When a hiring manager asks you for the opinion of someone else, they are trying ascertain a few things. First, they want to know how self-aware you are. They also are trying to measure your honesty. Chances are they won't actually go talk to your last supervisor to see if you are telling the truth, but certain answers you give may make them think you are not being honest with them or yourself. The way you answer will also show them how confident you are. Are you confident enough to admit that you have areas you could improve in The interviewer is really asking about where you can improve, and if you have plans to address it.
Points to Emphasize
When you get asked a question like this, it is important to talk about certain traits and experiences.
- Try to talk about something that your last supervisor would actually want to see you improve on.
- Give a specific area where you need improvements.
- Talk about how you plan to make yourself better.
- Confidently admit that you are not a perfect worker, but you want to keep making yourself better.
No one is perfect. The only way to improve is to know where you need to work. Keep your answer honest and succinct.
Mistakes You Should Avoid
There are certain attitudes and attributes you want to avoid when you answer this question.
- Do not get glib or defensive.
- Be careful not to talk poorly about your previous supervisor.
- Don't focus on where you need training, but how that training will help make you a better worker.
- Finally, do not mention an area that you need improvement in that is vital to the job you are interviewing for.
Keep your answer positive and the improvement unrelated to the job you are applying for.
Sample Answer
Here is an example of an answer:
My supervisor would want to give me more training on writing HTML. It was not a big part of my last position, but it came in to play occasionally. It is something that I do want to improve on. I think it's good to have technical knowledge, that way if I am ever in a situation where I need to do that I can. I recently started doing some workshops in my free time to help me get better at coding things like that.
Make sure to give a truthful answer that shows your values and does not hurt your chances of getting the position.
