Earlier this month, I addressed the dreaded "What is your greatest weakness" question as a guest blogger on Scot Herrick's CubeRules.com Career Management for Cubicle Warriors site.  You can read my post here.  

I read another great post on the topic at BNET, the go-to place for management. I particularly like point #3 with its suggestion of sharing a weakness rooted in one of your strengths. I have always discouraged clients from turning a strength into a weakness ("I work too hard" or "I'm a perfectionist"), but this takes it a step further and points out a detriment of something you do well - and how you've adapted to it.  I really like the example that's shared from a Washington Post article on the same topic.

                                

The bottom line:
As annoying as the question is, it's unfortunately still asked by some recruiters so you would be smart to prepare your answer in advance, and as the BNET post mentions, this question is easily disguised or rephrased. 

As with all aspects of interviewing, preparation is key and can make all the difference in which candidates progress from one round to the next. Chances are you worked your tail off to get the interview, don't drop the ball now - keep it going at 110%, because if you're not, your competition is.

We'll cover how to answer other commonly asked interview questions in future posts.