Hi Alina,
I would recommend the following structure to answer this question:
- Say which is a "good" weakness, that is, a weakness that is not a red flag
- Say what you are doing to improve on it, giving a concrete example (eg, don’t simply say “I am working on it”, but rather “I am doing XYZ and ABC in order to get better in this”).
The main issue for many candidates is to identify the weakness to use in point 1 above. So, how can you find a proper weakness?
The best way to find a “good” weakness is to avoid standard answers such as “public speaking”. Instead, you can go through the following approach to identify real weaknesses:
- Write down a list of all your weaknesses.
- Eliminate those who are clear red flags in consulting (all those you may not be able to change quickly or ever – eg no fluency in a relevant language, no strong education background/ relevant experience – or clear problems in consulting – eg missing deadlines, poor communication with teammates, not being on time).
- Think about the improvements you can show for the ones remaining. Select the "best" three and apply the previous structure.
This should allow to have “good” weaknesses that would also show personal improvement.
Best,
Francesco