I've gotten a lot of response about the post on admitting to weaknesses during the interview process. There was one question in particular that I'd like to share from a high-level Finance Professional who felt he asserted himself too much/ the wrong way with upper level management and is looking for a way to "admit to this weakness" without jeopardizing his candidacy.

He writes... "I recently read an article you wrote regarding "Admitting your weaknesses" and I hoped to solicit some advice. I am an internal audit professional with a big four audit and consulting background. I've worked my way through the ranks of both corporate internal audit functions and similar consulting firms. However, I now find myself unemployed, slightly frustrated, and really wanting to get back on my feet...."

I made a poor choice in my last role of not listening critically to the executive management. I believe I took the elements of my internal audit role, perhaps too literally, regarding independence, providing recommendations, and driving change. I realize I was too idealistic about my role (new SOX and Internal Audit Director) in a small firm. Perhaps my approach should have been to allow the firm to more slowly adopt the function(s). I've come to understand that executive management was looking for a more passive approach and a more "window dressing" style leader. Perhaps I was a little too focused upon completing the work and driving change (hiring directives that soon changed after a month-other outspoken middle managers like VP IT where previously fired too) versus listening to the signals and comments from executive management. I challenged them too much when they really wanted to "drive the bus". Conversely though, I was receiving conflicting directives from the CEO, CFO, and BOD and found myself caught in the middle without a sponsor.

How can I admit my own faults while pursuing other internal audit jobs and continue to be an attractive candidate? I feel I stood my moral ground, worked as hard as I could to be productive and ethical, and communicated without blinders on. How can I position these experiences as "learning" and not convey a "job hopper risk" profile? Any advice on how to proceed is much appreciated.

Best regards,

"Wounded Fall Guy on the Mend"


Dear “Wounded Guy”,

You are already on the mend by taking the initiative to get some advice on this rather than skirting it under the rug. Hopefully, you won’t have to tell this “story” and you can stay away from all the gory details of what went down. But if you are forced to address this based on it surfacing through a reference or as rationale for why you left this job, I would again stress the value of being honest and objective. Remember that everyone makes mistakes (including the hiring manager!). In your instance, the hiring manager knows all too well the politics and “scapegoating” that goes on in the financial audit world; especially within bigger companies. Here’s my advice on how to discuss your perceived weakness/ mistake from your last job. Stay away from opinions, negativity and finger pointing and remain objective and unemotional about it. Stay focused on what you did/ didn't do (and not on the other people) that lead to the problem.

SET THE STAGE: “Here were the circumstances I was presented with…”

EXPLAIN (Don’t defend!) YOUR ACTIONS: “This is the course of action I took at the time…”

ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR MISTAKES: “Upon reflection, I would have absolutely handled things differently…”

SELL THE UPSIDE: “Here’s the good news, now I have this valuable experience under my belt and will know better next time I encounter a similar situation…”

Another way to handle this is to turn it into an opportunity to ask their advice. Acknowledge with them that this type of circumstance is somewhat common in your Industry and ask them what they would do/want their staff to do in a similar situation. By engaging the hiring manager, it will take the focus off you and onto them; you’ll flatter them by asking for their insight and will likely get some good perspective! Oh yeah…don’t forget to agree with them on how they recommend handling things.

Does this help? Hope so!

Good luck with your search “Wounded Guy”!