Interviews: what is your greatest strength and weakness.

This is one of the most commonly asked interview question, and I have been asking it for over 15 years. When people don't give boilerplate answers, this can be an opportunity to be self-reflective and stick out from the crowd. This is a question worth thinking about ahead of time....
#jobinterview #phd #postdoc #interviewtips #interviewquestions #interviews #interviewpreparation #interviewquestionsandanswers #academia #academicsuccess #phdlife
0:00 Introduction: answers fall into two broad categories
2:20 Suggestions: greatest weakness
4:36 Suggestions: greatest strength
6:38 Wrap-up
Matthias Rillig, professor of ecology at Freie Universität Berlin, chats about life in academia.
Interested in our lab? visit rilliglab.org or follow us on twitter @mrillig.
For videos on soils, their ecology and biodiversity, follow our other channel: RilligLab - Life in the Soil / @rilliglab-lifeintheso...
Want a particular topic covered? Please add your suggestion to the comments!

[@mrillig]

Hi, don't forget to watch some of the other videos I have about interviews, for example this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epumpGWli8p1b9U

[@jmfwhittle]

Thank you so much for being so candid and generous with your experiences in academia. This is one of the most valuable channels on youtube for up and coming academics. What you are doing is so positive for so many people in what is normally such a reticent community when discussing such secretive topics. Absolutely marvelous !

[@mrillig]

Thanks very much for writing this comment; makes me very happy! 😊

[@mehwishsahibzada303]

a lot of respect for you.

[@mrillig]

Thank you! 🙂

[@wz_hou2130]

As always, providing invaluable advice. Thank you very much!!!

[@mrillig]

Thanks!

[@merfanian]

Thank you! Useful details to finetune the answers

[@mrillig]

Thanks!

[@joanapicocarbajo6986]

Amazing tips!

[@mrillig]

Thanks; glad you found those useful!

[@BossAkademi]

Thank you

[@mrillig]

😀

[@muhammadbilalsarwar5646]

I got the idea. thanks for explaining :)

[@mrillig]

Thanks! :)

[@wissemmhiri3787]

Thank you so much for the content ! I have an interview for postdoc position this week and i will definitely follow your advices 🙏🏻

[@mrillig]

Glad this was helpful and good luck with your interview!

[@wissemmhiri3787]

@@mrillig Thank you! :) in some interviews, postdoc applicants are requested to prepare a presentation, would you mind making a video of what a postdoc interview presentation should include? thank you ! :)

[@mrillig]

@@wissemmhiri3787 Good idea. I kind of already have a video that might do the trick, perhaps you want to check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJyud3iPpZWsrNE

[@sebathomas3529]

I followed your video and attended interview. I did well, even the professor was impressed. Unfortunately I am ranked second. So i missed the chance. Topic of the program was very related to me. Losing the position like this is very desperate. I hope I will get over it

[@mrillig]

Sorry you didn't end up being number 1, but this is sometimes the case because other candidates may simply be a better fit for the position, if they also do well during the interview. This is not something you can control.

[@sadeghfarhang6074]

Great

[@mrillig]

Thank you!

[@spideramazon5032]

Great presentation. Thanks for putting this together. You brought an interesting aspect that i've never thought of bevor regarding statting a nice-to-have skill as the greatest weakeness. This is, in my case, parallel computing using MPI/ CUDA, since i enjoy analytical work more. My strongest skill is peseverance and self discipline in completing projects. I have a strong Backup that supports this claim ;)

[@mrillig]

Nice! thanks for writing!

[@sadeghfarhang6074]

Nice

[@mrillig]

Thanks!

[@pigeon_laughing]

How about self cristicism as a weakness?

[@mrillig]

Sure; just remember to also put a positive spin on this, which is of course possible.

[@lindsaytallon1228]

What are some of the most memorable responses you've had to this question that you thought were so wonderful?

[@mrillig]

Since they were quite personal I can't really share them here. But they were very reflective of their career path so far, for example. And basically, all answers that were not boiler plate, but honest, insightful and personal, have been very interesting.

[@andreasstylianou9383]

Hi Prof. Do you think that perfectionism can be considered a weakness? And is it a good idea to be mentioned during a faculty interview?

[@mrillig]

Hi, it is the most common answer I think; it's a weakness but also kind of a strength in disguise. Just make sure you also make clear that you can finish projects...

[@andreasstylianou9383]

@@mrillig I totally agree 💯

[@danilovaart4576]

Hi! What would be your advice for the case if I am really an introvert person? I would like the employer to know it from the start. But I don't want to repell him of course.

[@mrillig]

I am not sure if this is the most important thing to know about someone. If you feel this is a weakness (and I don't think it is), then you could mention it here if this question comes up; but present it in a positive light. Like that you take a little bit to warm up to people, etc. Other than this, I don't think I would bring this up during the interview. Being introverted is ok. You could mention it when you have an offer and discuss it then, because the lab also needs to be a fit for you, not just the other way around.

[@bilalhamdan2287]

Can i say as a weakness that i am shy to ask for help butbit depends on the environment? I have a phd interview on wednesday and i want to know 😢😅 and for my strong points can i say that i am really committed to time? Like if a task was given in a specific time i make sure to be commited to that time or even before.

[@mrillig]

I would rather say that you are initially a bit shy when you are in a new environment. Not asking for help when you need it is a real problem, in my opinion; so I would rather avoid this.

[@emmanuelameyaw9735]

Do interviewers rank people's greatest strengths and weaknesses? Like this candidate has a better greatest strength or weakness than the other candidates? Or is it about how confident you answer that question?

[@mrillig]

In my experience it is just about the impression as a whole, not about a ranking for any particular answer.

[@emmanuelameyaw9735]

​@@mrillig My greatest strength is that I am better at teaching quantitative courses and my greatest weakness is that I'm somehow bad at teaching less quantitative courses where you are supposed to talk all day with little quantitative content. That's my weakness...I'm being honest here. Terrible answer?

[@mrillig]

@@emmanuelameyaw9735 My opinion: I like the strength, but I wouldn't use that as a weakness, because it makes you appear as someone with insufficient empathy for people who are less mathematically inclined. I'd pick something else.

[@RaJa-qy3py]

How to identify if the students are giving a cooked answer without any back up evidence? What are all the points that takes a candidate to the rejection door? Which ONE quality makes a candidate closer to selection door, despite he/she is not the perfect fit? Have you ever had an interview where you did not find a suitable candidate? What would you do in that situation? pick the best of the lot or wait for the better candidate?

[@mrillig]

Thanks for watching and the questions! There are many questions asked during an interview, and the impression is created from the entire conversation, not just what is said to any one question in particular. Even though answers to a particular question can be quite telling... Sure, I have also decided several times to NOT fill the position. This is actually one of the most important points: if you can (often you can't) for a candidate that really excites you, do it!