One interesting outcome of returning to “normal” after Covid is that a lot of people are changing jobs. Pehaps one of the biggest professional sales you ever make is how you sell yourself in a job interview. When prospective employers say tell me about yourself, are your responses as credible as they can be, or, are you inadvertently shooting yourself in the foot? Here are several things you should not say!
Avoid Saying I Am…
…poised, personable, polished, sophisticated, intelligent, smart, articulate, impressive, funny, charismatic. Why are these poor answers? Because they are innate qualities that will either manifest themselves naturally to your interviewer—or not. Others can tell for themselves whether you, in fact, are poised, polished, charismatic, etc. You can’t really “prove” these traits with examples or stories. Saying you are all these things does not make them true, and, if you are none of them, will only highlight a clear lack of self-awareness or, worse, an inflated ego, neither of which wins a job!
Instead, Say What You Can Illustrate
Credible responses include I am…
- Pro-active and give an example
- Productive and talk about targets you reached or exceeded
- Work well under pressure and explain a tough situation you overcame
- Persistent and tell a story that illustrates that
- A Problem-solver and explain a tough situation you solved
- A team-builder and describe how you did that in a previous job
- A visionary and describe a strategy you initiated and how it turned out
- Creative and show a portfolio of your work
- Adaptable and show how you handled a variety of fast changing situations
- Other and…
Interviewers Buy Results
They need to envision what you can do. They will sense your natural personal traits like humor and poise, which may be very appealing for a cultural fit with their organization, but, if they are going to hire you, they need concrete examples, stories, and proof of your ability to perform.
It is great, indeed essential, to toot your own horn in an interview. Just be sure it is a tune an interviewer will buy.
Anne Miller
Words Matter – Make What You Say Pay!
P.S.Photo by Curioso Photography on Unsplash
Need to sharpen your sales skills or presentation messaging, contact me for a free 15 minute consult at amiller@annemiller.com
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