Working too hard ... still NOT a weakness

During an interview, you will invariably get the age-old question of "what are your weaknesses?" Replying with, "I have been told that I work too hard" or any variation of this - of which there are MANY - is still not a good response and is likely the very worst response you could give.

My wife and I were having this conversation as we were making our annual holiday drive to California to visit our family. She posed the question, "well, if people always get the question, then how do you advise them to answer it?"

Here are a few thoughts that we came up with:

• I don't delegate well. Granted, this is a tough one to highlight during an interview if the role is entirely about delegating and getting things done through others, so not necessarily the weakness you toss out there if that is the case. However, if the role you are applying for is an individual contributor role and you will be asked to work with a leader who is going to delegate things to you then this weakness could be a good one to counter by saying, "I am looking forward to learning how I can get better at this by reporting to Leslie, she sounds like she has this skill in spades".
• I over-delegate. As mentioned above, but the flip side. Don't toss this nugget out there unless you are confident that the role may be in dire need of someone with that sort of weakness or if you feel confident based on everything you already know that you would be working alongside or for someone who can help you work through it and get better at it.
• I don't always ask enough questions. This is especially good in an environment where you know they love their training program and hang their hat on the fact that they train and then train again. If you are joining a company that lacks a formal training or you will be asked to jump in and figure things out it wouldn't be the one you should pick. Many companies/hiring managers will be okay with this one if they know that your questions will be answered before they are even asked whereas those who don't have a formal process will likely shy away from someone who has this weakness and may get themselves and/or the company into a bind because they didn't think to ask before they acted.
• I tend to get caught up in the details. This can indicate that you are a handful to work with, but if you are interviewing for a role that requires meticulous behaviors (auditing, security, helping children, etc.) it could be construed as a good thing. When a weakness, you will likely need to explain how it manifests itself by giving concrete examples and be able to display what you are doing to work toward making it an asset versus a liability.
• I am better at communicating (up, down or laterally) than I am (up, down or laterally) - if you clearly know that you manage your bosses better than you manage your peers or your team and you have been told so, this is a weakness that many hiring managers will respect hearing you share AS LONG AS you have a plan to work on it (making it known is one step in the right direction).
• I don't have any. This one comes from the person unprepared to get the question in the first place so the better answer would be, "I don't prepare well for interviews". Don't be unprepared for this question - it is likely coming your way and you should have an answer. I don't have any will likely tank the interview as quickly as "I work too hard" will

Those are the 5 that we determined were good enough to post suggestions, but we then had some others that we either wanted opinions on or at least though were worthy of posting (mostly just for fun!).

• I don't really like to work and am not seeking a challenging role. This one was for fun and comedian Greg Hahn says it way better (and a whole lot funnier) than I could ever do
• I call in getting sick just in case what I am feeling actually does hit me. We have witnessed this one. If you are sick, stay home and save others. Otherwise, show up! This one is also more for fun, but honorable mention.
• I have chain of command issues. This one is not for fun, it is one that I would love feedback on. We all know the people who have this weakness. When you have it, how would you explain it and could it actually work to your advantage to share it during an interview or will it only mean that you are not hired? I think there has to be a way to share it, but want feedback to know if others agree.

Very much want feedback on this. As we get the question all the time, I truly want to hear what others are advising as they talk to people about the same topic.