“你最大的弱點是什么？”

如果你找新工作面試，跟獵頭見面，或在現有公司找機會平級調崗，對方都有可能問起你的弱點。

其實應付這個問題并不難。

奇怪的是，雖然多年來面試中經常出現“你最大的弱點是什么？”，還是有不少人栽在上面。畢竟沒有完美之人，即便對面的面試官也一樣，任何人描述自己的錯誤都不會很愉快（尤其該問題常常出現在頗有壓力的環境里。）然而，如果能預料到會出現該問題，提前想好答案可能會產生很有趣的效果，這不僅是為了面試官，也是為自己好。

首先要理解為何該問題如此常見?！翱赡苡袃蓚€原因，”大衛·布爾庫什表示。他在奧羅羅伯特大學教授領導力和創新，已撰寫三本有關職業管理的書?！暗谝?，對方想了解你對自己的了解程度。你能清楚認識自己的短處么？”

現在大家都很熟悉一些常見的回避方式，往往是將優點當缺點說，例如 “我工作太努力”，或者“我是完美主義者”，所以不要這么回答。（諷刺的是，這些確實可能是弱點。工作太辛苦往往會導致效率下降、極度緊張甚至最終倦??；而自稱完美主義的人往往過度關注不重要的細節，導致身邊的同事抓狂。）

布爾庫什表示，第二個原因是如果招聘主管負責帶團隊，“希望知道你能不能融入現有的團隊?！边@意味著“如果現有團隊在某方面很強，而你在該領域弱一點則問題不大。不過如果你弱的地方恰好也是現有團隊的弱項，可能機會就渺茫了?！?/p>

不幸的是，從外部看很難了解到現有團隊成員的情況，更沒法了解老板如何看待，想猜測也是毫無線索。

所以如果被問到“你最大的弱點是什么？”最好的策略就是坦白回答，簡單介紹下自己哪些地方有困難，以及如何努力解決問題。也許某次你介紹業務時沒抓住觀眾的注意力，但后來你加入了演講俱樂部，介紹業務再也不用念文稿。又或者你以前對業務的財務方面不太熟悉，后來報名了一兩個財務專業課程。布爾庫什表示，關鍵在于認真審視自己，表現得“很了解哪些方面可以貢獻價值，而哪些方面仍有改進空間?！?/p>

可以針對最大弱點的問題，提前準備一個簡短直接的答案，迅速對付過去。當然也可以多花點時間，借機認真自省，這也正是有趣之處。

“我的建議是，討論自己的優勢，其中混合一兩個弱點，”總部位于芝加哥的獵頭公司LaSalle Network首席執行官湯姆·吉姆貝爾表示。例如介紹一個管理很好的項目，但提一提下次可以改進的地方?！熬驼w結果給自己打10分，”吉姆貝爾建議，“然后這么說，‘不過在工作過程中，某些階段我沒做到跟一些同事保持緊密的聯系，所以團隊溝通方面我給自己打7分。這方面正努力改進?！敝v述經歷時自我批評越深刻就越可信，而且越有可能給對方留下深刻的印象。

在吉姆貝爾看來，大多數應聘者沒花太多時間回答這個問題?！拔野l現求職者犯的最大錯誤是，詳細研究未來的雇主和行業，卻對自身的優點和缺點缺乏真實誠懇的思考，”他表示?！胺浅Ａ私夤井斎缓芎?，但很明顯，面試官肯定比你了解。對方最想知道你是個怎樣的人。不要到最后對公司了解得一清二楚，面試卻沒通過?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W）

安妮·費舍爾是一位職場專家和咨詢專欄作家，為《財富》雜志撰寫“解決問題”專欄，主要提供21世紀工作和生活指南。每周她都會回答最具挑戰性的職場問題。想提問嗎？可在Twitter上直接提問，或發郵件至workitout@fortune.com。

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

‘What is your greatest weakness?’

If you’re interviewing for a new job, or meeting with recruiters, or even just trying to make a lateral move to some other part of the company where you work now, there’s no guarantee that anyone’s going to ask you to talk about your flaws.

But it’s a pretty safe bet.

The odd thing is that, even though the ‘What is your greatest weakness?’ question has been an interview staple for years now, it still throws people. Nobody’s perfect, after all, including the person on the other side of the desk who’s asking, and having to describe our mistakes is nobody’s idea of fun (especially in a setting that’s often stressful enough, thank you). Yet, if you assume this query is coming, thinking up a good answer ahead of time can yield some interesting insights—not just for your interlocutor, but for you.

First, it helps to understand exactly why the question is so common. “It’s likely to be for one of two reasons, if not both,” says David Burkus, who teaches leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University and has written three books on managing careers. “For one thing, they’re trying to get a feeling for your level of self-awareness. Do you know yourself well enough to recognize your own shortcomings?”

By now, everybody’s familiar with the shopworn turn-a-strength-into-a-weakness dodge—”I work too hard,” or “I’m a perfectionist,” for instance—so don’t even consider going there with your answer. (The irony, of course, is that either of those might truly be a weakness. Overwork often leads to declining productivity, extreme grouchiness, and eventual burnout; and self-described perfectionists have been known to focus so relentlessly on picayune details that they drive their coworkers right up the nearest wall.)

The second reason for asking, Burkus says, is that if the hiring manager leads a team, “they’re trying to see how you would fit into the staff they already have.” That means that “it’s okay to have certain weaknesses if most of the existing team is strong in that area. But a relatively minor weakness might be a deal killer for you if everyone else on the team is weak there, too.”

Unfortunately, from the outside looking in, it’s hard to know a whole lot, if anything, about the people in that group, much less about how their boss perceives each of them; and trying to guess is pointless.

So the best answer to “What do you think is your greatest weakness?” is a candid one, where you briefly describe something you’ve struggled with, and then tell how you’ve approached getting better at it. Maybe people’s eyes used to glaze over during your presentations, but now you’ve joined Toastmasters International and sworn off PowerPoint; or maybe you lacked a firm grasp of what the finance side of your business is doing, so you’ve taken an accounting course or two. The point is to check the self-awareness box, Burkus says, by showing “you know where you can add value and where you need to develop.”

Of course, you can rehearse an answer to the greatest-weakness question that’s short, to the point, and gets it over with quickly. Or you can take a little more time over it, and make it a chance to do some serious introspection—and here’s where it gets interesting.

“What I recommend is, talk about your strengths, and then mix in a weakness or two,” says Tom Gimbel, CEO of Chicago-based recruiters LaSalle Network. For instance, describe a project you managed that turned out well, but mention what you’d do differently next time. “Give yourself a 10 for the overall result,” Gimbel suggests, “and then say something like, ‘However, I didn’t stay in close enough contact with some people at certain points while the work was going on, so I rate myself a 7 on communicating with my team. I’m working on getting better at that.'” The more seriously self-critical thought you’ve put into this story, the more believable it’s going to be—and the more likely it is to impress the person listening to it.

By Gimbel’s lights, most interviewees don’t spend nearly enough time on the answer to this question. “The biggest mistake I see job candidates make is, they do exhaustive research on the prospective employer and the industry, and almost no real, honest thinking about their own strengths and weaknesses,” he says. “It’s fine to know a lot about the company, but obviously the interviewer already knows a lot more about that than you do. He or she wants to know who you are.

Don’t be an ‘A’ student about the company and flunk knowing you.”

Anne Fisher is a career expert and advice columnist who writes “Work It Out,” Fortune’s guide to working and living in the 21st century. Each week, she’ll answer your most challenging career questions. Have one? Ask her on Twitter or email her at workitout@fortune.com.