Below if our latest submission for this week’s 24 hour newspaper: Time to show of in the job interview.

Time to show of in the job interview

Over the past week, I have participated in a number of job interviews and coaching sessions, and I just want to remind job seekers to show off when it comes to the job interview.
When I say show off, I mean start talking about your accomplishment rather then previous accomplishments as a group member. Interviewers want to know what you did as an individual so that they can score you on your personal accomplishments in a previous position. This being said, provide your examples with “I” as opposed to “We”. If you ask human resources and hiring professionals as I have, you will notice that they would all agree with my suggestion.

Although it is natural to look like a team players by using the word “we”, this works in everyday conversation, but not in job interview. When you use the word “we”, the hiring manager does not know what your immediate role was in a situation. For example, the interviewer asks to “tell me about a time when you resolved conflict with a client?” and you respond, “We had a big client …..We had to do this and that ….we ended up saving the account…..” and so forth. In this example, you can see how it is virtually impossible for the human resources person and the hiring manager to determine what the candidate’s role actually was.

Remember, when a question asks “you” it is your chance to shine in a job interview, so use the word “I” when responding to questions. This will make you stand out from the other candidates and your personal knowledge, skills and abilities as well as accomplishment will not be overlooked in your response.
Good luck in your job interview and remember – show of your personal knowledge, skills and abilities.