Strengths and Weaknesses

[medsecslave]

My daughter has just been for an interview as a hotel receptionist where they asked her what her strengths and weaknesses were. What do you say for weaknesses? She said she gets stressed (that's the end of THAT job!!) but I can't think of what she could say - after all, aren't you putting yourself down replying to that question? What are employers looking for when they ask that? Thanks.

[CheekyChops]

Everyone has weaknesses, as an example, I have no patience when showing someone how to do stuff. You have to think of something then say how you overcome this.

I would say something like 'Sometimes I am impatient with people but I am aware of this and so make a concious effort to make sure I remain calm and understand that people don't always understand first time'.

[Maydup]

Mostly they want to see that the candidate is happy to learn something new and doesn't think they're perfect.

So try to get her to think of something unimportant that she's not briliant at and suggest it as a weakness. She can say that she'd really appreciuate a training course in it to improve her skills. Maybe she could say she's OK at spreadsheets but its not her biggest strength and she'd like to be better .......for example?

Or.....her weakness could be that she can never turn down an extra shift to help people out and needs to be told to go home sometimes!

Or....her weakness could be that she can get frustrated if she's not working with the public and misses the challenges they bring hence her desire to work as a receptionist.

You get the idea?
Good luck to her from me

[Whickerman]

or that she sometimes works too hard, or that she gets too involved in her role.

[medsecslave]

Fantastic replies - thanks so much everyone.

[JonnyBoy12]

Wow, that is a bit off, isn't it? As you all say we all have weaknesses, the secret is to state some which are totally unrelated to the job in question. For example, she could have said she eats, sleeps and breaths horses, or she would kill to marry Brad Pitt. Both could be seen as weaknesses, but I am sure this would not stop her doing her job as a receptionist. I am quite sure she would have learned to cope with the stress in that job.

In response to your question what are employers looking for in interviewees..perfection in a word! Seriously though, a friend of mine summed it up when she quoted" You have got to make them want you" when going for a job (or a date perhaps, as well.) which kind of sums it up. I just go to an interview, and be myself, and that usually does the trick. I find the less I care about getting the job, the more likely I am to get it.