I’ve sat in on my fair share of interviews. After thinking about it for the last 10 minutes, I’d say I’ve probably attended about 50-60 of them. Only a handful of them had a job candidate that I would deem to be cocky, but I can tell you those candidates were very memorable for all the wrong reasons.
In the the U.S. News & World Report article “Cocky or Confident? 4 Tips to Strike the Perfect Interview Balance,” Chrissy Scivicque, career coach and founder of eatyourcareer.com Chrissy Scivicque, writes that whether your interviewing for a job or a promotion, your demeanor during an interview plays an important role in the decision-making process. Appearing confident can certainly help inspire others to have confidence in you, but crossing the over the line into cockiness could cost you the job.
“There’s a delicate balance that must be managed during the interview process,” Scivicque writes. “You need to appear confident but not cocky. You want to demonstrate that you know you can do the job exceptionally well and that you’re a highly marketable asset. But if you push too far, your credibility is at risk.” Scivicque goes on to write that cocky are unlikable and usually regarded with suspicion by their coworkers, as there’s no way someone is as great as they think they are.
To make sure you stay in the confident zone and not venture into the cocky zone during an interview, Scivicque offers these four tips:
- Clearly define your success using facts; avoid broad generalizations. Instead of telling your interviewers, “I’m a really great office manager,” tell them, “At my last dental practice, I created a proactive booking system that increased the amount of returning first-time patients by 30 percent.” While the first one sounds like a brag, the second one follows the show-and-not-tell rule. “Without evidence to back up your claims, you risk appearing smug,” Scivicque writes. “When citing tangible proof – like an award you received or measurable results you achieved – you simply sound factual.”
- When discussing past successes, give credit where credit’s due. Don’t be afraid of acknowledging the work of others in the interview, as professional victories are usually the result of team efforts and collaboration. “If you try to take all the credit for yourself, something will smell fishy,” she writes. “That being said, don’t shy away from the credit you rightfully deserve; just don’t pretend it was a one-man show.”
- Don’t exaggerate your success. Scivicque writes that trying to make yourself sound better with exaggeration will always backfire. “I once interviewed a young woman whose previous role had been as an intern for a prominent brokerage. When asked to describe her experience, she said her job had been to provide investment advice to clients,” she wrote. “When probed, she couldn’t explain deeper what that meant and she clearly lacked the required education and licensing to legally advise clients anyway. Regardless of whether or not she had the ability to do the job I was hiring for, she was immediately excluded from consideration.”
- Don’t be afraid to acknowledge failures and weaknesses. Interviewers are never expecting perfection, so when job candidates come off as such, it raises some red flags. At best, not discussing weaknesses or failures could make candidates appear to lack self-awareness. At worst, it could make candidates look like they are hiding something or lying.
When it comes down to it, Scivicque recommends with presenting interviewers with the best you have to offer by demonstrating competence. “Be upbeat and positive, but don’t pretend to be something you’re not,” she writes. “Don’t let fear or ego take over. Charm them with well-articulated success stories, authenticity and a dash of humility.”
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