Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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I have a buddy who sells software. He's been doing it for several years, and he's great at his job.
But, he does something I think is pretty interesting. He says he likes to have job interviews on a regular basis, even when he's not looking for another job. He says it keeps his interviewing skills sharp, and he has hardly ever not been offered a position in the company he interviews with.
Being how I've done quite a few job interviews myself, he and I have come up with what we believe is the dumbest question a company asks a potential employee.
"What would you say is your greatest weakness?"
Who thought of this question? Am I supposed to ruin my own chances of getting a job with that company? Do they honestly believe a prospect will give a straight answer? We all know what the answers are going to be. "I work too hard." "I care about my job too much." "I'm too concerned about perfection in the work place." You will never, in a million years, hear an honest conversation like this conversation during a job interview.
Interviewer: "What is your greatest weakness?"
Potential Employee: "Is that a real question?"
Interviewer: "Yes, it is."
Interviewer: "Start with what you're going to tell me than we'll see what happens."
Potential Employee: "Umm o.k. I'm too good of an employee."
Interviewer: "Uhh, yeah, that's not going to be good enough. Why don't you tell me the truth?"
Potential Employee: "The truth. All right. Umm, I'm not sure if I want this job. I complain a lot about my workload and my pay. I'm the kind of guy that just does barely enough work not to get fired. Let's see, what else. Umm, I'm not a very nice or likeable guy. I don't have a personality and I steal credit for other people's work. Oh, but, my biggest weakness is that I padded my resume, so I don't know how to do most of the stuff I claim to know."
Interviewer: "Congratulations, you start Monday."
