Don’t worry, there are a few rules you can follow that will help your response impress the interviewer. Always be positive, graduate recruiters love a positive attitude. Sentences such as ‘I rarely think of myself in those terms but I do want to respond to your question’ are winners as they avoid the repetition of negative terms.
Avoid the use of superlatives. Terms like ‘worst/biggest weakness’ and ‘need to most improve’ suggest a number of weaknesses. A better response could be ‘If I had to come up with one...’ which avoids negatives and multiples. Replace absolutes such as ‘my weakness is...’ with alternatives such as ‘It could be...’ to avoid sounding like any weakness you may have is unchangeable.
Finally, be honest and humanise it. You could even ask friends or colleagues for their opinion. Make it singular, personal, non-absolute and real and you’re bound to impress, putting yourself in a strong position for those graduate jobs.
