Here at Spark Hire, we want to help candidates find their dream jobs using the power of online video. We get a lot of questions from readers about how to use online video in their search for a great job. These posts will address those questions about how to find success in your job search.
Question: How do I avoid sounding egotistical in the video interview? -Phillip from Hartford
Thank you for the great question, Phillip! The interview and hiring process is comprised of a series of balances job seekers have to make. You want to be talkative and outgoing, but you don’t want to talk so much the interviewer can’t get a word in. You want to show the employer your personality, but you don’t want to get too personal. You also want to talk about your accomplishments, qualifications and skills but you don’t want to sound like you are bragging or putting yourself up on a pedestal. Much like the aforementioned areas, there is a fine balance you need to keep when talking about yourself in a job interview- be it in-person or in a video interview.
Earlier this week Spark Hire touched on how introverts can succeed in a job interview. One of the most difficult things for introverts to do is to talk about themselves and their accomplishments to others. However, doing this is one of the most important parts of a job interview. If you can’t tell someone why you deserve the position, who will? Overdoing it though is something you want to stay away from. Talking too much about how great of a worker you are and how heightened your skills are may give off the impression that you have nothing left to learn and that you think deserve this job. To avoid doing this, focus on concrete examples of your skills rather than just how great you are.
Pinpoint specific examples from past work when your skills helped or came into play. This should play a part in your job interview anyways, so be sure you are focusing on concrete examples and not just conclusions of yourself you drew on your own. You can also touch on past projects you worked on that were successful. Talk about what you did to make them successful rather than just saying they were greatly successful. What did you bring to the table to make the project succeed? Did you work with others? How did teamwork play out in the success of this project?
Before your interview you should have a number of specific examples laid out and ready for use in your video interview. If sounding egotistical is something that makes you nervous, then try having a mock interview with a friend or a relative. You may not be nervous about the interview itself, but seeing how you handle yourself- and talk about yourself- can be very helpful. Ask the other person to let you know if you sound like you are bragging and not backing your statements up with any concrete evidence.
Lastly, you can talk up a storm about yourself but it’s best to have someone that can validate what you are saying. Think about your past managers or bosses and what they have said of your work. Did one of them give you particularly high praise? Rather than talking about yourself, you can have others do it for you. Referencing what a past manager or boss said about you is a great way to step away from sounding egotistical. Plus, if you offered this person as a professional reference they can tell this employer what they think of you on their own.
Do you have a question you need answered? Spark a conversation with the Spark Hire team by submitting your question to [email protected] or in the comments below.
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