One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen in interviews is when candidates use “we” instead of “I” too often.

For example, “We did this,” rather than, “This was my contribution to the team’s results.”

It can be a challenge sometimes, but whilst it’s nice to spread the credit, you are being assessed on your abilities, not the abilities of the team or organisation that you’ve worked with in the past.

If you exclusively use “we” in your interviews, the person doing the hiring may end up wondering what you would bring to the organisation, hindering your chances of success.

For many people (myself included), the natural response is to use “we” because we want to be inclusive and not come across as too self-absorbed.  If this is the case for you it’s important to practice your interview responses out loud, making sure that you use “I” whenever possible.

Make the time to practice with someone who will pick you up whenever you use “we.”  Training yourself to get this right will assist you when under the pressure of the actual interview.

Whether you like it or not, interviews are all about you.  If you’re not selling yourself adequately, no-one else will.  You can’t assume that interviewers will read between the lines and interpret your responses, so you need to be clear about what you’ve done in the past and what you’re bringing to their organisation.  Leave no doubt regarding your experience, skill and the contribution that you have made to past employers.

Or to put it bluntly, make sure that you put the “I” into your interviews.

Do you have any tips to share for selling yourself more effectively in interviews?

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