#9. Top Ten Interviewing Mistakes: “I’m a Perfectionist”
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Why on earth would you want the recruiter to think that you’re a perfectionist? Take a moment and think about the characteristics of a perfectionist: annoying, obsessive, and irritating to work with. Remember the last time you worked with a perfectionist? Did you find it fun? No, you didn’t. You found her hard to work with and extremely obsessive over the project. Do not say you’re a perfectionist!
Talk about a weakness that can be turned into a strength, that can be viewed as a positive
Yu-kai gives a great example of this kind of weakness: it is a weakness that “sucks to be you, but is good for everyone else around you.” Here are a couple of examples:
“I find it hard to say no to people”
This weakness shows that you are a hard worker who strives to please his coworkers and boss. It implies that you are accustomed to multi-tasking and that you are eager to take on more tasks to prove your worth. So, this weakness sucks to be you because you are always asked to do additional tasks when you’re done. And, this weakness is good for everyone else around you because you make them look good by doing their extra work and taking a load off of their projects.
“I’m always too hard on myself”
It’s the “perfectionist” that doesn’t affect or annoy other people. This shows that whenever things go bad, you blame yourself rather than everyone around you. So this is bad for you because you feel you could always do better. This is good for everyone around you because you’re the work horse; you’re the person who will always be at the office working her hardest because she wants to do the best possible work for the team.
Always have a story attached to your weakness about how you’ve turned it into a strength. You need to tell a concrete story about how you have taken the initiative and developed your skill set.
Ultimately, the reason for this question is NOT to see how much you suck. The reason they are asking this question is to find out how you deal with tough situations. Being critical of yourself is very difficult for most people. It shows great character to be able to criticize yourself, realize your weaknesses, and do something about them. This also shows that you can take criticism in a positive way and that you will take the initiative to work harder and become a greater asset to the company.
Always remember:
- Your weaknesses should be able to be turned into a strength
- Tell a concrete story of how you have turned it into a strength
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