What they are really asking

"Which class did you enjoy least?" is the weakness question in school clothes. The interviewer wants to know how you deal with work you don't enjoy, because every job has some. They also want to check that the course you disliked isn't the core of the job they're hiring for.

So two things go wrong here. The first is picking a course that is central to the role, like a nurse saying she hated anatomy. The second is blaming the teacher. "The professor was terrible" might be true, but it tells the interviewer you look for someone to blame. Keep the focus on the subject and on what you did about it.

A shape that works

Course, why, what you did. Name a course that isn't central to this job. Say honestly why it was hard or dull for you, in one sentence. Then spend most of the answer on how you handled it: you found a study group, you changed how you prepared, you passed. End with what that taught you about doing work you don't love.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: a designer in Berlin
Answer 2: a teacher in Kyoto
Answer 3: a software engineer in Seattle

Check yourself

1What is this question really about?
2Why is blaming the professor a weak answer?
3Which course is the safest to choose?

Practice · 3 min

Choose a course you didn't enjoy that isn't central to the job you want. Write one sentence on why it was hard, then three on what you did about it and what you learned. Record it. Time the two parts: the "what I did" part should be clearly longer.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.