The Role of Humility in an Interview

Amidst the intense self-absorption of a job search, it is easy to forget that there are other characters in your career story. Some will have nudged you in the right direction, while others may have tried to hold you back. The most minor players can sometimes make the most significant difference. It is right to acknowledge that the sum of all their contributions has shaped your career to a substantial degree. Embrace a little humility in an interview.

Your career story is not all about you. 

Remember this in your next interview. Adopting a humble attitude and recognising the contributions of others at appropriate points during the interview will send a powerful message:

You are a team player. You are more when you act as a part of the whole.

Then comes the conflict of interest. Your potential employer doesn’t really want to hear about all these people. They want to spend the interview talking about your experiences. To give them an accurate representation, you have to offer some context regarding how those around you contributed. Balance is key. Being overly humble can seem sickeningly self-deprecating.

Interview humility matters

Psychologically speaking, mentioning the impact of others on your career will prompt your interviewer to view you as a member of their team rather than an individual. You might talk about how your Finance Director made a crucial intervention in a particular project, and they will naturally consider whether their FD would do the same thing. The interviewer will translate the cast of your career story into their reality.

When candidates are allowed to talk about themselves, the temptation to embark on a personality-led monologue is too great for many. In their heads, the gushing stream of positive personality traits are justified. Without evidence-based examples, it is easy to come across as arrogant and self-absorbed. The humble candidate will focus on what they did rather than who they are.

Finally, not being scared to (briefly) mention any personal or professional shortcomings will contribute to the sense that the interviewer is getting a balanced picture. Everyone is on a journey of development in their careers (and lives), so sharing your “work ons” is an excellent way of showing that you have room to grow. Humble people know that they are a work in progress. When people grow, their employers grow alongside them.

When you embrace humility in an interview, your body language will be relaxed and your speech will portray quiet self-confidence. 

If you have some amazing career stories to tell, resist the temptation to tell them exclusively in the first person. Your successes are also your team’s successes. Giving them a little credit where appropriate with some factual context will make you seem like a far more rounded employee (and a great person to work with).

A little humility in your interview could make all the difference. 

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists.

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).