Firms ask about your weaknesses not just to identify whether they might render you unsuitable for the role, but also to ascertain whether you are self-aware and proactive in the context of personal and professional development. 

Of course, nobody likes talking about their weaknesses. However, everyone has weaknesses, so you should never try to claim that you are the exception. If the question does come up, don’t try to frame a strength as a weakness. “My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist” won’t get you anywhere, as this can show a real lack of self-awareness. Recruiters want to hear an authentic answer, based on genuine self-reflection; they’re not simply giving you an opportunity to show off about your perceived perfections. 

Think about your weaknesses and how you have addressed them or found a way to work around them. Obviously try to avoid discussing a weakness that goes totally against the core competencies required to succeed in the role. If an aspiring lawyer mentions their “complete and utter lack of attention to detail” or a budding accountant admits that they are ”terrible with numbers”, this probably wouldn’t go down too well. Instead, try to identify a weakness that can be easily improved upon and won’t reflect too negatively on your ability to succeed from day one. 

If you mention a weakness that is rectifiable and then explain how you’re working on it on an ongoing basis, this can actually reflect very positively on your character. And highlighting examples where you have deliberately placed yourself outside of your comfort zone to work on a weakness can be particularly effective. 

For example, if you admit that you lack confidence when public speaking, but highlight that you have joined the debating or mooting club to gain additional public speaking experience and build that confidence, the firm will likely be impressed with your self-awareness and the actions you’ve taken to improve. Similarly, confidence when networking might be a weakness that doesn’t strike at the core of the role, and something you tried to improve by attending numerous networking events (such as career fairs or employer events).

During my training contract, delegation was a particular weakness of mine. I didn’t feel comfortable delegating boring/administrative work to paralegals, many of whom were more experienced than I was, and didn’t know how to ensure I was delegating clearly and effectively. I dealt with this in two ways. Firstly, by speaking to seniors about how they improved their ability to delegate effectively. Secondly, by seeking feedback from the paralegals to whom I had delegated. 

I asked for their thoughts on being allocated work and what they saw as “poor” delegation and “great” delegation from others. The paralegals pointed out that if nobody allocated work to them, their job wouldn’t exist, and that they chose to be in that role so had no issue with being delegated the types of administrative tasks that paralegals tend to complete. They also gave examples of good and bad delegation, which I then kept in mind when subsequently preparing to delegate. This all really helped me to get over my discomfort and improve my technique, which actually improved my working relationships with paralegals. 

Another weakness of mine was – and still is, to some extent – speaking too quickly when excited or nervous, and this has been the case since I was a child (I have often received feedback to this effect, first from grandparents, then from City trainers and attendees at my events!). So I took positive action to improve my presentation skills. Essentially, I repeatedly recorded myself speaking, listened back, adjusted my pace, then tried again, until I became more familiar with how the “right” pace feels.