[INTJ] INTJ weaknesses

[oort cloud]

I was reading this booklet on job interviews (for business) recently, and one of the common questions is "what is your biggest weakness?"

This got me thinking, what would be the most appropriate (honest) INTJ reply? Obviously the answers need to be somewhat positive, but all I can think of are are cliché ones (i.e. I'm too much of a perfectionist; I push myself too hard). Cliché is not good.

Any ideas for a good answer?

 

[poppy]

Ugh I would hate to get that question in an interview.
Hmm.
Actually, this is a good idea for a thread.

I got nothin'.

 

[Edgar]

I was reading this booklet on job interviews (for business) recently, and one of the common questions is "what is your biggest weakness?"

This got me thinking, what would be the most appropriate (honest) INTJ reply? Obviously the answers need to be somewhat positive, but all I can think of are are cliché ones (i.e. I'm too much of a perfectionist; I push myself too hard). Cliché is not good.

Any ideas for a good answer?

Use this: "some people say that I am too impersonal and logical".

And if you applied for a job that requires you being personal, chances are you are looking to break into a wrong business.

 

[poppy]

Yeah, I had to lie to get a job in customer service. They said and they only hired outgoing people, so when asked if I was, my response was "You betcha I'm outgoing!"
Although I guess you could use any fault and say it's something you're working on. As in, "I'm naturally reserved but I find that working in a positive environment like this really encourages me to come out of my shell".

 

[Matthew_Z]

"I work too hard."

Anyways, I've heard that the proper way to answer the dreaded "greatest weakness" question is to use it as an introduction to your stronger qualities.

 

[Kalach]

"I enjoy helping people too much. At heart I'm really too much a people pleaser."


I guess the rule for job interviews is if you find them using as hackneyed a template as "What's you biggest weakness", then they kinda don't know who they're hiring or why. Might as well serve them the same shit they're serving you.

 

[oort cloud]

Use this: "some people say that I am too impersonal and logical".

And if you applied for a job that requires you being personal, chances are you are looking to break into a wrong business.

But if I'm applying to work for someone, I don't think they would appreciate me being too impersonal, no matter what the requirements for the actual job are.

I'd have to agree with poppy, I'd rather say that I am outgoing. It's not that I'm not outgoing, I do enjoy people (and if I must spend time with them, I try to find something about them to like, to make my life easier), I just need to get away from everyone after a while. It won't impair my professional functions, I think.

As in, "I'm naturally reserved but I find that working in a positive environment like this really encourages me to come out of my shell".

That would make me feel weak and vulnerable though

This is hard.

 

[oort cloud]

"I work too hard."

Anyways, I've heard that the proper way to answer the dreaded "greatest weakness" question is to use it as an introduction to your stronger qualities.

Yeah, it seems like one of the best options out there, but I get a feeling that it's so overused. I'm trying to think of ways to stand out, without really lying.

"I enjoy helping people too much. At heart I'm really too much a people pleaser."


I guess the rule for job interviews is if you find them using as hackneyed a template as "What's you biggest weakness", then they kinda don't know who they're hiring or why. Might as well serve them the same shit they're serving you.

But then they might think I'm a pushover.

The booklet which I found was meant for employers (or so they say), and underneath this question is said something like, "If the person you're interviewing really knows themselves, then they will have no problem answering this question truthfully."

 

[poppy]

Haha, I think Kalach was being facetious. INTJs aren't exactly people pleasers

Who wrote that booklet? In my opinion the question is completely loaded.

 

[Kalach]

But then they might think I'm a pushover.

The booklet which I found was meant for employers (or so they say), and underneath this question is said something like, "If the person you're interviewing really knows themselves, then they will have no problem answering this question truthfully."

I was kidding. Long, long ago when I heard a HR guy on the radio speaking about "The Script" in job interviews, he said there is only one real answer to any question asked, and the trick is just in working the answer back to "the answer", why you're right for the job. Like,

"Well, my weakness? Sometimes I look at small children and I get these strange pictures in my head, but, like, I know this job needs me to deal a lot with customers, so I figure I can get to know the parents by interacting with their sweet, sweet young babies, and I'll be making sales all the time because they love me."

 

[A Schnitzel]

This got me thinking, what would be the most appropriate (honest) INTJ reply? Obviously the answers need to be somewhat positive, but all I can think of are are cliché ones (i.e. I'm too much of a perfectionist; I push myself too hard). Cliché is not good.

Any ideas for a good answer?

