Difficult interview question: What are your weaknesses?

Even when you aren't asked outright about your weaknesses in an interview, the interviewer often still wants to know what they are. You may be asked the question in a roundabout way. You might also give the answer away without realizing you've done it!

But since the question looms out there as an interview possibility and many job candidates have told me that this is one of the most difficult questions to answer, you want to be prepared.

Some job candidates have trouble interviewing for new jobs because they have trouble talking about themselves. They say they don't like to brag or show off or simply that it makes them uncomfortable to highlight their top skills. You might think it is easier for them to talk about their shortcomings, but no!

Even these candidates have trouble talking about their weaknesses. Today, I can give you one tip to help you answer this question for yourself. Here's the question to ask yourself before you begin your job search:

If you could have training for any skill set you currently use or need to use in the job market, what would you want to learn?

• Do you need to learn public speaking? 
• Do you need to learn a new software language for programming? 
• Do you need to be more comfortable with social media? 
• Do you have trouble writing reports? 

Write down the skills you need to learn or improve and carefully craft your list of weaknesses from the list. You may use this in an interview or it may open up opportunities for you to see better what your next job should look like.

Do you have any tips for other job candidates? Share them with us!