Answer on what is your weakness is my answer ok?

Anonymous1257 · May 20, 2015

This sounds good, but I had a very similar answer prepared for a recent interview and was told "that sounds like a temporary problem you're overcoming, tell us a weakness about you as a person"

That threw me for a loop. I'd say you have a solid answer, but maybe have a backup just in case.

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 20, 2015

This sounds good, but I had a very similar answer prepared for a recent interview and was told "that sounds like a temporary problem you're overcoming, tell us a weakness about you as a person"

OP's is essentially a temporary problem as well. Think long-term over the years, what aspect of yourself have you been dealing with for years?

I'll give you an example of mine: I tend to take on too much, to burn the candle at both ends, so too speak. While the work always gets done, I find myself wondering if the stress was worth it, and whether or not I could have spread much of the work out over a longer period of time and still felt like just as much had been accomplished. While I have excellent time management skills, as a result of this personal need to take on a large amount of work to feel useful, I tend to leave myself with little room for error. It can be viewed as both a gaping weakness and a strength depending on the interviewer.

jamesethan · May 20, 2015

thank you! i'll take note of that:)

PedsRN2016 · May 20, 2015

First of all thank you for taking time to read what my post is all about;) I just want to ask if this my answer on a possible interview question is ok or it may result for them not to hire me, here it goes:nailbiting: I think my weakness is I am not familiar in all the equipments that I may encounter in the hospital because some of the equipments that are being used here was not available in the country where I came from but I am starting to familiarize myself on the things that I may encounter by doing research on how they work and I know that I can improve myself on that weakness because I can learn fast on how to use them. That's it thank you again for reading my post is that a or a . Have a good day hope to hear from you!

I recently interviewed and confronted this question, but my interviewers were also aware enough of this trick to narrow down the question to something like "what is your greatest personality weakness?" I have also been told in the past that you have to be careful with some answers as they may not show true self-awareness in the ability to discern your actual weaknesses. I have been told that the key to that question is how you are working to progress past the weakness!

Alisonisayoshi, LVN · May 20, 2015

I once had a woman I was interviewing (my first career, non-nursing) laugh when asked this question, and say "interview questions like those". I found that very funny and self aware. She went on to tell me her biggest weakness was being a bit abrasive, because she often became super focused on what she was doing, and people who worked worth get perceived that as not being very friendly. I liked her answers. I hired her.

Your answer is good, but it's a short term issue. I'd wonder if you might say 'assimilating into a new culture' instead?

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · May 22, 2015

I once had a woman I was interviewing (my first career, non-nursing) laugh when asked this question, and say "interview questions like those". I found that very funny and self aware. She went on to tell me her biggest weakness was being a bit abrasive, because she often became super focused on what she was doing, and people who worked worth get perceived that as not being very friendly. I liked her answers. I hired her.
Your answer is good, but it's a short term issue. I'd wonder if you might say 'assimilating into a new culture' instead?

THIS!! Then explain what you are doing to overcome it.

I think all new nurses struggle with time management, I do for sure and that is my answer on interviews.

Whatever you said though, be sure you can explain a plan to strengthen that weakness because they will most likely ask.

NursesRmofun, ASN, RN · May 22, 2015

Well, this is a great topic because I often wonder what is a bad answer. I often say to questions phrased like this or similarly that I could use to have more patience at times. I say that because it is the honest answer. I have gone on to explain that I mean more in certain situations like with a superior when she was going over the same topic and asking me the same thing over and over. I said I was working on patiently listening. Is that a bad answer? lol