Hiring managers all have their favorite interview questions, but they\u2019re typically some variation of the common ones. For example, you might get, \u201cHow would your colleagues describe you?\u201d or \u201cUse three words to describe yourself.\u201d Either way, your overall approach would likely be the same.<\/p>\n
The thing you need to be mindful of, then, is what words you actually use.\u00a0Or, to put it in another way, there are words that you should never, ever use.<\/p>\n
1. Intelligent<\/strong><\/p>\n You know you\u2019re intelligent, and you know the hiring manager is looking for someone who is intelligent, but please don\u2019t describe yourself as such. This is one of those words that you want people to say about you, but that you don\u2019t want to say about yourself. Whether or not someone is intelligent is a judgment call, and you want to shy away from words like that.<\/p>\n What to Do Instead<\/strong><\/p>\n Talk about the way you think, and use words like, \u201clogical,\u201d \u201cquantitative,\u201d \u201cfast learner,\u201d or \u201cbig-picture thinker.\u201d You\u2019re going for words that sound more like facts and less like judgments.<\/p>\n 2. Likable<\/strong><\/p>\n For the same reason you don\u2019t want to describe yourself as intelligent, you want to avoid words like \u201clikable.\u201d That, plus it\u2019s tricky to find supporting examples of why you\u2019re likable without sounding weirdly desperate. (\u201cEveryone says hi to me, laughs at my jokes, and misses me when I\u2019m out sick?\u201d Um, no.)<\/p>\n What to Do Instead<\/strong><\/p>\n Use words that you can back up, like \u201cteam player,\u201d \u201coutgoing,\u201d \u201centhusiastic,\u201d or \u201ccaring,\u201d and back them up with examples of how you pitched in, spoke up in meetings, or threw an office holiday party. It\u2019s much more palatable when the evidence you give involves actions you took rather than the actions or reactions of others.<\/p>\n You can successfully do something, but you can\u2019t just call yourself successful. It\u2019s like saying in an interview that you\u2019re rich and good-looking. Do you really think that\u2019s a good idea?<\/p>\n What to Do Instead<\/strong><\/p>\n Narrow the focus down from success on a global scale to success on a more specific skill. You can absolutely say that you\u2019re good at what you do. In fact, you should. The difference is saying that you\u2019re successful in all realms of your life and pointing out your relevant skills and experiences for the job. The first is annoying; the latter is necessary.<\/p>\n 4. Obsessive<\/strong><\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re immensely passionate about your work, you still want to avoid describing this trait or any trait with words that have a negative connotation. Having to explain yourself means that you and the interviewer are not on the same page, and ideally, you could avoid all that.<\/p>\n What to Do Instead<\/strong><\/p>\n There are plenty of words you can use to get across how invested you are in your work that probably are more specific and don\u2019t require some awkward explanation. Words like \u201cfocused,\u201d \u201cdetail-oriented,\u201d \u201chard working,\u201d or \u201cdedicated\u201d all work well.<\/p>\n 5. Humble<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s weird to brag about how humble you are. It just doesn\u2019t work. Don\u2019t walk into this unfortunate contradiction and try to talk your way out of it. The more you try to explain this, the more you wear down your interviewer\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n What to Do Instead<\/strong><\/p>\n If this is really something you want to get across in an interview, go with the \u201cshow don\u2019t tell\u201d strategy. Each time you need to brag about yourself during the interview (which will be often, since it\u2019s an interview), only state the facts. Talk about what you did, what the result was, and what others thought, and leave the judging to your interviewer.<\/p>\n Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, and perhaps you can pull off describing yourself as intelligent, likable, successful, obsessive, and humble without cutting your interview short. But know that there are other ways to get your point across without causing your interviewer to spend too much energy trying not to roll his or her eyes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: time.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hiring managers all have their favorite interview questions, but they\u2019re typically some variation of the common ones. For example, you might get, \u201cHow would your colleagues describe you?\u201d or \u201cUse three words to describe yourself.\u201d Either way, your overall approach would likely be the same. The thing you need to be mindful of, then, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":113327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[36,38,4],"yoast_head":"\n