What are you bad at?

I've been blessed to get a handful of job interviews lately. It's interesting to compare interviewer styles and preparedness.

Recently I was in a series of interviews that were very well organized and scripted, which my process-oriented brain likes. I was asked a few questions, though, that just stumped me, including what aren't you good at? That's a fair question, but a toughie. You don't want to say "Oh, I keep a really messy desk and I tend to show up to work with dried banana smeared on my blouse" or "I have a potty mouth that would make a longshoreman blush", you know, LOL?

But I wanted to be honest, so I had to think about that carefully. I'm sometimes not as forceful or assertive as I should be -- I get a little intimidated if the atmosphere is kind of hostile and sometimes tend to not speak up. (OK, if my husband is reading this, he is laughing his head off. But we're talking about work here, people!) I also get impatient with people if I think they're not performing up to their potential -- if they're quick to make excuses and not try. (OK, I might be talking about my teenage son now. Poor eldest child. I'm the oldest of three, I can relate.)

I asked my interviewer, rather apologetically, why he asked. His answer made me feel better -- that basically, he wants to figure out if job candidates are self-aware. You know, really knowing yourself and what you're good at and what you're not.

Could you answer that question honestly?