Tag Archives: interview preparation

Staying Humble, but Confident

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“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!

 

That Moment When You Don’t Actually Know Spanish…

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Hi! My name is Jennifer, and I’ll be blogging for CP&R this semester. I’m really excited to share my experiences with you all, and I hope you find my good (and not so good) experiences helpful. I’m new to blogging, so if you have any feedback for me, I’d love to hear what you have to say!

One of the most important lessons I learned about the internship application process came a few months ago with a phone interview. I wanted to intern at a Spanish-speaking non-profit organization in the law-related field so I used Claremont Connect to find any openings. To my surprise, I found a Spanish-speaking organization in Los Angeles that provided free legal service to survivors of domestic violence. It was the perfect internship. Having taken Spanish in high school, I was confident that I was good e-n-o-u-g-h in Spanish to pass as being fluent. I wrote “fluent Spanish” on my resume, though I knew I might be overstating how much I actually knew. I expected that my interview might be conducted in Spanish and was prepared to practice for it extensively if I was selected for one. A few weeks after I submitted my application, I received a phone call from a woman from the organization who wanted to set up the interview. After thanking her for the opportunity, she paused and asked, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to start speaking to you in Spanish to assess how well you can hold a conversation in Spanish.” The interview quickly went downhill. Despite the fact that I understood what she was saying, I had extreme difficulty responding to her and demonstrating my “fluent Spanish.” It was a total nightmare. I reiterated, “I really do know Spanish. I just wrote a research paper in Spanish. I’m hoping this internship will help build my fluency.” To this, she responded, “We expect our interns to have a solid grasp of the Spanish language.” She had a good point. After a few more minutes of a desperate attempt to save my reputation, she concluded, “I’m going to speak to my boss to see if we want to continue with this interview.” Two months later, I still have not received that call. I don’t think I ever will.

Applying to intern at a Spanish-speaking organization with my limited speaking capabilities wasn’t exactly a smart choice. I could have easily avoided that situation had I stated how much Spanish I actually knew. Note to self: ¡Don’t overstate your resume if you know you might be asked about what you wrote down!

If Only I Could Wear That…

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The first time I visited Scripps was when I was flown out for Scholars Weekend February of my senior year of high school. Worrying about what to pack for both a warmer climate and a faculty interview, I consulted my friend who had been to Scholars Weekend the year before. “It’s California,” she assured me, “they’re a lot more casual than here.” Coming from the northeast, I had been raised believing that professional people had to dress pretty conservatively. I also just didn’t have a lot of experience having to dress professionally – college interviews were my first time really doing that, as I’m sure they were for many others. But coming to college in California has definitely raised my awareness of the fact that professional clothing can vary, not just from field to field, but also regionally.

When it comes to my personal choice in what to wear, I am the kind of person who will wear shorts or pants most of the time simply because I can’t be bothered with being composed enough to wear a skirt or dress in public. I’d rather wear something that is comfortable and functional than something that runs the risk of being blown up by an errant breeze (or subway grate à la Marilyn Monroe). There’s also something to be said for having a pocket to carry your phone and a belt loop for your keys. So when I start thinking about myself in a future workplace, the first thing that comes into my mind is the need for me to be comfortable. But what does comfortable work wear really mean? Would I love to be able to wear my everyday clothes (within reason) to my place of work? Heck yes. But I imagine I’m not the only person who wishes this, and the reality of the work world means that most of us cannot do that.

While there remains the possibility that I will some day be able to go to work in a clean-looking pair of jeans and my favorite Doctor Who tee, in the interim I have to be somewhat realistic. I don’t actually have a dislike of professional clothing, I’ve realized, but more of a discomfort with its associations. Work clothing is what adults wear, and I still don’t feel like an adult most of the time. There aren’t any particular items – heels, suits, etc. – that I truly dislike, as long as I can find something that I like the look and fit of. I am no longer quite so terrified at the thought of having to look nice five days out of the week, although to be sure most of my college-student-wardrobe would not really be suitable. Two and a half years later I actually have no memory of what I wore to my interview with Professor Boucquey, but it must have been all right, because I got in, and I got the scholarship. So when the day comes when I graduate from Scripps and begin my career adventures, I like to think that I will be able to adapt to whatever my profession requires of me – but will probably never give up hope of that jeans and t-shirt dream job.

Keep Calm and Watch Sherlock

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I never have a good feeling about a week when my planner’s lines are too thick to squeeze in all my obligations, even when I use 0.5 mm lead in my mechanical pencil instead of 0.7.

This week was one of those weeks. Actually, now that I mention it, last week was one of those weeks. And I’m pretty darn certain that every week until blissful summer arrives is going to be one of those weeks.

While professors are demanding essays now, suggesting you think about your next essay due in a week, oh yeah, and don’t forget to start studying for the final – it can be hard on your nerves. My time management wasn’t helped by the fact that my friend introduced me to Sherlock just as my extra time was dissipating.

I found the motivation within me to postpone Sherlock until my commitments have been met, but it seems like every time I turn around a new commitment sneaks up behind me.

“Boo!” the commitment cackles. “I know you were planning on spending Friday afternoon with your boyfriend, but come in for a job interview instead!”

And, as my nerves knot up just a little bit tighter, I smile and reply, “Sure!”

Why? Because I genuinely want to be doing all that I’m doing. I’m not in a class I don’t like, and I want every job I’m applying for. But my refusal to say no to opportunities can sometimes lead to my planner getting so jumbled up that I can’t keep up with them all.

Case in point: I am in the middle of a six-day period in which I have three job interviews. Wednesday morning, I have a phone interview for a summer internship. (I’d hoped I would have summer plans nailed down by now!) Last Friday, I interviewed for a tutoring job on campus for next school year. And this Thursday, I’m interviewing for another on-campus position.

Even at this moment my nerves are screaming at me to spend more time preparing for my interviews instead of writing this. “You’ve never had a phone interview before!” they’re warning me. “You won’t have any visuals to distract from the number of times you say ‘uh’ in a sentence!”

But, because my nerves have screamed some variation of this at me before every job interview I’ve ever had, I know I’ll be okay. And I know that sometimes all my nerves need is a little distraction.

So, mimicking the professional and collected tone I’ll use on the phone tomorrow, I confidently reply to my nerves, “Keep calm and watch a Sherlock.”

And that is exactly what I plan to do.

Good News Delayed

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First, the good news: After sending out multiple applications over spring break and having what I thought was a positive interview a week later, (followed by some anxious waiting) I finally got a DC internship offer! I will be working in communications editing the website, writing press releases, and attending briefings and hearings on the hill. It’s very similar to what I was doing at my previous DC internship last semester, but in a completely different environment and a completely different company.

The offer was bittersweet: about two hours before I got the offer e-mail, I got a call from another company that wanted to interview me. This (super competitive, I discovered) internship also focused on communications, and I would be doing many similar things, but I would also be dabbling in event planning. Plus, unlike the first internship, this one was paid.

Here’s the real dilemma, and it’s one I had been in before: I had to reply to the first offer by Monday the 12th. My interview with the second company wasn’t until Thursday the 8th. It was incredibly unlikely that I would know if I had the second one before I had to either accept or turn down the first.

I wanted to handle this semester’s situation professionally. Unfortunately, there was not much I could do to change anyone’s mind. After my interview on Thursday, I asked the second company to try to let me know by Monday morning. They told me that I made the top three, but that they could not make a final decision and to not hold out. And so I happily accepted the first internship – with about an hour to spare. It was a tricky situation, but I somehow doubt that this will be the last time I have to go through it.