Time and time again, unsuccessful job candidates walk away from the interview stages wishing they could have given the perfect response to that particularly prying question which left them looking puzzled and perplexed rather than professional. Two of these questions which have been identified as hideously bamboozling are:<br/><br/>What did you learn from a situation?<br/>And<br/>What is your weakest skill?<br/><br/>The first question crops up all the time, tripping up hapless hopefuls and hammering the figurative nail into the prospective employee's coffin. Yet all this anguish can be easily avoided if you were to take sufficient care and consideration. The question itself is open ended in such a way that ought to allow the interviewee to present themselves in the best possible light, identifying a situation in which they rose to the fore, overcame the odds and indirectly proved themselves as the most viable of job candidates! Prior to interviewing it is key to have several situations up your sleeve, e.g when you rescued a failing project, took control of a tricky situation or simply employed your skills to the benefit of whatsoever you directed your energy towards. The specific situation obviously depends on the individual but make sure you have a suitable short list. Beyond the situation itself it is important to have a set of attributes in mind which demonstrate your employability and general genius. A few examples again which employers will be looking for include, perseverance, creativity, maturity, intelligence; anything which effectively demonstrates your own effectiveness, efficiency and enthusiasm.<br/><br/>When responding to the 'what is your weakest skill?' conundrum it is important to be reflective and humble. Yet you must be careful not to be to successful in conveying your greatest faults and talking yourself out of any kind of employment. Saying I'm not a team player is never a winner (Joey Barton take note...) you can just as easily talk yourself out of employment as into it in this case. Once again, preparation is key so you don't shoot yourself in the foot. It is important to emphasise how your weakness is equally your strength. This may sound a little paradoxical but here are some more examples: My personal weaknesses include - being an absolute perfectionist, working too hard at actual work to the detriment of your social life, always wanting to please people in whatever way you can. The list of examples could go on but I think it is clear for you to see that there is a wily way in which you can be simultaneously self-deprecating as well as self-ennobling.<br/><br/>With this bit of advice in mind I hope a few of you are able to avoid the pitfalls of dour interviewers and dastardly interviews. If all else fails there are two further little gems of advice which you ought to always keep in mind:<br/><br/>1. It is not okay to lie (you WILL be caught out!) but in certain situations it is perfectly okay to throw modesty to the wind and make sure your best attributes come across loud and clear.<br/><br/>2. Always have a plan b! It is always better to say something only slightly satisfactory than nothing at all. Safety nets are a must.
