I'm sure you are all familiar with the interview question that we all hate to be asked - what's your greatest weakness? Most of us have been told at some point or other to talk about a weakness that's not "really" a weakness and the example they often give is saying: "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." This is often said with a cringeworthy (if not smug) smile that attempts to be sheepish, but comes off as, well, to be frank? Stupid.
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Perfectionism is not a weakness that you should admit to, without a solid add-on about how you have overcome it. In fact, if you believe you can be "a bit of a perfectionist" - with or without the attempted play at sheepishness - you should be looking for ways to address this issue pretty quick smart.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the allure. In fact, at the beginning of my own career, it was the weakness I chose to run with complete with the sheepish, cringey smile. Not my proudest career move, that's for sure.
On the face of it, it appears to be the perfect (pun intended) solution to the weakness conundrum. The admission that isn't an admission at all ... until you actually stop and think about what perfectionism really is.
Perfectionism feels like the promise of no mistakes, a high strike rate, a record of reaching goals and delivering "perfect" outcomes. Absolutely perfect (again, pun intended) for a weakness, right?
Wrong. It's actually chaos in the practical reality of workspaces.
This is because time is money. The more time you spend tweaking something to make it "perfect" the less time you spend on the next job order or task. The more you demand perfection from yourself, the less you are willing to delegate it to someone else who may be able to do it faster and more efficiently, if not as "perfectly". The more you hold yourself to the standard of perfection, the more your peers start to feel like you don't trust them and that you expect them to be perfect, too (and let's be honest - how many actual perfectionists do you know that don't do this?).
Being a perfectionist is not being a perfect employee.
It creates problems with meeting deadlines if you can't let something go before you've hit your own high expectations of your performance. It creates problems in the team if you hold onto tasks so tightly no one else has the chance to collaborate with you on them or to gain experience in the space. It can also lead to high burnout rates in, well, you, as you struggle to maintain the high standard that you've set for yourself.
In short, claiming perfectionism is a chaotic burden, that doesn't just affect you, but all those around you and unless you have developed a way around it, it's something that you really need to work through with a careers counsellor (insert shameless plug here), or personal counsellor. If that's not your jam, then sitting down and really reflecting on your work style, what needs to change, what you need to let go of and building strategies to do just that can help, too.
We all want to do a good job. I know. I get it. The matrix of time versus quality is a struggle I deal with daily. But you have to trade off one or the other - not entirely, but to some extent - otherwise, everything and everyone around you suffers.
So, what can you do about it if this really is your greatest weakness? You need to figure out why you can't let it go until it's bang on perfect even if that means you miss a deadline or work 'til the wee hours to get it done. Ask yourself what "perfect" really is - can it be "perfect" if it's late? If it was meant to be a collaboration, but you did it all yourself? If you neglected other tasks because you couldn't let it go before it was up to your expectation? Setting clear parametres of what "perfect" actually means can be a great first step towards unpacking the perfectionism trap and learning to trade-off within acceptable parameters to achieve goals where it's just not possible to deliver the world.
And if perfectionism isn't really your weakness, for God's sake, when you're asked about it at interview, say, "chocolate".
Zoë Wundenberg is a careers consultant and un/employment advocate at impressability.com.au, and a regular columnist for ACM.
Zoë Wundenberg is a careers consultant and un/employment advocate at impressability.com.au, and a regular columnist for ACM.
Here's what to not say during 'that' question in job interviews
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18.03.2024
I'm sure you are all familiar with the interview question that we all hate to be asked - what's your greatest weakness? Most of us have been told at some point or other to talk about a weakness that's not "really" a weakness and the example they often give is saying: "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." This is often said with a cringeworthy (if not smug) smile that attempts to be sheepish, but comes off as, well, to be frank? Stupid.
$0/
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Login or signup to continue reading
Perfectionism is not a weakness that you should admit to, without a solid add-on about how you have overcome it. In fact, if you believe you can be "a bit of a perfectionist" - with or without the attempted play at sheepishness - you should be looking for ways to address this issue pretty quick smart.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the allure. In fact, at the beginning of my own career, it was the weakness I chose to run with complete with the sheepish, cringey smile. Not my proudest career move, that's for sure.
On the face of it, it appears to be the perfect (pun intended) solution........
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