looking for a professional way to answer the "what are your weaknesses?" interview question.?

Question

have an interview in 2 hrs. for a payroll clerk position. i dread this question.

Answer 1

Well, what are your weaknesses?
Be honest with the employer but regulate what you say. You can be funny and say something like "Chocolate is my weakness, but seriously..." and you fill in the blanks. (It helps to break the ice) Be honest, some people tend to say they take on too much work, some say they have no weaknesses (BAD BAD BAD, all people do), some get too honest and say they have addictions to drugs, alcohol, and sex. Find the right medium for you, it is never easy to think of one's own weaknesses when we live in a society that pride's itself on strength. Personally I always have told my employers that my own personal weakness is that I am never satisfied with the knowledge and education that I have, that I always am eager to go for more and I place greater emphasis on my education then I do my own personal happiness at times. It is not good and I have to find a balance between my education and personal life.
I hope it helps and I hope you get the job.
Oh, and remember, do not ask about benefits or salary unless they bring it up first. it is just a bad business practice.

Answer 2

They're looking to see if you will admit to some reason that they should not hire you. Obviously you would be a fool to say something damaging about yourself. The way I would approach that question is to pretend they asked "What areas do you most want to improve upon professionally and how do you plan on doing that?" Then you can give an answer that makes it sound like you the kind of person that strives for excellence. For example, "It's been challenging to stay on track when there are new things constantly coming in that need attention, so to deal with that I've found it helpful to take some time at the beginning of each day to figure out what are the top three things I want to get done that day and keep them in sight throughout the day so that I don't get sidetracked."

Answer 3

Try using one that is both a strength and a weakness.
You could answer, "My need for perfection." It's both a strength(esp. in payroll), but can be a weakness if you're being interviewed for a job, working with children or the disabled.
Remember to use eye-contact when answering; don't 'talk with your hands.'
Don't sweat; you may not even be asked that one, but it's good that you want to be prepared.

LOL

Smartycat

Answer 4

you say well I tend to be a perfectionist. There are just so many stupid interview questions. I should write a book about all of them. I mean what do they even have to do with the position your applying for anyway?

Answer 5

Great question!

How about...What I have sometimes said myself: I try too hard sometimes, to the point of frustration. I need to remember to take a deep breath, sip a cup of tea, and ask for advise in sorting my priorities when an unpredictable event interrupts my schedule for the day...

BTW, good luck in your interview

Answer 6

Always good to say people ecuse you of you working hard and your obsessed with detail. Sounds a bit cheesy but better than saying your lazy!

Answer 7

Tell them that one of your weaknesses is that your a perfectionist and sometimes it makes you slower because you need it to be perfect.This is especially good for this kind of job since bookeepers need to be precise.

Answer 8

You answer that you are eager to learn and tend to volunteer for too many tasks. Best of Luck to you

Answer 9

ask them to be more specific