Job Interview Training. Q3: “What Is Your Biggest Weakness?”

Tom Lockhart
May 6
3 min read

Updated: 11 hours ago

🌍 — Ace That Job Interview! May 6

Hello Anglo Passers, and welcome back to our job interview series for English learners! So far, we’ve looked at how to answer “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your strengths?” with confidence and clarity. Today, we’ll tackle a question that many people find difficult:

💬 Question 3: What is your biggest weakness?

It’s a tricky one, to be sure. 🎯 So, what are interviewers actually looking for when they ask this? Well, they don’t expect you to be perfect, but what they do want is to see that you can:

Reflect honestly on your own skills
Talk about how you improve yourself
Stay positive, even when discussing challenges

This is not the time to say “I don’t have any weaknesses,” which just sounds unrealistic.

✅ So, how to structure your answer? Use this simple 3-step formula:

Choose something small and real. Pick a weakness that won’t seriously affect your ability to do the job.
Show what you’re doing to improve. Give an example of how you’ve already started working on it.
End on a positive note. Show that you’re making progress and turning a weakness into a strength.

🧠 Remember the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) if you want to give a short example.

💡 Top Tips

Don’t choose a weakness that’s essential for the job (e.g. saying “I’m bad with deadlines” in a project manager interview)
Be honest, but stay professional
Use a growth mindset: show that you can learn and adapt

💻 Online tip: Practise saying your answer clearly, and avoid sounding too nervous. Keep it calm, simple, and confident.

📝 Useful Phrases for talking about your weakness:

“One area I’ve been working on is…”
“I used to struggle with…”
“I’ve found that I can sometimes…”

📝 Useful Phrases for showing improvement:

“To improve this, I’ve started…”
“Recently, I’ve been focusing on…”
“This has already helped me to…”

✏️ Your Task

Think of one real weakness you feel comfortable discussing. Then:

Write 2–3 sentences about what it is
Say what you’re doing to improve
Practise saying it naturally, no need to memorise

📖 Case Study – 👤 Meet Rafal Kowalski

Rafal is a 35-year-old logistics coordinator from Kraków, Poland. He’s applying for a role in supply chain management at a global shipping company. In the past, Rafal had trouble giving presentations in English, but he’s worked hard to improve.

💼 Job Interview Role Play – “What’s your biggest weakness?”

Interviewer:

What would you say is your biggest weakness?

Rafal:

Well, one area I’ve been working on is public speaking in English. I used to feel quite nervous when I had to give presentations, especially in front of international colleagues.

To improve this, I joined an online speaking group and started preparing small presentations each week. I also took a short course in Business English for presentations.

This has really helped me feel more confident. Just last month, I gave a successful presentation to the European team, and the feedback was very positive. I’m still improving, but I’ve come a long way.

✅ What’s Next?

Great work! You’ve now learned how to:

Talk about a real weakness without sounding negative
Show that you’re working on it
Stay confident and professional in your answer

In the next blog post, we’ll look at Question 4: “Why did you leave your last job?” and how to answer it clearly and positively.

Keep going — you’re getting better every time! 💪

Download the free worksheet here