​Welcome to our new series: What Do I Say to That?! Where every month we’ll take you through some of the toughest job interview questions and how to answer them!

This month? We’re diving into the absolute classic:
“What are your weaknesses?”

Someone, somewhere, once told you that a good answer to this question was:
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”

And to be fair, once upon a time that worked. ​

But now?

It's overused, and frankly, an eye-roll response for most employers.

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What are they actually asking you?

They're not trying to catch you out. They're not hoping you’ll burst into tears and confess your undying hatred for admin tasks. They want to understand your self-awareness and openness to self improvement.

They’re asking:

• Do you know yourself?

• Can you reflect honestly on areas you could improve?

• Do you take ownership of your growth?

It’s a test of self-awareness, maturity, and your attitude toward learning.

So if you say, “Honestly, I don’t think I have any weaknesses,” what they’re hearing is: “I’ve never reflected on myself and I’ll blame Sharon in Finance for every single thing that goes wrong.” Okay, maybe not that exactly, but that's the general idea.

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How should you respond?

Now that we know what they're digging for, here's how you can nail the answer.

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1: Be honest (but not self-sabotaging)

This isn’t your moment to say, “I crumble under pressure and I’m usually late.” Instead, pick a real weakness—but one that doesn’t directly wreck your ability to do the job. You want to show growth, not confession.

❌“I hate working in teams.”
✅ “I used to struggle in group projects because I like having control, but I’ve been working on trusting others’ strengths and it’s helped me massively.”

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2:Choose something you’ve improved (or are actively improving)

This is key. You’re not just holding up a flaw—you’re showing that you do something about it.

“Public speaking used to terrify me, so I’ve been pushing myself to lead more meetings and present to clients. Still not a TED Talker, but I’m getting better every time.”

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3: Keep it relevant, not random

“Sometimes I bake too much banana bread when I’m stressed” is not going to get you hired. Stick to professional weaknesses — things that relate to your working style, communication, time management, leadership, etc.

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Some examples:

Weakness: “I can be overly detail-oriented.”
Response: “I used to get caught in the weeds trying to make everything perfect. Now, I set time limits on tasks to balance quality with speed, and it’s made a huge difference in my productivity.”

Weakness: “I find it hard to say no.”
Response: “I’d take on too much and burn out trying to please everyone. I’ve learned to set boundaries, prioritise, and communicate what I can realistically deliver.”

Weakness: “I wasn’t confident speaking up in meetings.”
Response: “I realised I had good ideas but held back. I started prepping points in advance and volunteering to lead smaller discussions, which helped build my confidence over time.”

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The “What are your weaknesses?” question is about seeing if you're self-aware, honest, and willing to grow. If you can show that you've identified a weakness and done something about it, you've already set yourself apart from half the people who panic and matter, "I'm just too dedicated, honestly."

Remember that owning your flaws doesn't make you weak, it makes you hireable.

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Want us to tackle another question next month? Message us the one that’s been haunting your interviews. We’ll break it down, no fluff, no corporate jargon, just solid advice you can actually use.