"What Are Your Biggest Faults ?" | How to answer while Job-Interview !

The interview is going well. You are confident and you have the impression that you answer all the questions perfectly. You have prepared yourself on your CV, your career, your objectives, and you master the tasks of the position. 




Your recruiter likes your performance and he says, "Wel! I know how to trap him. I will ask him what is his biggest fault."


And BOOM, you start to delirium that you are a perfectionist and that it prevents you from being effective blah blah ... which makes your recruiter having doubts about hiring you !


The question of the biggest fault is a must-go when you have been selected for a job interview. There are many candidates who do not know exactly what to answer ...

If you are one of them, read on.

The key is to offer the recruiter an honest and crafted response that will showcase your professionalism and your sense of self-criticism.



Whether you are asked the question or not, preparing an answer for your biggest fault will give you confidence and allow you to do your self-examination.
 Identifying your defect will also allow you to think about the areas of improvement that you can follow.



What is your biggest fault? Sample answers:



He can ask you this question and at the same time ask you what are your qualities. In this case, start by answering about your faults and then move on to your qualities as this will allow you to finish on a positive note.


Regarding your biggest fault, give an example that is related to your personality or your habits.
However, you must make sure that this defect is adapted to the job you are applying for. If the position is about hiring a sales manager, avoid talking about your shyness. The job description is a good track to identify the qualities and soft skills required by the job.


The frame your answer is simple:

1. Mention your defect
2. Contextualize your defect with an example in your professional experience
3. Indicate what actions you have taken to improve yourself

Here are some possible answers:

• "They say that I am a talking mill, but it's actually a way of getting people to talk about them. "

• "I'm a little sensitive, but I'm getting better at my emotivity. "

• "I do not see the time spent in meetings. I happen to overflow on the planned duration. I am conscious of it and I make efforts to structure myself and discipline myself more. Already, I think I have made good progress. "

• "I do not speak perfect English yet, although I can follow a conversation; but I try to improve my practice, especially during stays abroad. "

• "My knowledge of Excel is less thorough than that of Word, but I have a home computer on which I train regularly. "

• "Sometimes, I tend to take things that I hear too personal". For some time, then start to detail and describe this issue  

• "I may not be demonstrative enough. In a group, I listen more than I speak, so I find myself rather reserved. I try to improve myself by participating in discussions with friends. "

• "It's hard for me to say no. In fact, I still tend to say yes easily, but now adding a realistic deadline. "

• "I find speaking in front of a group difficult. This is certainly due to a lack of practice. Since last year, I have been a member of a discussion circle in which I am constantly making progress. "

• "I seem to be shy while working with others, but by the time I begin to feel involved! "

• "while working in a team, I'm the one who questions. I raise issues before they become unmanageable, I am sometimes considered the devil's advocate. But I try to approach some points with humor, without rushing my colleagues, which allows most of the time to accept my interventions. "

• "I like reprimanding wrong things and guilty workers in a group, and I can not afford it "

• "In high-stress level times, I become serious and overreacting to small issues,"

Reveal real faults on you, but which are actually minor and correct in the context of your job. You can also mention a weak point that is not at all related to your professional duties. For example, you can admit to being a little messy at home, but stating that at work, you are the opposite: you are well-performing your duties, you are organized and structured.

Answers to avoid

Answer that you are too perfectionist or too meticulous, and turn your faults into qualities, it does not pass by recruiters anymore. They are just tired of hearing it! 

Here are some other examples of answers to avoid:

"Actually, I do not have any problem, I am very efficient, cooperative and professional in my work "

"I am very dynamic, active, motivated and easy to work with "

"My great frankness sometimes played tricks on me. "

"My enthusiasm sometimes pushes me to excess. "

"My faults are very few compared to my qualities and powers !"

"I am peaceful with myself, as I am peaceful with others as well "

Do not be surprised by this question. Plan a list of things you can improve so you do not sit idly in front of the employer. The golden rule is never to devalue yourself in maintenance.

Open dreaded, the question of your biggest fault, if you prepare it correctly you will be able to offer a unique answer that will allow you to make the difference compared to other candidates.

 This is an opportunity to demonstrate that you know where you are and what you have goals to improve. During your preparation, you will have to turn your biggest defect into a  challenge that you have identified making you the person to be recruited.

And what is your fault? Feel free to post it in a comment to share your ideas.