Selling Yourself Without Sounding Arrogant
There is often a conflict internally during an interview. On one hand, you know that you can do the job. On the other hand, you don’t want to come across as arrogant. Below, we will give you a formula that will allow you to talk yourself up in a humble, subtle manner when interviewing.
Preface Statement + Success Statement = A Humble Way to Brag
Preface Statement
A preface statement is an opening statement that is humble and comes before the results are discussed. Essentially, it’s what you say to downplay an achievement. An example would be, “we were fortunate enough to have our hard work pay-off and as a result….”
How to Convey a Preface Statement
- Should be reflective in nature and must come across as sincere
- Convey the preface statement in a thoughtful, reflective tone
- It’s all about delivery
- Should be worked in the natural course of conversation during the interview
Example Preface Statements
- Part of what has made me successful (insert success statement)
- What I attribute a lot of my ability to do well (insert success statement)
- What I attribute the success we had at company x is (insert success statement)
- In my opinion, part of what has given me a competitive advantage (insert success statement)
- Looking back, I think what worked was (insert success statement)
