The Worst Interview Question

I was reading an article today about the worst interview question: "What is your greatest weakness?"

Below is the answer I used the last time I was asked this question in an interview:

I think that my greatest weakness is that I can be a little hard on the people on my team by expecting too much out of them. I expect a lot out of myself, maybe more than is reasonable, and when a project has a high priority or is on a tight deadline, I expect a lot out of everyone on the team. I have to make a conscious effort to build in time for people to recharge so that they don't get burned out.

I may not have worded it exactly like that, but that is basically what I said. I don't know if it helped me or hurt me. It is an honest answer about my second greatest weakness. I think my greatest weakness could be laziness, but that is not something I bring up in an interview.

How would you answer this question, or how have you answered this in the past?

Comments

[jo]

I usually say it is that I tend to tilt at windmills and that I have a really hard time backing down from a something I strongly believe in. Even in scenarios it would be wise for me to do so.

I think in the future I may say something about how I have a hard time playing politics because I speak my mind and tend to have rather strong opinions.

In reality... one of two... lazy and I don't take criticism well. (Like I take it but then spend the next two weeks freaking out about how I'm about to get fired because I'm so useless).

[Rachel]

I usually give some bullshit about how I'm a perfectionist and can work myself too hard to achieve perfection where near-perfection would do just fine. Except that I word it in a way that makes them want to hire me BECAUSE I'm a "perfectionist" except that I'm really not a huge perfectionist and laziness is definitely my biggest weakness. Whatever. Nobody answers that question completely honestly because it is a stupid question. You want to know my greatest weakness? Hire me and pay me a decent salary and find out for yourself over time.

[KtP]

In the past, I have said that I don't delegate, not because I don't trust people, but b/c I have such high standards, blah blah blah, what PM and Rachel said.

[melissa]

Wow.

You want to know my greatest weakness? Hire me and pay me a decent salary and find out for yourself over time.

Been a long time since I spit beverage on my keyboard, guess I was due.

I also have used the perfectionist line in the past.