What are your weaknesses? How to answer honestly, with a worked example

The safest answer to "What are your weaknesses?" is a real weakness that the job does not need, followed by what you are doing about it and one example that shows progress. Avoid stock answers such as "I'm a perfectionist", and do not say you have none. Everything you say must be true, because the interviewer can ask a follow-up.

UK careers services mostly agree on the basics and differ on a few details, so this guide shows where they differ. It draws on UK universities, public bodies and recruiters, listed under Sources, and includes a fictional worked example that uses a foreign language as the weakness.

What the interviewer is checking

Most of the UK sources we read describe this as a test of self-awareness and honesty, and several add that employers want to hear what you are doing to improve. Indeed UK says employers want to hear what you have already done about the weakness and what you plan to do next (Indeed UK). Robert Walters says employers are not trying to disqualify you (Robert Walters). Reed describes it as a check on self-awareness and humility, and on whether you will be straight with them (Reed).

targetjobs, a graduate careers publisher, lists four things recruiters test: self-awareness, analytical ability, confidence under criticism and honesty (targetjobs). LSE says employers are not trying to catch you out but expect more than a glib answer (LSE). None of these sources gives data on how often the question is asked or how often it decides an outcome. For the interview question on what motivates you, see our guide to answering what motivates you.

A four-part structure for your answer

No single UK page sets out one formula. The four parts below are Evident's synthesis of what several sources say, and each part names its sources.

1. Name a real weakness. Careers Wales says employers expect a serious answer, and the University of Liverpool's Prosper programme for postdoctoral researchers says to describe a real weakness (Careers Wales, Liverpool). Prospects suggests choosing a characteristic you have taken steps to improve, such as self-confidence issues that once made criticism hard to accept (Prospects).
2. Check that the job does not need it. The next section shows how to use the advert for this.
3. Say what you are doing about it. Sources suggest steps such as a timetable (National Careers Service), a system for organising your workload (Liverpool), a project management app or calendar blocking (Indeed UK, Robert Walters), a course or mentorship (Reed), or volunteering and confidence training (Careers Wales).
4. Show progress with one specific example. Reed's sample answer describes joining a local Toastmasters group and volunteering to lead the Monday morning briefing for two months, and the first Careers Wales model answer ends with passing exams and gaining new learning techniques (Reed, Careers Wales).

Careers Wales also suggests a "positive, negative, positive" shape: open with a positive, put the weakness in the middle and end on a positive (Careers Wales). Only one page we read uses that shape, so treat it as an option. Prospects says you can frame the answer positively by describing the steps you have taken to improve (Prospects), and Reed says to finish, if you can, with a question that steers the conversation back to what you can do (Reed).

How long the answer should be

None of the UK pages we read gives a length for this question alone. A University of Bristol careers blog, reporting on a third-party interview course, says strong interview answers average about two minutes in general (Bristol careers blog). Cover the weakness, the action and the progress briefly, then stop, and follow any time limit the employer gives.

How to choose a weakness using the job advert

Start with the advert. Reed says to check the job description so that the weakness is not a deal-breaker for the role (Reed). targetjobs says to focus on tasks you do not excel at that are not listed as key requirements (targetjobs). Nottingham says not to choose anything that appears on the person specification (Nottingham).

• Mark the essential points and any skill the advert repeats. These are off limits. Our guide to tailoring a CV to a job description shows how to read an advert this way.
• Examples of what to avoid. Careers Wales warns against admitting weak phone skills for a contact centre job (Careers Wales), and Reed gives spelling for a copywriter role (Reed). York and Bristol also say not to pick a key requirement (York, Bristol careers blog).
• Look at the desirable points. Our tailoring guide treats desirable items as a bonus, so a gap there is usually safer to discuss than a gap in an essential requirement. That is Evident's reading, not a rule from a source.
• Check your own CV. Reed says the interviewer has already read your CV, so gaps or lean patches on it are likely to be known and need putting in context (Reed). The Bristol careers blog, reporting on a course, says not to assume interviewers have read your application, so sources differ (Bristol careers blog).

Reed's examples of safer choices include public speaking, delegating if you are new to management, a specific software or tool "provided it's not essential", and being too critical of your own work, with a plan for it (Reed).

Answers to avoid

• "I have no weaknesses." Reed, Nottingham and Liverpool all say not to claim this (Reed, Nottingham, Liverpool).
• A weakness the job needs. See the section above.
• A stock cliche. Prospects says answers such as "perfectionist" and "I work too hard" can read as arrogant, dishonest or unaware (Prospects). targetjobs says recruiters will probably think a "perfectionist" answer is made up (targetjobs), and York says employers are quick to see through a "good" weakness (York).
• A fundamental flaw in character, or a personal weakness. Liverpool says examples should not be a fundamental flaw in character (Liverpool), and Reed says to keep it professional (Reed).
• Apologising or a forced confession. Reed says to be confident and not apologise, and targetjobs says to avoid a self-deprecating approach (Reed, targetjobs).
• An answer copied from the internet. targetjobs says recruiters will probably be able to tell (targetjobs). That is the publisher's opinion, not data.