Casually tell your interviewer possibly whispering into her ear "yeah (pause) I try to keep this on the down-low (pause) but (pause) I'm actually an arrogant bastard"

 

[poppy]

"Well, my weakness? Sometimes I look at small children and I get these strange pictures in my head, but, like, I know this job needs me to deal a lot with customers, so I figure I can get to know the parents by interacting with their sweet, sweet young babies, and I'll be making sales all the time because they love me."

Haha, that's still pretty creepy but I totally see what you're saying.

 

[oort cloud]

Oh I know they're not exactly the people-pleasers, but sometimes you do what you gotta do. Although I did mention "honest" so I should've caught that hmmmm

As for "the answer," that is true. That makes sense. But then the only one that comes to mind is "I push myself too hard" and other similar stuff, but it's so fabricated.

I'm thinking management consulting btw, for the current example. I was thinking something along the lines of 'creating too many plan Bs and Cs, when plan A will work perfectly fine most of the time' but that doesn't even sound like a weakness.

 

[Kalach]

In all honesty-ish, if you've got a job in your sights, you'll have researched the position and the company, yeah? So it's probably better to start directing the content of the interview yourself, saying what you know, asking questions, interacting with the interviewer about the job itself, all this instead of letting them guide you toward such black holes as trying to describe your character in general.

If INTJs do have a weakness in interviews it'll be something like wondering why the hell anyone would want to dwell on weaknesses when what they're looking for is someone who'll accomplish stuff. Presuming of course that that is what they're looking for.

 

[oort cloud]

Eh, I'm still a student, I gots time.

If INTJs do have a weakness in interviews it'll be something like wondering why the hell anyone would want to dwell on weaknesses when what they're looking for is someone who'll accomplish stuff. Presuming of course that that is what they're looking for.

Good point.

 

[EcK]

Stab then in a heart, with a wooden stick.

 

[poppy]

Stab them in a heart, with a wooden stick.

Holy water is also effective.

 

[Edgar]

But if I'm applying to work for someone, I don't think they would appreciate me being too impersonal, no matter what the requirements for the actual job are.

I'd have to agree with poppy, I'd rather say that I am outgoing. It's not that I'm not outgoing, I do enjoy people (and if I must spend time with them, I try to find something about them to like, to make my life easier), I just need to get away from everyone after a while. It won't impair my professional functions, I think.

I'm guessing you are a fairly young, correct?

A lot of younger INTJs haven't learned the mastery of faux-extraversion, and chances are you will fail to convey a convincing "outgoing, enjoy people" vibe, so you will be called on your bullshit. Unless of course, the interviewer is a complete idiot.

What job are you planning to apply for? If it's Starbucks, you'll probably get away with bullshitting to their manager, but if it's an office job and you have to go through professional HR people, I'd say keep your lies within "reasonable" range.

 

[oort cloud]

I'm guessing you are a fairly young, correct?

A lot of younger INTJs haven't learned the mastery of faux-extraversion, and chances are you will fail to convey a convincing "outgoing, enjoy people" vibe, so you will be called on your bullshit. Unless of course, the interviewer is a complete idiot.

What job are you planning to apply for? If it's Starbucks, you'll probably get away with bullshitting to their manager, but if it's an office job and you have to go through professional HR people, I'd say keep your lies within "reasonable" range.

Correct.

Could be. I don't really try to fake it. I enjoy meeting new people, but once I've met them, I generally lose interest, except for a few here and there. I may come off as an ENTJ when I'm in the mood, but I'm not faking it, I'm just in the mood. I wouldn't try to pretend to be the extravert to get the job though, wouldn't it just be bad in the long run when people realize I'm not one? I guess that throughout high school I was working on the shyness thing, and the more you try to get rid of it, the better you get, so I'm getting there.

At the moment I'm not applying to any jobs I'd care about. I'm going off to college, for business, and I was just thinking about these questions and how I would answer. I wouldn't want to outright lie (maybe overexaggerate?), hence the contemplation of what I could, ideally, say. I'm practicing with management consulting now, but who knows what I'll end up doing, it's just something that I think I'd love to do and be good at, at the same time.

 

[chasingAJ]

I'm an INTJ and here is what I would say...

"I have a tendency to be brutally honest. I have professional conflict resolution training and never allow the misconceptions about my intentions to build into interoffice discord but people are often put-off by my literal communication style. In time this is a great benefit as my intentions require no interpretation and subordinates know precisely what I have asked for them to do."