process. I found that people I remembered were the ones that were honest and did not give generic answers. I avoided people that had issues such as tempers or appeared too eager to work. (I will work all the shifts you give me, OT weekends you name it I'll do it Tthis is a hard order to fill, say no to one shift and you have not been honest to your employer. Doing hiring I knew it and was always put off when this was the answer. I enjoyed the people who sat in there and just had a conversation with me, talked about the questions I asked and were honest appeared organized, and prepared for the interview. Had questions for me about the job or the company.

Being interviewed, I found that I was most relaxed when I reviewed potential questions that could be asked, thought about the answers and how they applied to the job. When I did my research about the company and had insightful honest questions.

When I was asked about my greatest weakness, my answer right now, today, it would be one of two things. 1. When I have a student and they are struggling part of me feels responsible for helping them be successful. I try to stand back and let them learn on their own but sometimes I find that to be hard. 2. I tend to play by the book. If an order is written, I like it to be transferred to the MAR and co -signed before I give a med to avoid errors. Sometimes, this can be a challenge because people are busy and they don't share the same school of thought.

Below are a couple of links to potential questions and suggestions on how to respond. My advice is to relax as best you can during the interview. Review the questions and have an idea of how you would like to answer them.

Good Luck!

http://bhuvans.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/50-common-interview-qa/

http://www.redgoldfish.co.uk/cvinfo/toughquestions.aspx

Questions for you to ask:

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/nurse-interview-questions/article.aspx

TessaMae · Aug 18, 2009

That is a really great one! I feel the same way too.

I have a good response to this question (and it's completely truthful for me)--it works especially well if you know that they do their documentation on a computer:
"I think my greatest weakness is having to write out my documentation long-hand. I'm from the generation that grew up with computers, and my thoughts tend to flow much better on a computer, for some reason. When I try to write things out, I always seem to word things awkwardly or forget some point that I was trying to make. Then I have to cross it out, and it can look rather messy. There's no backspace key with writing things out! At my last employer that was using long-hand documentation, I was able to improve the quality by writing out a draft-copy--then I could get it right before I recorded it on their permanent record."
This response worked really well for me. I got my interview panel chuckling about the struggles of writing things out, and sparked a great discussion on how documentation has changed over the years.

leslie :-D · Aug 18, 2009

i have answered in the past, that my greatest strength is also my greatest weakness.

my strength would be aspiring to the highest standards of care.

and my weakness would be feeling hypercritical to those who didn't appear to give their professional best.

employers want to see that we are all imperfect:

and that insight and subsequent growth, is a perpetual cycle that changes as much as we do.

just be honest...

and humble.:)

you'll be fine.:balloons:

leslie

ONCRN84 · Aug 18, 2009

The perfectionist thing is actually true... I'm sorry it's generic, but I am. I have a tendency to come home from work and think about things I can improve on. "I don't like the way this was handled, how can I do it better next time?" kind of thing. I'm also a cleaner. I clean up after people before they even realize they've made a mess. And I'm one of those annoying people who won't pick a side in a fight because I can usually see both sides... so this is both a curse and blessing.