How do you answer the toughest interview question in the world - "What is your biggest weakness?" Whatever you do, don't try and avoid the real answer. What the manager wants to know more than anything else is NOT what your actual weaknesses are, but if you are honest enough to admit you have one.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, has shortcomings. You know it, I know it and the manager knows it. Think about how foolish you sound when you say you don't have any weaknesses or when you try to trick them by giving them a weakness that really is a strength. "Oh...my biggest weakness is that I am a workaholic and put way too much into my job". This really does sound ridiculous because that certainly is not a weakness in the employer's eyes. And it is also completely obvious what you are trying to do.

While not every hiring manager may ask you this. This kind of interviewing technique is fairly common. And the question could be posed to you in a number of different ways:

• What do you consider to be your biggest weakness?
• How would your coworkers describe your strengths and weaknesses?
• What is the biggest mistake you feel you've made in your job/career?

So first understand what the three reasons are for asking you this:

1. They want to know if you can be honest enough to admit that you actually have weaknesses
2. They want to know that you can determine what your weakness are
3. They want to know that you intend on working on these shortcomings now and and in the future

So, here's the simple solution. Follow these 1-2-3 steps above when you answer this question:

Example:
"(1) That's a great question and I will absolutely admit that I am not perfect. (2) Personally, I work really hard at being aware of how I can improve and focus on these things everyday. Let me give you an example, sometimes I struggle with (give one example of a weakness). Because of this, I always make sure I (give an example as to how you are working to conquer your weakness). (3) I can guarantee you that I will continue to work on improving myself if I join your team and look forward to seeing what other advice you have for me on how I can get better."

Let's also cover the obvious point here about what type of weaknesses you should divulge and which you should keep to yourself.

OK to admit to: While not your strong suits, these are understandable/common points of weakness:

• Trouble delegating (it's OK to admit that you like to have a lot on your plate and enjoy doing as much as you can on your own. Tell them you work on this weakness by meeting with your subordinates on a monthly basis to get their ideas about the business and to find out what they want to get involved with. Explain that you find this to be a very helpful reminder for you of just how capable they are and this always ends up assuaging your delegation aversion and making you feel more confident sharing responsibility with your team).

• Difficulty sharing accountability (it's OK to admit that you sometimes struggle with sharing accountability within a group when things are not well defined. Tell them you work on this shortcoming by always making sure that your team establishes clear roles, responsibilities, deadlines and goals upfront and that these bright lines help you with some of the uneasiness you feel when things are left too vague).

• Difficulty in asking for help (it's OK to admit that you have a lot of pride in figuring things out on your own. Tell them that you work on this by setting a personal alarm to go off when you realize your pride is about to turn into ego and your stubbornness to get others involved is looking like it might get in the way of the project's success.)

Keep it to yourself!: These examples will be the kiss of death for you.

• Difficulty taking criticism
• Poor organizational skills
• Hard time getting along with others
• Following through with tasks

So don't get caught off guard by this question. Think about it and have a real answer. Your candidness will out outweigh any disadvantage to admitting to an understandable weak point of yours. Always remember why they are asking and use this question to show them your honesty, ability to self-evaluate and commitment to improving!