Silence fills the room as the interviewer thinks of their next question. As I sit there, I pray it is a question I can easily answer, a question I have already rehearsed. After all, I know myself better than anyone else does. Time slows as the interviewer asks, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” My heart sinks, I rack my brain for the response that I had thought of hours before, but nothing comes. Those three seconds feel like an eternity, and I ultimately end up responding, “I can’t think of anything, so I guess one of my weaknesses is being unable to think of an answer quickly.” I can recall using this sentence at least three times over the span of my high school and now college journey. The moment I remember the most is an interview I had over Zoom. The summer before coming to college, I had been stressing about the interview all week, so when this question arose, I was silent. I remember the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat, and not knowing what to do, I gave that response. She told me that I could send a follow-up email later that day if I thought of anything else. Even though I got a second chance, I still hate the response I always give; my answer is not one that any employer would enjoy, but in the moment, I couldn’t help but try to fill the silence in the room. Needless to say, I need to explore myself further so I don’t end up in that situation again. 

I find that I am a pretty open person; I don’t struggle to talk about emotions, and quite frankly, I might talk too much. The reason I chose to answer this question is that, as I look back on failures that I have had in my professional life, I consider answering that question to be one of them. Knowing the answer to this question is valuable to both you and whoever is asking, because being able to identify your flaws is so essential, as it demonstrates a sense of responsibility as a worker. All employers know that no person is perfect, so when this question is asked, it sets the stage for you to be more honest than you usually would, and that human touch may just be the thing to push you over the edge and land that position you worked so hard for.

You, the reader, should care about this question because if you take the time, like I am, to really think about what fields you are good at and bad at, you can use it as an opportunity to grow. One way you can do that is by leveraging your weaknesses. If you know you are not proficient at a particular task, you may utilize one of your strengths, such as delegating, and reroute the task to someone who can do it better. It’s not a flaw, but rather a skill. The ability to outsource is vital in a busy environment because, while you can accomplish a great deal alone, leveraging the skill sets of those around you can have a positive impact on both parties. 

Now that you have read about my deep resentment, as well as my appreciation for this question, it’s time actually to talk about me. One of my greatest strengths is my ability to stall. That may not make sense, but once you realize that you read almost 600 words just to figure out my first strength, you might understand a bit more. Additionally, I believe I am quite skilled at procrastination. Now, this definitely isn’t a good thing, but for those of you who personally know me, you know it’s true. For reference, it is currently 2:11 AM, and I have to submit this piece of work in just under 10 hours. My parents would definitely not be proud of me if they were to find out. And something great about this assignment is that it involves sending it to five people close to me, so unfortunately, they will find out – hi, Mom and Dad, you made the cut. Thanks for taking the time to read this piece of writing that I am thoughtfully crafting while my eyes are fighting to stay open. I promise I am working hard in college! I did not really want this to be my reality, but it is related to a weakness that I have. I am so disorganized inside my own head. While my room may seem somewhat organized, my own human error resulted in my forgetting that this assignment was due tomorrow, which I realized at around 2 AM. I had to crawl out of bed and get to work. But that’s the thing, a strength of mine is the determination I have. I will always complete the job, no matter what. I didn’t spend all day slacking off just to end up here, though. I spent time studying, socializing, laughing, and more, which I think is another skill I have: being able to somewhat “balance” my life. While it is less than ideal to be up this late, if I were a slacker, I would’ve just gone to sleep without completing the assignment, so props to me, I guess. 

Another strength I possess is my ability to think on the fly, although not always when I’m under pressure. If I had a dollar for every time I had a “great” idea, I would probably not be pursuing an education, but that isn’t the reality, and I’m enjoying my time here, so I am glad my ideas aren’t creating wealth, at least not yet. I know my writing is quite scrambled, and I’ll be honest it is a weakness, because while my brain dump makes sense to me, it may be a pain for the reader, but I always try and make sure it can be digested by as many people as possible, because I think I am quite proficient in understanding others viewpoints as well, just another one of the things I am good at. 

Looking back just a year or two, I would’ve said one of my biggest weaknesses was writing, but I have actually begun to find a passion for writing, as I find it helps me convey my feelings much more easily than saying them out loud. Speaking of talking out loud, I do believe that I shine the most in team projects. I love hearing alternative perspectives, and I think another strength of mine is my openness to others’ opinions, because I know I don’t have all the answers, so I am open to changing my mind, which I often do. I find teamwork so intriguing because it involves considering ideas from people who have had millions of interactions and made their own decisions, which have shaped their perspective on the matter. Part of why I like DISCO (the class for which I am writing this) so much is that I am connecting with people not just from different parts of campus, but also with those who have come from all over the world.

To end things off, I hope you noticed the final strength I will mention, my humor. I hope it was somewhat less boring to read because I sprinkled my personality between the lines. Personally, I do not enjoy reading long passages, not because I am uninterested in the topic, but because it is difficult for me to read without getting sidetracked, which I suppose is a weakness. If there was one takeaway I would want you to have from reading this, it would be that weaknesses do not make you any less worthy of success, or whatever goals you are chasing. Instead, weaknesses help you learn more about yourself, and by utilizing your strengths, you can overcome areas where you aren’t as proficient.