You have passed your NCLEX-RN exam and got your license; now is the time for interviews- the first step towards your professional career. Whether you are a seasoned nurse or a new grad nurse, for every assignment or job, you must ace your nursing interview. But let’s face the truth, nursing interviews can be nerve-wrecking, and you want to be prepared. Especially when you are asked about “what is your biggest weakness?”, you cannot just start talking about your weaknesses and lose your job; you have to answer strategically. In this blog, we will guide you on how to professionally answer the question “What is your biggest weakness?” in a nursing interview with examples. So, let’s dive in so you can secure your next job!
Why do interviewers ask questions about “weaknesses in nursing interviews”?
When you go for a nursing interview, the employer may ask you about your weaknesses as a nurse. This question is asked for several reasons, and nurses should always prepare ahead of time to answer such a question strategically. The reason interviewers will ask this question is as follows:
- To assess self-awareness: The interviewers wanted to see if you are self-aware and will honestly reflect on your performance. If the nurse is self-aware, then she can improve her performance and prevent errors.
- To take responsibility: The other reason why interviewers will ask questions about weaknesses is that they want to see if the nurse will take responsibility for their actions, which is critical in nursing. They want to see if nurses will admit their mistakes and learn from them.
- Growing mindset: Another reason for asking this question in an interview is to know whether the nurses will work on their weaknesses and improve themselves.
- How to handle challenges: When interviewers ask about the weaknesses of nurses during a nursing interview, they want to know whether nurses can handle challenges or not, as talking about weaknesses shows problem-solving skills too.
- Risk management: One of the other reasons that the interviewer asks about weaknesses from the nurses is that they want to know if any weaknesses may raise concerns, especially when it comes to patient safety.
How to craft the best answer when an interviewer asks about “what are your weaknesses as a nurse?” in a nursing interview.
Here are some tips and tricks on how to talk about your weaknesses in a nursing interview without raising a red flag.
Pick a real but manageable weakness:
Pick a weakness that won’t raise any flags or indicate that you cannot perform safely around patients, for example, don’t say that you lack clinical knowledge or are not trustworthy; instead, choose something that is not critical and manageable. You can choose to say something like ‘Sometimes it takes me time to complete tasks on time because I prefer to do everything on my own.’
Show self-awareness:
The next step is to show self-awareness, which means that you recognize your weakness and doing everything on your own can lead to burnout that affects your efficiency.
Steps you are taking to improve your weakness:
The next step is to tell the interviewer how you are taking steps to improve your weakness. For example, in this case, you can say that now I am trying to trust my team more and trying to distribute the tasks evenly according to their strengths to avoid burnout and to work efficiently.
End your answer on a positive note:
Ending your answer with a positive note is important by telling them how this has helped you to become a better nurse and a team member.
Tips to answer the interview question” What are your weaknesses as a nurse?”
Some of the tips that you should always remember while talking about your weaknesses as a nurse are:
- Avoid cliché answers such as I am a perfectionist.
- Your tone should not be defensive.
- Be honest.
- Practice answering this question out loud so it can show your confidence.
Examples of answering the question “What are your weaknesses as a nurse?”
- Sometimes I overcommit because I want to help others and be available all the time. However, I’m now starting to distribute work among my team members according to their individual strengths.
- It is difficult for me to say NO, due to which I find myself with additional tasks, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. But now I am trying to assess the workload more clearly and realistically.
- I know empathy is very important in nursing, but sometimes I get emotionally involved with patients, and now I am trying to work on my strategies to maintain professional distance.
- I know that nursing requires physical stamina, and I get tired after a long shift and forget to eat on time. Now I am taking steps to exercise regularly so I don’t feel tired.
- Sometimes I take negative feedback personally, but I am working on this and using this feedback as constructive criticism that can help me grow.
Conclusion
So here we are! What to do if the interviewer asks a question about your weaknesses as a nurse? Simple – craft your answer strategically. Don’t be defensive; instead, be honest and choose something that is not critical and is manageable. Don’t talk about your weaknesses, which will raise red flags. The tip is to choose your weakness and then answer what steps you are taking to improve it.
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