“I am extremely self-motivated and always willing to help others. I am a team player and an extremely empathetic person. [I am] a true leader is a person who can manage their group all the time.”
These are all sentences that I have written on applications in the past in answer to such questions as “How do you embody [insert position]?” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses in [insert work environment]?” As you can probably tell, these are all positive, desirable traits that I have and am hoping to accentuate. However, they are all sentences that, while I truly believe about myself, I am not particularly comfortable saying out loud or touting about. I’d like to consider myself a humble person, someone who doesn’t always think highly of myself and who is not always confident in my capabilities. Therefore, I don’t like going around arguing definitively that I am the best, like no one ever was! *high five for nerdy reference* I much prefer to use terms like “I believe”, “in my opinion”, or “I would possibly be able to” to describe my skills and abilities.
Though, as many of you may already know, excessive humility isn’t exactly a desirable characteristic when it comes to applications or interviews. There is a very thin line between humility and a perceived lack of confidence, which is considered a negative trait. Just because you’re humble doesn’t mean you’re insecure or incompetent. If you are too humble, however, your true capabilities will become eclipsed by your insecurities. In actuality, employers and interviews want to see an exertion of confidence and a personal knowledge and assessment of your skills. More than your potential shortcomings, which they can develop and train, they want to know if you are, at your core, a good fit for a position
Striking the right balance between accentuating your strengths and acknowledging your weaknesses to an employer is key and can be the difference between making a great first impression and failing to display your true talents. If you find yourself in this pickle, here are some tips for staying humble, yet confident in interviews and applications.
- Answer Honestly: Capitalize on your humble character traits by answering interview questions honestly. Interviewers can usually tell when a candidate is overstating qualifications, fabricating work skills or concealing relevant information. Listen attentively to the interviewer’s questions and answer the question directly. If you avoid a question or purposefully change the direction of a question, the interviewer might wonder whether you’re hiding something. Use your humility to answer questions with truthful answers, always remembering to shed the best light on any situation.
- Equal Numbers: Your interviewer may ask for an exact number of strengths and weaknesses, but if she does not, state an equal number of each. This will make you appear balanced in your understanding of your abilities.
- Weaknesses That Are Really Strengths: In your list of weaknesses, try to include at least one “problem” that really indicates dedication to your work, such as, “I’m too critical of myself,” or “I can be a workaholic.” These positively-spun weaknesses can not only be molded by a specific boss or employer, they also show an attainable level of flexibility and change. Speaking of which…
- Self-Improvement: Be sure to also discuss the ways in which you’re working to improve on your problem areas. Subtly mention the ways in which you like to have coworkers and bosses help you with this issue. This will get your interviewers imagining you in the position and the ways in which they can aid you while you are aiding them.
- Recognizing Others: One of the best characteristics of being humble is the ability to look beyond personal self-interests to those of others. Honor your previous employer and co-workers by telling the interviewer how much you appreciate your previous work experience. Offer sincere praise and state specific details so you don’t appear to gush false sentiment or offer insincere flattery.
If you are still having trouble, please feel free to set up an appointment with one of the fabulous CP&R counselors to discuss application and interview tactics!