is this weakness a red flag?

Question

Hi, I'm currently preparing for the FIT part of my upcoming interviews. as one of my weaknesses i would mention that i tend to put myself under a lot of pressure in new environments (e.g. new interships) by thinking that my work is not good enough if there is no benchmark that i can compare my work with. i would mention the experience of my very first internship where i self-doubted my work a lot before i received my first feedback after a couple of months. as a learning i would say that i progressed in two ways: (1) whenever in a new environment/in doubt, i tell myself that i had similar feelings so many times before and in the end it has never been the case that my work was not "good enough" and (2) when i feel feedback would be valuable to me, i proactively ask for feedback (if it is possible and appropriate).

Would you say it is OK to mention it or is i should rather not mention it? I try to be genuine with that response to my weaknessess, however, i fear that it might be a red flag to the interviewer?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hey, have a look at these threads for guidance on this topic.

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/what-would-you-answer-to-what-are-your-weaknesses-and-explain-9185
https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/biggest-weakness-9505

Answer 2

Hi there,

I (respectfully) disagree with Cedric. I think this is an excellent weakness!

You've nailed it in my view. Not only have you picked a weakness that isn't a big deal, but it can actually be a strength - it indicates you always strive to be better. Even better, you've learned what you need to do to mitigate it.

I think it's great - kepp it!

Answer 3

Hi,
Indeed mentionning pressure might be a red flag as the job will already put pressure to begin with. Maybe you could phrase it differently. Two approaches that come to mind from your story:

1/ Not enough proactive at first to ask for feedback. In the sense that before the two months mark you didn't have feedback despite needing it to be more confortable. You could have (maybe you did) ask for a discussion with your supervisor about that very specific topic. This is also easy to build upon that way to present the story (more proactive, ask for regular feedbacks...)

2/ not enough focus on the essential things. As you want to reach the level of quality you set to yourself, you may spend too much time on things that weren't that important. Basically you don't apply enough the 80/20 rules. With that angle it's also easy to build upon and it's also a very standard mistake for anyone starting a new job. Being already aware of this may indicate that you already realize what the job expectation will be and some concrete shortcomings

Answer 4

I would say it is a good trait to mention. You come across as thoughtful, driven and motivated. If I was an interviewer I would take for this that you maintain high standards in any environment rather than calibrating to the mean which is a great quality.

But I would say there is room for you to reframe it to drop words around self-doubt. I would say to structure this as a story around putting a lot of pressure on yourself to prove yourself when in a new environment as opposed to self-doubt.

I would also really emphasise the point that Cedric mentioned which is neither do you want to come across as too much of a perfectionist who won't be pragmatic when crunch time happens. Perhaps if you can adapt your anecdote to mention you could do this then this would help your example