What do you say to this Interview Question?

[sanah]

What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? /
What weakness do you have that may affect your career as a dentist? /
any other variation of the above.

I'm far from being someone without flaws, but I feel like telling the truth here would really hurt me. One of my "weaknesses" is that I procrastinate like crazy - but somehow that makes me think the interviewer would look at that pretty negatively. 😛

I've heard some people say that their weakness is that they "strive for perfection"... which is a weakness because they spend too much time working for perfection, but at the same time, it's not really a weakness since it's can also be considered a strength. I personally thinking saying that is sort of narcissistic. What do you guys think?

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[ddsgirl347]

I wouldn't make up one of those...interviewers hear that stuff all the time, and they can tell when you are lying...I talked to a career service guy at my school (he does mock interviews) and he said the best thing is to be honest (and i agree). they know that you're not perfect, and if "striving for perfection" is your only flaw, they're going to know that you're full of it. At the same time, don't rip yourself apart, but be honest.

 

[sanah]

but wouldn't saying something like, "I can get lazy" or "I get frustrated easily", etc. be reason enough for them to reject your application? I'm all for being truthful, but I don't want it to cost me an acceptance letter.

 

[ddsgirl347]

no, the interviewers know that you're a person....for me, i let stuff get to me easily...but I didn't just say "yea, well i let stuff bother me too much" I said, i dwell on things sometimes, but, this is what i do to deal with it. Everyone has faults/problems, but its how you deal with it that makes it ok...if you just get stressed and stay stressed, thats not good...if you get stressed and then have a way to deal with the stress, then you're ok.

 

[dddsmack]

my weakness is that i am addicted to pain killers, do you think that will hurt me if I bring it up?

 

[byutah]

DDSgirl347 has some good advice. Be honest and give them a weakness but then tell them how you are currently working on overcoming the problem. If it's possible, be as optimistic as possible about such a pessimistic topic. Number one thing is tell them a real weakness and you probably want to think of one before the interview so you don't mess it up!

 

[djeffreyt]

Truth comes first because lies on such a question are too transparent.

The advice of the person above me is right on. Tell the truth but do not leave it at that or dwell on the negatives. Say one fault and explain how you deal with it or are trying to deal with this failing. Leave it at that unless further proded and remember not to be an idiot. There are bad ways and good ways of saying the same thing. "Sometimes I can procrastinate" is different than "I can be pretty lazy." And try to find a fairly mild fault to talk about instead of your drug addictions, gambling problems, violent nature, etc.

 

[rambo2006]

What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? /
What weakness do you have that may affect your career as a dentist? /
any other variation of the above.

I'm far from being someone without flaws, but I feel like telling the truth here would really hurt me. One of my "weaknesses" is that I procrastinate like crazy - but somehow that makes me think the interviewer would look at that pretty negatively. 😛

I've heard some people say that their weakness is that they "strive for perfection"... which is a weakness because they spend too much time working for perfection, but at the same time, it's not really a weakness since it's can also be considered a strength. I personally thinking saying that is sort of narcissistic. What do you guys think?

My thought on the quesiton "what are you weaknesses?", is that its more of a question of honesty. If you give them something cliche, they might think your full of it. For example, if you say that you work too hard, and you have a gpa of 3.9 or more, maybe its not a bad response. But I'd try to find faults about yourself that are workable. That does not mean give them a "weakness" that can be percieved as a strength. For example, tell them that sometimes you have a tendency to procrastinate. Be honest but also smart. Remember that what you say may be used against you. Most of the time, they will come up with follow-up questions on your weakness so get your self coached a little bit. You dont have to spill your heart out at them and "come clean". Be honest, but also be smart by choosing the appropriate weakness to speak about.

 

[sanah]

You guys helped me out a lot here. I kept thinking about how a truthful answer could really harm you. It makes sense to talk about how you're dealing with. Okay... so what do you guys think would be better to mention, getting frustrated when things aren't going exactly right, or procrastinating? I'm thinking procrastination is a better choice to go with... but I'm not sure.

Also, what do you say when they ask you if you have any questions? The only things I can think of asking are the matriculation rates, how many people pass the boards from their school, how many specialize, etc. And maybe a question about what qualities they look for in their students. But that's like 3-4 questions... do you look stupid if you don't ask many? And are you expected to ask questions about only the school, or can it be about general dentistry as well?

 

[dentalman]

Don't ask questions about general dentistry. If that is what you want to do for the rest of your life, hopefully you have answered those questions already. (I know you may not know much at this point, but the interview is not the place to ask.) Don't ask questions just for the sake of asking questions. If all you have is one question, ask just one question.

 

[CSI Dentist]

ha, don't fall for that question. You have NO weaknesses to prevent you from being a good dentist. I told them that my weakness is chocolate. I would be a bad dentist bc I love chocolate and chewing gum (sugar free of course!). 😛

 

[1992Corolla]

adcoms: "1992Corolla, what is your weakness?"
me: "My only weakness is THAT I DIDN'T DO THIS SOONER!"
I stood up and power punched him in the face. Then I left.

They were so impressed they gave me an acceptance letter. I rejected it.












/biochem has been slowly eating at my brain...

 

[busdent]

wow

 

[tissy]

#Uhh...I was thinking of getting implants for a boost because my boyfriend says that they're different from his ex...."I'm talking about a tooth implant perverts"..LOL..j/k

#2 Uhh..My weakness is my terrible gingivitis and bad breath! I noticed when people stand around me they back up....so I better go for some deep cleanings soon...just kidding..

