Your Weakest Link: Goodbye!

First, an anecdote: Back when The Weakest Link was a semi-popular show, my grandmother ended her answering machine message with a quick "Goodbye!". Now for those of you who don't know my grandmother, she kind of looked like the host of Weakest Link, and the "Goodbye" sounded a whole lot like the way she said it. So now, that catchphrase (is that the right word?) always reminds me of my grandmother.

But onto the business of this blog.

The well known but dreaded interview question: What is one of your weaknesses? Now most people automatically want to answer "Nothing, I have no weaknesses.", but obviously this is a very large lie. So one of your weaknesses is that you are a liar. Because everyone is flawed. And 9.99 times out of ten, that flaw will effect your work in one way or another. So sooner or later, your employer will discover your weakness. Might as well be upfront about it.

It's understandable to be wary of admitting to weakness. No one wants to admit that they might not be absolutely perfect for a particular job. But no one is perfect for a particular job. But once you can recognize your weaknesses, admit to them and accept them, it's finally time to learn from them and hopefully to move on from them.

How about an example?

One of my (many, many) weaknesses that come into play a lot in my work is my fear of ineptitude (Hey, that's a word!). I can't handle that people might think I am inept or stupid in anything I do. Sometimes it's little things in life, like people expecting me to know a classic movie or the lyrics to a song; but sometimes it's something important, like knowing the statistical test for data. And my least favourite thing to do (almost) of all time, is say "I don't know". Those words are possibly as bad for me as "I was wrong" (which are almost admitting to the same thing). In the past, my fear of seeming inept has kept me from seeking help, and that has left me with some not-so-great results.

So eventually I grew up, and I realized, admitted to and accepted my weakness. Now it's time to fix it. I try to say "I don't know" more, and then try not to be relieved when my supervisors don't care that I don't know. Also, I've learned about a little thing called "research using the internet", which allows me to quickly learn things that I don't understand. Because as I have learned, self teaching and discovery can be rather rewarding!

I'm also trying to use my peer's knowledge more and more. Although I am inwardly fiercely competitive (another flaw), I am trying to realize that in the same way that I love teaching others (and believe I do so without condescension) other people might feel the same way. And that I won't feel or look stupid to them.

It's a process, just like everything else. And of course I'm also trying to work through all my many other work weaknesses.

So what can you take from all this? Work through yourself and figure out your weaknesses. Or just one to start. Realize them, accept them then it's time to work them out. And remember in an interview to be honest, but put a spin on it so that your potential employer/ supervisor knows that you are working out how to make yourself better.

Interviewer: What is one of your weaknesses?

Me: I have a strong desire to always appear as knowledgeable as people expect me to be, even when I don't know what they expect me to know. In the past this has stopped me from being comfortable with asking for help, but now I am working on being better at asking for clarification and admitting when I don't know how to do something.

Speak Loud!