Protocols Officer Question:

This was one of the more popular questions raised real-time. Talking about a weakness is tricky. The safe route might be to go with something completely inoffensive – like the cliche “I’m a perfectionist, I have to get it right all the time!”

Recruiters know when you answer the question by picking a strength and downplaying it into a weakness, or picking a textbook "weakness." Call a spade a spade, and describe a true opportunity area.

Sincerity plays a key role here. Really think about what you need to improve on, identify how you’re getting over it, and if that paved the way for some other skill to be developed.

One might say, for example, that he isn’t a great listener – but discovering that led him to be more conscientious asking for feedback.