You won’t always be asked about positive attributes at a job interview. So how can international development professionals prepare for the classic: “Could you describe your strengths and weaknesses, please?”
Ideally, your strengths are related to the competencies described in the job ad, whether it’s for a governance expert in Libya or a project manager in the Philippines. Prepare three or four solid examples of your work — showing, not telling, is key. In other words, throwing out attributes like “team player” and “work well under pressure” is not enough. Prepare to discuss exactly how you’ve been able to help previous employers fundraise or advocate for maternal health, for instance — and how successful you were at it.
When talking about your weaknesses, interviewers tend to look for a healthy mixture of self-awareness and confidence. Don’t dwell on your flaws and mistakes; name one anecdote and how you’ve learned from it, and move on.
Here are four steps that will help you prepare to answer that dreaded “weakness” question:
1) Your weakness cannot be something entirely negative. For instance, a job candidate once told me: “My biggest weakness is poor time management.” Needless to say, this did not reflect well. Your weakness has to also be perceivable as a strength in other circumstances. “I can take on too much sometimes,” is one basic example, or, “I can sometimes be overly focused on details.”
2) Recruiters tend to frown upon cliché responses (like the ones above, even). So, make sure you are armed with a solid example of that weakness. For instance:
“I can take on too much sometimes. For example, I agreed to participate in a colleague’s fledgling capacity building projects with HIV/AIDS clinics when I was working for a USAID/JSI program in Bolivia. It proved a heavier burden than I anticipated on my own workload as project manager for a related medical screening initiative. It culminated in my working 12-14 hours each day and struggling to meet deadlines.”
Write out this kind of detail for yourself before the interview and you’ll be prepared for different versions of the “weakness” question, such as: Could you give me an example of when you were involved in a task which did not play to your strengths? Have there been times when your shortcomings affected your work? Or, what would you most like to improve about yourself?
Don’t be tempted to bend the truth as the interviewer will likely see straight through that. Do a little bit of self-reflection, read over your last performance review or even ask a trusted colleague where they think your areas of improvement lie. Make sure the weakness you bring to the interview is genuinely true and you can back it up with examples.
3) Don’t stop there. You must now counter the weakness to show…
a) … how you dealt with that particular situation:
I coped with it by organizing the workload into different task lists and delegated some of the less technical but more time consuming administrative duties such as pooling training materials and being the first point of contact for queries to a headquarters intern, who relished the opportunity.
b) … how your awareness of it has led to longer-term positive action:
“To ensure I do not find myself in that situation again, I am actively learning to say no, manage my time better and prioritize tasks.”
4) Finally, give an example of your longer-term counteraction:
For instance, just last week I completed the BOND international development in-house training. It was an offering that I researched, proposed to and helped design with JSI directors as a worthwhile investment for professional development for myself and many of my colleagues. The senior management agreed and enacted the workshop shortly thereafter.”
Thus, you will demonstrate that:
You know your weakness and can name a specific situation where you recognized it.
It did not overtake you but you successfully dealt with it in a calm, rational manner.
You are actively working to improve.
You even threw in a whole bunch of positives like the fact that you do not shy away from helping out colleagues on new projects, you are able to delegate to junior staff, you come up with initiatives for the benefit of others and you are highly respected by the most senior personnel, who act on your ideas. With so many strengths on the table, your interviewer may even completely forget the “weakness” that got you talking.
So, when preparing for a job interview, pick an honest weakness and remember the golden formula: weakness as a strength + example + counteraction + example. Your answer just might land you the job.
Read last week’s Career Matters.
