How to answer a tricky interview question? Lessons from a Mock Interview!
- June 20, 2025
- Mock interviews
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Have you also struggled with questions like tell me about your weaknesses, why is it your weakness etc. Let’s see how we should deal with these…
In the previous blog, we got insights on behavioural questions, but Interviews can throw curveballs like questions about weaknesses or unique backgrounds. In this blog, we’ll explore the practice interview organised by GoCrackIt between mentor Siddhartha Banerjee and the candidate, uncovering how to tackle these tricky questions with confidence and a positive spin. But first, the mentor profile..
Mentor Profile
Siddhartha Banerjee, a PGP graduate from IIM Ahmedabad, is an accomplished marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in marketing, business development, and brand management across diverse industries. Currently, he serves as Head of Marketing at Gocrackit, leveraging his expertise to drive strategic growth. His previous roles include Head of Marketing & Business Development at Lighthouse Learning, Head of Marketing at Orchids The International School, COO at Gocrackit and many more
Let's explore the secrets together!
Reframing Weaknesses
The candidate opens up about struggling with weakness questions:
Candidate: I’m struggling with weakness or failure questions. My current answer is: my first weakness is public speaking, especially with large, unfamiliar audiences… Second is organisational skills.
Siddhartha: Don’t volunteer two weaknesses unless asked. For organizational skills, reframe it: ‘I received feedback about organizing my thoughts better. During my internship, I adopted a two-diary system (a method of using two separate diaries or journals to manage different aspects of one’s life or work), which improved my planning and earned positive feedback. I’m still refining this skill.’
Siddhartha’s advice is to focus on one weakness and show growth. Later, he suggested that weakness should be framed as a journey of improvement rather than a flaw.
Handling Follow-Ups
The candidate asks how to respond if pressed further:
Candidate: If they say, ‘You’ve worked on this, so it’s not a weakness—what’s your current weakness?’ How should I respond?
Siddhartha: For example, if your weakness is ‘time management.’ Say: ‘Post-feedback, I improved multitasking during my MBA and adopted a diary system during my internship, earning good reviews.’ If they press for a current weakness, pivot to public speaking as you mentioned earlier but frame it as a journey: ‘Coming from a middle-class family in Surat… I wasn’t exposed to big stages. At business school, I improved… I’m now working on addressing larger audiences.’
This keeps the tone upbeat, showing progress and self-awareness without derailing the interview.
Presenting a Family Business Background
The candidate also raises concerns about his family business experience:
Candidate: I come from a family business background, and I also noticed interviewers react oddly when I mention my 2.5 years of experience in it.
Siddhartha: Reframe it: ‘I have 2.5 years in my family business, where I wore multiple hats with no fixed job description. This taught me ownership, passion, and a ‘whatever it takes’ mindset to succeed, within integrity.’
Siddhartha encourages highlighting skills like ownership and adaptability, turning a potential tricky question into an opportunity to showcase strengths.
Post this discussion, the candidate looked visibly confident and happy.
Key Takeaways
This mock interview practice shows how to navigate tricky interview questions: reframe weaknesses as growth stories and present unique backgrounds positively. With mock interview preparation, you can master these skills. Try to search mock interview resources to practice or visit GoCrackIt for mock interviews online, turning challenges into opportunities.
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