surgimus Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Strengths are fairly easy to speak about. But in an interview setting, if asked what are three of your weaknesses. What is teh best way to approach this question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihatepink Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Be honest but not too hard on yourself. State some true weaknesses, but don't just leave it at that - tack on a sentence or two about measures you are currently taking to improve yourself. Don't ever tell the interviewer you have no weaknesses - that is a "ding ding ding" for detecting a liar... No one's perfect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athina021 Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 I find a good way to approach these questions is SAR: situation, action, result. You can describe what your weakness is (situation), how you recognized and took steps to make it better (action) and the positive outcome of the action in regards to your weakness (result). It's a little formulaic but I think an answer like this shows thoughtfulness and insight, while demonstrating a positive outcome. This may be a little long if they ask you for three weaknesses, but I doubt you'll be asked that anyway (usually one is enough! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcgirl33 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 man I HATE this question argh. Everytime I come up with a weakness, it either smacks of artifice or is a Kiss Of Death. Has anyone encountered this question in an actual interview, and what form did it take? Was it: 1. general 2. specific ("what will be your greatest weakness as a medical student") 3. geared to the positive ("what will be your greatest challenge as a doctor and why") 4. sneaky ("what are the qualities of a good physician"... pause while you answer... "now, which of these qualities do you not have") 5. etc..... Would hugely appreciate any insight cheers L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Happy Hippo Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 yo yo bc chicki....r u up for dinner with me there??? I'll pay 4 u... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its_a_conspiracy Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Ignore the troll. On another thread Dr. Hippo warned readers that he/she thought a person had hacked into his/her account because she was finding posts that she had not written. I believe you can search for it. Therefore...do not feed the troll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcgirl33 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Ignore the troll. On another thread Dr. Hippo warned readers that he/she thought a person had hacked into his/her account because she was finding posts that she had not written. I believe you can search for it. Therefore...do not feed the troll. LOL thanks conspiracy... i got totally worked up over another thread and now I get the troll thing. Who are they and what the HELL are they doing on a premedical forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its_a_conspiracy Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 LOL thanks conspiracy... i got totally worked up over another thread and now I get the troll thing. Who are they and what the HELL are they doing on a premedical forum No probs. I guess some people are bored/immature/deliquent and get kicks from posting such inane things. Ah well, I pity the foo's!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 Strengths are fairly easy to speak about. But in an interview setting, if asked what are three of your weaknesses. What is teh best way to approach this question? what ihatepink and Athina021 have said is excellent advice. Do NOT say: 1) I have no weaknesses - even superman had kryptonite 2) Use "I am a perfectionist" as your weakness - very common and also gives the impression of dishonesty Be honest. We all have weaknesses. The important thing is that you recognize your weaknesses and are taking steps towards improving them. It shows maturity and insight into your character. Importantly, for the interviewer, it solidifies the fact that you know yourself well and hence, everything you've discussed regarding your suitability for being a physician is not all fluff. I would follow Athina's formula: 1) identify weakness 2) state what you're doing to overcome/improve it 3) discuss outcome Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 man I HATE this question argh. Everytime I come up with a weakness, it either smacks of artifice or is a Kiss Of Death. Has anyone encountered this question in an actual interview, and what form did it take? Was it: 1. general 2. specific ("what will be your greatest weakness as a medical student") 3. geared to the positive ("what will be your greatest challenge as a doctor and why") 4. sneaky ("what are the qualities of a good physician"... pause while you answer... "now, which of these qualities do you not have") 5. etc..... Would hugely appreciate any insight cheers L #1 - yes, this comes up predictably (What are three of your weaknesses? Tell me an area in which you need to improve.) #2 - For this one, you can use any of the three that you've prepared for the above question. Personally, I had difficulty with questions worded in this manner since I got bogged down in finding a specific example that would best fit their parameters, until I realized that any weakness would work. #3 - This does not have to be answered with a weakness. Medicine is a field with many challenges; certainly not all are related to one's personal qualities! #4 - Never encountered this one. But if it were to come up, I think it would be unreasonable to expect you to admit you didn't have one of those qualities - since those are qualities you came up with yourself, it's a different situation from saying you have no weaknesses period, which as stated by other posters is bad. Plus, you obviously realize the importance of the qualities you listed, and likely would be able to elaborate on how you have demonstrated them, or are working on them, if pressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacherlady Posted March 25, 2008 Report Share Posted March 25, 2008 As a former employment coach, I can tell you that there are two examples that are way over-used and set off the BS detector: - I'm a perfectionist - I have a hard time saying no and I take on too much responsibility Both of these will lead to the interviewer rolling his/her eyes internally and thinking "yeah, right...". It's hard to tell you what to say, because I don't know you! I know myself, and I can tell you that my big weaknesses are: - I'm a procrastinator - I'm disorganized - I can be overly sensitive and sometimes in trying to avoid conflict I just sidestep issues that really need to be dealt with. Any of those weaknesses is 100% me and can be a major problem in just about any career (especially the first two). I wouldn't just list them and then smile warmly at the interviewer. I'd really focus on how I've managed them and turned them to my advantage, providing specific examples. (Oh, and I would NEVER mention the fact that I can be really lazy! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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