Whether you're on the hunt for your first job or your fiftieth, most job seekers will agree there's nothing worse than interviews.
No matter how many you've sat through, you're never quite sure what to expect, and even if you've got some idea, several questions can be difficult to answer.
Time and time again candidates complain about one question in particular: "Can you tell us about your weaknesses?" What might sound like a trick is a great way for employers to learn more about you, your skillset, and how you tackle problems. But that doesn't mean the illuminating question is any easier to answer - or that interviewees hate hearing it.
Rachel is an ex-BBC broadcaster (Supplied)
But now she's the one answering questions (Rachel Schofield)If this sounds like you, then you're in luck, as career coach Rachel Schofield has shared her expert opinion. An ex-BBC journalist and qualified personal development coach, she knows a thing or two about hard-hitting questions.
As you might expect, she could not share one fix-all answer you can give, but she did have plenty of advice.
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Talking to the Mirror, she said she understands why people are often hesitant to talk about their weaknesses, admitting it's not a good idea to hit your interviewer with a 'car crash' answer. She's also familiar with the common tip found on internet boards that suggests you should share 'a weakness that is secretly a strength'.
But she warns this might not be what employers looking for. Rachel explained: "They can sort of see you coming if you say, 'well, I'm impatient but it means I get stuff done really quickly.' There is an element of that. It is sort of two sides of the same coin: let's look at your weakness and the accompanying strength. But again, maybe that's a bit too clichéd."
Instead of choosing such an answer, she recommends picking a real weakness - one you have started to tackle.
The expert explained: "I think one of the key things to do is to show something you are working on. You can say, 'one of the things that was mentioned in my last appraisal was I can be more assertive in meetings. Therefore, I went away, and I found a mentor who is helping me with that. Or I set myself a challenge of making sure every meeting I came prepared to highlight one particular thing.'"
Rachel added that the point is to explain how you are dealing with the weakness, like by sharing the three steps you have taken to start addressing it. "You almost head them off at the pass because you have already seen the results."
Sharing more general advice about how to ace interview questions, Rachel added that it's once again all about sharing your previous results.
"People make really boring statements that everyone makes. 'I'm a very good team player who works equally well on their own'. Or 'I'm good at taking instruction.' It's just a cliché. Avoid clichés," she explained. "Think about making sure everything you say, every assertion that you say about why you are fantastic, is backed up by evidence."
Rachel Schofield is the author of The Career Change Guide, published by Penguin Michael Joseph, available now.
Do you have any job interview tips? Let us know in the comment section below
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