Where UK advice differs

The biggest split is over disguised strengths. Robert Walters and Indeed UK include answers that frame a weakness around a strength, the University of Kent's careers blog gives a "workaholic" example, and Reading suggests treating it as an overused strength (Robert Walters, Indeed UK, Kent, Reading). targetjobs says a weakness that is really a strength can work, while also warning against "perfectionist" (targetjobs). Reed, York and the University of Law say to be honest and avoid cliches such as perfectionism (Reed, York, University of Law). Prospects also warns against cliches but suggests describing how you overcame the downside of your greatest strength (Prospects), and Careers Wales suggests thinking of a weakness that could also be a strength (Careers Wales).

Careers Wales lists perfectionism as an example weakness but warns that employers hear it often, so use it only if it is genuinely true and you can give a specific example (Careers Wales).

Evident's view is the cautious one: choose a real weakness, because a follow-up question will test it. An overused-strength answer is only safe if you can describe a real time it caused a problem and what you did about it.

Sources also differ on skills and traits. Reed prefers a skill or a gap on your CV (Reed), while Robert Walters and Indeed UK list trait-style examples such as difficulty saying no or lack of confidence (Robert Walters, Indeed UK).

A worked example: a language the job does not require

The advert, Priya and her evidence sheet below are invented for illustration. We found no UK careers page that discusses foreign languages as a weakness, so this example rests on the general advice above: choose something the job does not need, and show action. The advert's own wording, "Desirable", is what tells Priya the gap is safe to mention. If an advert lists a language as essential, choose something else.

Fictional advert: customer service advisor at a UK retailer. Essential: clear communication, a friendly manner and weekend availability. Desirable: a second language.

Fictional candidate: Priya. Priya is applying for a customer service advisor job. Her evidence sheet says:

• She studied French at school up to GCSE and has not used it since. She can say hello and count to ten.
• She has worked Saturdays at a garden centre till and help desk for 11 months.
• At the garden centre she once helped a customer who spoke little English. She spoke slowly, used simple words, walked the customer to the shelf to show the product and asked a colleague for one word she did not know. The customer found the item.
• Since September she has used a free beginner app to learn Spanish, a short session most evenings. She has finished the first two units. She wants to keep learning Spanish.
• She has no certificate or test result in any language and is not claiming to speak Spanish with customers.

The first version uses the three stock answers Prospects names, gives no example and claims there is nothing to improve. The second names a real gap, says why it does not matter for the role, shows one example and one action, and stops short of overclaiming. If you are learning a language, say so only if it is true. If you are not, choose a different true weakness and a different true action.

If you have little work experience, are a graduate or are changing career

No UK page we read is written specifically for people with no paid work, so the evidence is thinner here. Careers Wales uses school and volunteering examples, and targetjobs and Prospects address graduates. What the sources do say:

• The model answers from Careers Wales use school revision, and volunteering with confidence training, as the action taken (Careers Wales).
• Prospects suggests choosing a characteristic you have taken steps to improve, such as self-confidence issues that once made criticism hard to accept (Prospects). Liverpool gives the example of struggling to organise your workload and then building a system that works (Liverpool).
• targetjobs suggests graduates consider the downside of a strength, such as a good team worker who finds conflict or leadership harder (targetjobs).
• For questions about your experience, the National Careers Service says examples can come from outside paid work, including volunteering (National Careers Service).
• For career changers, CharityJob says gaps between your experience and the role are expected, and suggests saying how you could fill them with training, shadowing or a mentor (CharityJob).

Our skills for a CV guide shows how to sort advert skills into those you can evidence, those you partly have and gaps, which is a quick way to find an honest weakness.

Practise it and check the evidence

Say the answer aloud, then ask yourself the follow-ups an interviewer could use: What exactly did you do? How do you know it is improving? Every claim must be something you can explain. "What are your weaknesses?" is different from "Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake", which our STAR method guide covers in its section on results that were not good. For questions about skills and examples, see our guide to competency-based interview questions. For the opening question "Tell me about yourself", see our guide to answering tell me about yourself.

FAQs

Why do employers ask what my weaknesses are?

Reed, Robert Walters, Indeed UK and targetjobs say employers use it to judge self-awareness and honesty. Robert Walters says employers are not trying to disqualify you and adds that your answer shows how you take feedback. Indeed UK adds that they want to hear what you have already done to improve, and what you plan to do next.

Should I say I am a perfectionist?

Most UK sources advise against it as a cliche, including Prospects, targetjobs, York and the University of Law. Careers Wales says use it only if it is genuinely true and you give a specific example. Robert Walters and Indeed UK include answers that reframe a strength, so advice differs. A real, specific weakness is the safer choice.

Can I choose a weakness that is not essential to the job?

Yes. Reed, Nottingham, York and Careers Wales all say to avoid anything the job needs. Check the advert's essential criteria first. Careers Wales warns against weak phone skills for a contact centre job. Then say what you are doing about it. Reed adds that a tool or software gap is fine if the job does not need it.

What if I have little work experience?

Careers Wales model answers draw on school revision, volunteering and confidence training. Prospects suggests choosing a characteristic you have taken steps to improve. For questions about experience, the National Careers Service says examples can come from outside work, including volunteering. Keep it true and specific.

How long should my answer be?

None of the UK pages read sets a length for this question alone. A University of Bristol careers blog, reporting on an interview course, says a strong interview answer averages about two minutes in general. Cover the weakness, the action and the progress briefly, then stop, and follow any time limit the employer gives.

How Evident approaches this

Evident reads your CV and the job advert, then asks up to five targeted questions. It drafts wording only from your answers, and you approve it line by line.