This is a very important question. Do not be foolish and tell the interviewer things that might cause them not to hire you. Here is a good answer. I believe that if you have the right attitude you can overcome your weaknesses. Everybody has weaknesses and makes mistakes, but I have the ability to learn from my mistakes. By learning from your mistakes you become a better employee and a better person.

Here are some answers to the question which employers seem to like: "I tend to get too involved and take work home with me, which can be overwhelming at times." "Friends say I am honest to a fault. I just can't lie, even about surprise parties." "My weakness is that I hate to admit weakness."

I usually say that I typically look for a place in which to escape to get some sleep during slower times at work.

When answering this question, if you mention a weakness relevant to the job, you should also mention a way that you are working on fixing that weakness.

Hi Vivien,while many HR professionals have long ago put that question out to pasture, it's still pretty common. My advice? Admit to a totally irrelevant weakness. If the job is an underground miner, tell them you're scared of heights. Geologist role in the desert? Mention you can't swim very well. These examples are wildly exaggerated (wild exaggeration being my weakness) but it really does work. An alternative is to admit a weakness, but then counter it. In my current role, I truthfully suggested a weakness - I'm not great in the late afternoon, I'm a real morning person... but then I explained that I usually logged on from home at 5:30 in the morning and got a staggering amount of work done in the peace and quiet. Good luck!