Strauss: Consider the weaknesses of the ‘perfectionism’ cliche

I hate job interviews. I hate job interviews. I’ve only gone to enough to count with my two hands, but each one of them has turned me into a phony spaz. Sure, this might result in me busking as a slam poet, nannying and making bottle-cap jewelry for the rest of my life, but that’s better than turning into a uptight khaki-wearer, right?

OK, so I guess I need to get used to the whole job interview process. And the one thing I’ve vowed never to define myself as is a “perfectionist.”

Perfectionism has become the go-to answer for the sure-to-be-asked question, “What’s your biggest weakness?” It’s as generic as a high schooler rating “The Great Gatsby” as a good book. I’d venture to guess that most of our peers entering the job market exhibit at least some of the positive and negative qualities that come with perfectionism.

But many people don’t realize that this condition carries serious psychological side effects. You wouldn’t confess to a potential employer that you suffer from depression or bulimia, and perfectionism, for some people, approaches that line.

Allan Mallinger and Jeannette DeWyze, authors of the book “Too Perfect: When Being in Control Gets Out of Control,” characterize perfectionists as “obsessives who need to feel in control at all times to protect themselves and ensure their own safety.” The difference between perfectionism and striving for excellence, according to the authors, lies in the definition of “mistake.” Those who merely strive for excellence can take mistakes as inducements to continue learning and working. Perfectionists, however, take mistakes as signs of personal defects that make them less acceptable. Maladaptive perfectionists, as a result, become paralyzed, fearful of taking any action, or go to great lengths to hide mistakes or twist outcomes.

There are positive aspects to perfectionism, of course, but interviewers might just as easily associate the condition with anxiety, low self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse and clinical depression. Although perfectionists can be highly successful — see Michelangelo, Michael Jackson and Albert Einstein — they’re now more readily associated with the aforementioned disorders.

Accordingly, when a Teach for America interviewer asked me what my weakness was, I decided to cite a perfectionist trait that can be detrimental but acceptable. Below, I’ve listed a few similar options for my fellow perfectionists.

One problem perfectionists suffer from is the hypercritical eye. Thus, you could say your biggest weakness is your tendency to obsess over editing your work. This means you might take a little longer with projects than necessary and might be more hesitant to deem something complete. But it also shows that you’re detail-oriented and a top-notch copy editor.

You could also say your biggest weakness is overanalyzing what you say. You think things through, but sometimes you overthink them. The weakness here is that some of your great ideas aren’t heard, but it also shows that your words are well-chosen.

You don’t want to throw yourself under the bus by laying claim to certain detrimental aspects of perfectionism — defensiveness or low self-esteem, for instance — but you do want to exhibit honesty, something a competent interviewer will pick up on.

And for those of you who still aren’t convinced that perfectionism is damaging, remember that we learn by making mistakes — your interviewer shouldn’t think that you’ll enter the workplace with a closed mind and a defensive attitude. Remember, also, that the art of being a star performer is in knowing which corners to cut. You can be a hard-working person and cut corners. Research tends to show that the anxiety associated with making mistakes and not producing a flawless product tends to interfere with performance rather than aid it.

Sure, we all hate those frustrating questions: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you have any special skills? Tell me about a time you displayed leadership. They remind me of questions I’d ask a guy after one too many drinks at a club, when my soulmate goggles go on. Cheesy as they might seem, you better come up with some stellar answers for them. Showing that you know yourself well by citing a specific weakness instead of answering with the generic and potentially detrimental “perfectionism” response is the way to go. If I’m wrong, then I guess you’ll see me behind my bottle-cap-jewelry stand on the corner of Fifth and Bigelow next year.

Contact Courtney at cas136@pitt.edu.