The BBC recently published an article in their online magazine on the art of ‘the humblebrag.’ Humblebragging is what we do when the interviewer asks us the dreaded question: “what is your greatest weakness?” It’s so popular that most job-seekers seem to have an automatic response, the same one they use at every interview. According to the article, two of the most frequently given answers are: “I’m a perfectionist” and “I take on too much responsibility.”
Hiring managers appear to be tired of receiving the same, predicable answers for a question they believe gives candidates the opportunity to be honest and reflective. One recruiter pleaded with candidates: “Please… don’t. Just stop. This is like saying “I wish for world peace” during a beauty pageant interview. You think you’re clever by turning the question into an opportunity to brag when in reality it just makes you look bad.” Another recruiter turned violent: “I want to punch someone in the neck when they humblebrag in an interview.”
Founder and editor of the career advice blog Jobacle.com, Andrew G. Rosen, says: “This is a go-to question for interviewers. It’s a seemingly innocent question that has the potential to quickly expose a major flaw. It’s the Hail Mary of the interview; a final last-ditch attempt to trip you up and send you in the other direction.”
For Rosen, the interviewer is being deceptive. If this really is the case, is it any wonder people resort to humblebragging? Sharing an actual weakness with a hiring manager makes you vulnerable, and while you hope that they will appreciate your honesty (if you choose to be honest), there remains the possibility of your truthfulness backfiring. Unless the recruiter doesn’t want someone who is unable to manage their time adequately, after all?
Contrastingly, Vamshi Krishna Beeravelly, an engineer and analyst who joined in on the discussion on Quora – the question and answer website – suggests that this question is not actually about asking about a candidate’s greatest weakness, but about their self-awareness. By being skilful in their answer and sharing a weakness that they are actively working towards overcoming, interviewees show the recruiter that they are able to identify and rectify their flaws.
Beeravelly says: “If you are a recruiter or an interviewer asking this question, understand that you must phrase it differently. Tell them that you want to know their strategies to deal with their weaknesses and are not interested in knowing what their weaknesses are. You can’t demand to know a weakness without showing that you can process and respect honesty.”
One thing to consider is that all interviews, including board panel interviews are a two-way selection process, and as much as the candidate needs to impress you, you too should be wary of leaving a bad impression. If a candidate believes, rightly or wrongly, that you are asking this question in order to trick them, it has the potential to put them off the job. They may also view it as being a boring and unoriginal line of questioning, when you want the interview to remain interesting.
The candidate should leave feeling excited and enthusiastic, but for this to happen, interview questions need to be diverse, thought-provoking and, of course, industry-related. A great example is some of the questions McDonald’s recruiters have been reported to ask, including: “How would you handle a situation in which food has just recently expired and you’re currently low-staffed and fairly busy?” and “Why should we hire someone with food service experience to work behind a [customer service] desk?” Both of these questions provide useful information to the candidate and the interviewer. They are practical and informative, and candidates will not walk away wondering if they have been duped. Finding the perfect fit for a role can be difficult, but if recruiters ask the right questions, they are much more likely to find the right candidates.
