Which of these weaknesses would be best to say when asked for greatest weakness?

Question

Hi everyone!

I thought about the question on my greatest weakness and came up with three weaknesses of mine. However, I am not sure which one would be best to say in an interview, or even if some of them are possibly red flags. The three are:

In large meetings I can be shy to speak up even if I have good ideas
I sometimes flounder when communicating
I try to solve problems I am stuck with for too long before asking for help

Highly appreciate any advice!

Answer 1

Hi there,

My strong preference is #1.

My 2nd preference is #3.

#2 I would only bring out if you genuinely do flounder when communicating AND you expect it to happen during the case. I'm a big fan of bringing the elephant out of the room early. So, I could see this answer being used to "own" your weakness, and flag it even before you begin the case. And, you can even make light of it or joke a little bit when it does happen!

In terms of #1 make sure to highlight that, if you are asked to speak you have no problem. Frame it more as a "team player" or "I don't want to contradict my peers" sort of approach. And say you're working on speaking with your team lead before each meeting to figure out what topics/situations are fair game for you to interject on.

In terms of #3 you need to be really careful here. Make sure that "too long" means like an hour, not 3 days. Make sure that you have a mitigation for this. Make sure it's clear that the only thing this hurts is you as you may work an hour or two later. Make sure it's clear that this has never jeopardized a project/deliverable.

Answer 2

Hi,

This question has been tons of times before. Please browse this thread and embedded threads.

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/biggest-weakness-9505

Answer 3

Hi, I would choose number 1, because it seems like the easiest weak point to fix while getting more practice and experience. However, don’t forget to mention that it’s not a problem for you to speak up when you’re asked to. Otherwise interviewers may consider you too introverted for this position. And don't forget to tell that you're working on your weak points so they can see you're ready for thr improvement. Good luck!

If you have further questions, me and my colleagues here on PL will be glad to help you

Best,

Gaurav