This question is difficult for everyone. In essence you are being asked to critically evaluate yourself in front of a potential new employer and to outline an area of weakness. It pretty much goes against everything you are trying to portray at interview.

However if handled correctly, this question can provide you with the opportunity to highlight to the employer how well you know yourself and how you are proactive in identifying areas of weakness and addressing them head-on. No one is perfect after all!

It is important to be as honest as possible and not to respond with a ‘clichéd’ response – one that every employer has heard a hundred times!

Make it real – think of an example of a time that you genuinely had a shortcoming, for example you may have needed coaching for a public speaking event, or you found difficulty in the past using spreadsheets. Whatever the failing, identify it and show what steps you took to remedy it, for example you enrolled in a training course to improve confidence with speaking to large crowds or undertook online courses on how to get the best from excel.