How to Answer: “What is your greatest weakness?”
A complete guide to answering this common interview question — including what interviewers are really looking for, practical tips, and a worked example answer.
What interviewers are really asking
Be honest — interviewers can tell when you're faking. Choose a real weakness that is not central to the role, show genuine self-awareness about it, and demonstrate the concrete steps you've taken to improve. Avoid humblebrag answers like 'I work too hard'.
Tips
- Pick a real weakness — not a disguised strength.
- Show what you've actively done to address it.
- Avoid weaknesses that are core to the job.
- Keep it brief — one weakness with context, not a list.
- Frame it as a growth area, not a fatal flaw.
Example answer
Sample response
“I used to struggle with delegating. I'd take on too much myself because I felt responsible for quality. I realised this was limiting my team's growth and my own capacity. Over the past year I've been deliberate about assigning stretch projects to my team, setting clear outcomes rather than prescribing how to get there, and doing structured check-ins rather than hovering. My team's output has improved and I have more headspace for strategic work.”
Adapt this to your own experience — never use any example answer verbatim.
Use the STAR method
Structure your answer as: Situation (brief context), Task (your specific responsibility), Action (what you personally did), Result (the quantified outcome). Most strong interview answers follow this pattern.
Full STAR method guide