Just find something that is positive turning it to negative for both..😉

 

[DentalBoarder]

What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? /
What weakness do you have that may affect your career as a dentist? /
any other variation of the above.

I'm far from being someone without flaws, but I feel like telling the truth here would really hurt me. One of my "weaknesses" is that I procrastinate like crazy - but somehow that makes me think the interviewer would look at that pretty negatively. 😛

I've heard some people say that their weakness is that they "strive for perfection"... which is a weakness because they spend too much time working for perfection, but at the same time, it's not really a weakness since it's can also be considered a strength. I personally thinking saying that is sort of narcissistic. What do you guys think?

striving for perfection is too much of a cliche. saying u procrastinate is horrible. when i thought of mine, i did a lot of self reflection. you should try that. post them (3 of them), then i'll tell u if they're good or bad.

 

[superfinger45]

my weakness is that i am addicted to pain killers, do you think that will hurt me if I bring it up?

Not at all...like there saying...be honest, maybe even put a positive spin on it...something to the effect of
"I'm more productive when I'm high and since I can get all the pain killers I want as a dentist I'll see more patients, which means all make more money, which means I'll be able to donate more to your school"

See what happened there...you can be honest about your flaws, but if you spin it the right way...

 

[blue_moon01]

hmmm,... are there anyone lurking in here to "borrow" other people's weaknesses?

 

[superfinger45]

My weakness...I spend too much time on SDN...and not on biochemistry...you can borrow that one if you want blue_moon01

 

[dddsmack]

My other weakness is college football. They ate that one up at Ohio State. Suckers!

 

[blue_moon01]

My weakness...I spend too much time on SDN...and not on biochemistry...you can borrow that one if you want blue_moon01

Wouldn't really work because I took biochem two years ago with an "A" and I've only found SDN a month and a half ago. But I have let SDN prevent me from going shopping which is pretty sad because the mall really misses me.

 

[superfinger45]

Wouldn't really work because I took biochem two years ago with an "A" and I've only found SDN a month and a half ago. But I have let SDN prevent me from going shopping which is pretty sad because the mall really misses me.

that was a good way to brag about an A in biochem blue_moon01, well done.

 

[blue_moon01]

that was a good way to brag about an A in biochem blue_moon01, well done.

all thanks to your smooth set-up!

 

[sanah]

striving for perfection is too much of a cliche. saying u procrastinate is horrible. when i thought of mine, i did a lot of self reflection. you should try that. post them (3 of them), then i'll tell u if they're good or bad.

Alright, here we go. These are all my "weakness" but I've been working on them (and I'm not just saying that for the sake of the interview, haha)

1. Frustration - I can get easily frustrated when things aren't going my way.
2. Taking criticism to the heart and then having it occupy my mind so much that I end up doing worse than before receiving the crticism.
3. Indecisiveness - for example, I switched my major a couple of times as an undergrad.

Out of all three, procrastination is definitely my biggest weakness, though.

 

[White_Tiger]

just to reiterate (sp?) what everyone else has said. I think being honest can be a double edged sword. when answering this question you must be truthful while not incriminating/making yourself sound as any less of a well qualified candidate for Dental School. it is also to think about this question for a moment before blurting something out immediately. this shows the interviewer that you actually "think" before acting, not "acting" and then "thinking" about what you should have said or what might have been a better answer.

always be calm, cool, and collected. gathering your thoughts before any answer is a wise move in any interview.

For me my weakness is that i sometimes care too much about what other people think. i guess this is a good thing and a bad thing.

 

[rambo2006]

When asked about your number 1 weakness...Tell them that its MONEY. But turn it around to be positive. Tell them that you will do anything...lie..cheat..decieve...you name it..Just to swindle someone for caash. Explain to them how dentists enjoy autonomy, self determination and independence that are necessary when it comes time to rip off patients, overcharge their insurance, or submit charges for procedures that never happened. Thus, dentistry is the best suited position.👍

 

[DentalBoarder]

Alright, here we go. These are all my "weakness" but I've been working on them (and I'm not just saying that for the sake of the interview, haha)

1. Frustration - I can get easily frustrated when things aren't going my way.
2. Taking criticism to the heart and then having it occupy my mind so much that I end up doing worse than before receiving the crticism.
3. Indecisiveness - for example, I switched my major a couple of times as an undergrad.

Out of all three, procrastination is definitely my biggest weakness, though.

now spin them off positively. what u learned from ur weaknesses. how you have improved on ur qualities.

 

[Empty pockets]

What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? /
What weakness do you have that may affect your career as a dentist? /
any other variation of the above.

I'm far from being someone without flaws, but I feel like telling the truth here would really hurt me. One of my "weaknesses" is that I procrastinate like crazy - but somehow that makes me think the interviewer would look at that pretty negatively. 😛

I've heard some people say that their weakness is that they "strive for perfection"... which is a weakness because they spend too much time working for perfection, but at the same time, it's not really a weakness since it's can also be considered a strength. I personally thinking saying that is sort of narcissistic. What do you guys think?

just be honest.

 

[rambo2006]

just be honest.

Be honest by not making up some cliché' weakness and don’t 4get to be smart by choosing appropriate weaknesses. Just because some weaknesses are real doesn’t mean they are appropriate to talk about. Talk about those that you are comfortable with discussing as they may have follow-up questions.

Good luck