Shadowing Practice: Interview Question: “What Are Your Weaknesses?” And You Say, “...” - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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- What are your weaknesses?
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One of the most common questions you'll get during an interview when you're applying for a job.
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Now, over the years, I have asked this question to so many applicants and I am shocked by the answers.
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So today I'm gonna teach you how to answer that question properly.
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First, let's talk about what you don't do.
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So when your employer, your interviewer is asking you, so what are your weaknesses?
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Oh, I have none.
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Don't ever say that.
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It is a lie.
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You know it's a lie, I know it's a lie.
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When people say that, I just say get out of here, don't let the door hit you on the way out when you say I have none.
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And don't say, well, I never thought about it or no one ever asked me that.
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Seriously, no one ever asked you that?
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Maybe you think you're being smart with the ply.
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Don't do that.
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It just shows you are dishonest and also it shows you you lack self awareness.
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Those are not good answers.
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Also, here are the ones I hear all the time that are also it's a big no-no.
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I'm kind of a workaholic and a bit too much of a perfectionist.
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Give me a break.
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Don't try to turn it and put a positive spin on it when you're being asked what are your weaknesses.
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Another one I hear all the time, oh I love people, I love working with people.
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Really, I don't like you that much right now.
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Okay, that's not good.
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That's not what you do.
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So here's how you answer, what are your weaknesses?
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The key is don't make that about your personality.
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If you're gonna share something, make that about your skill set that you could work on.
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Here's what I mean by that.
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When you share something about your personality, to an employer it could feel like, well, I don't know if you could fix that, that maybe it's who you are.
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But if you make it about a skill set, then it's something that you could work on.
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So I'll give you an example, what are your weaknesses?
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Well, you know, I'm more of an introvert and sometimes I notice that I am shy to share my ideas when there's a room of people.
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Now, see that's a good reply if you are an introvert because here's what's going through my mind.
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My mind is thinking, okay, this person is shy and introverted and that's okay.
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So it means that in certain scenario, maybe I need to ask this person more to speak up.
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I could say, hey, you know what?
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What do you think of this?
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Or in my mind I'm also thinking, well, maybe through time once this person becomes more comfortable with everybody else within a company, she could share more ideas.
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See, that's what's going through my mind.
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That is fixable.
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Or maybe this person could go take Toastmasters and develop more confidence and work on her public speaking skills a bit.
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See, in my mind, all that's fixable.
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That's fine, that's perfectly fine.
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Here's another scenario.
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If you share something about your weaknesses not in terms of your personality, but your skill, but also your plan.
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What have you been doing to work on it or what are you planning to fix this?
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So let me give an example, okay.
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So what are your weaknesses?
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Well, you know what, I'm a very creative person.
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I tend to come up with all kinds of ideas and when I get these ideas, I'm very excited and I wanna share that with everybody, all my managers, my coworkers and I love to just to share.
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And what I realized over the years is sometimes these ideas, sometimes they're good and sometimes they're not so good.
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So it is something that I know I need to work on how to prioritize some of these ideas and work on filtering.
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And in fact, recently, I have been reading a few books.
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One it's called by Richard Koch, 80/20 Principle and also Getting Things Done by David Allen.
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And through the book, I've picked up a lot of techniques and tools.
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Now they are helping me to filter out some of these ideas and how do I prioritize if there's something that I'm working on all the time.
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And of course, I'm always open to any coaching from you that can help me to channel my creativity into higher productions for the company.
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Boom, you see how that sounds?
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You are not bragging, you're not lying.
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You're saying, hey, I know that I've got this problem, I know it's something that I need to work on it, it's something that I am working on and here's my plan and at the end you're asking for coaching.
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From my perspective as a CEO, as an employer, I know, okay, first of all, you're reading books.
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Damn, that's a big plus right there.
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And you're learning, you're self aware and you know what you need to work on and you're coachable.
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To me, those are all like plus, plus, plus, plus from that simply reply.
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So what are your weaknesses?
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Next time when you get this question, what are gonna do, how are you gonna answer it?
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Comment below.
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Share with me if someone was to ask you this question, what are your weaknesses, how would you reply to the best of your ability.
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And also let's collaborate.
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Maybe my other fans they could see in the comment and see who can come up with the best response.
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Go ahead and do that.
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Who Is This Video For?

This video is perfect for intermediate to advanced English learners prepping for job interviews or looking to refine their conversational skills. Whether you’re practicing english speaking practice with a partner or using a shadowing site to mimic native speech, the tips here help you craft natural, confident answers—critical for acing real-world interactions. It’s also ideal for those mastering the shadowing technique, as the clear, conversational tone makes it easy to replicate rhythm and emphasis.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

  • Put a positive spin on it: To frame a negative as a positive (e.g., "Don’t put a positive spin on your weaknesses—be honest").
  • Lack self-awareness: To not understand your own strengths/weaknesses (e.g., "Saying ‘I have no weaknesses’ shows you lack self-awareness").
  • Fixable: Able to be improved (e.g., "Skill-based weaknesses are fixable with practice").

How to Get the Accent Right

The speaker’s tone is direct and conversational, with short, punchy phrases—key for sounding confident. Focus on stressing words like "weaknesses," "skill set," and "fixable" to emphasize key points. For improve english pronunciation, mimic the rising intonation in questions like "Really?" and the sharp, dismissive delivery of "Give me a break" to capture natural emphasis. Use the shadowing technique by pausing the video and repeating lines like, "Don’t ever say that"—pay attention to how the speaker shortens "that" to "th’t" in casual speech. This helps you sound less scripted and more like a native.

By combining these tips with regular english speaking practice and shadowing site exercises, you’ll not only answer interview questions better but also boost your overall fluency. Remember: the goal is to sound authentic, not perfect—and this video gives you the tools to do just that.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →