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Why Smart People Undervalue Themselves in Job Interviews and How to Avoid It
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania /Culture & Society

Why Smart People Undervalue Themselves in Job Interviews and How to Avoid It

From Adevฤƒrul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Intelligent and competent job candidates often underestimate their skills during interviews due to modesty and high self-imposed standards.
  • This can lead to them appearing less confident than less qualified but more self-assured candidates.
  • Experts advise candidates to clearly articulate their individual contributions, even within team successes, to combat self-doubt and imposter syndrome.

Many well-prepared job candidates tend to downplay their experience and abilities during interviews, while others with less preparation may project more confidence. This phenomenon, often linked to modesty and high personal standards, can cause valuable candidates to sabotage their own chances.

The more you know, the less you know.

โ€” ExpertExplaining the basis of imposter syndrome related to continuous learning.

Madi Rฤƒdulescu, a Master Certified Coach, explains that competent individuals often hold themselves to extremely high benchmarks. This internal standard can lead them to express doubts, inadvertently projecting a lack of self-assurance. In contrast, strong communication skills, encompassing posture, eye contact, and verbal expression, create an immediate positive impression, often within the first 90 seconds of an interaction.

While communication is readily observable, expertise requires evidence and takes longer to demonstrate. Rฤƒdulescu notes that interviewers typically distinguish between communication style and actual competence. Highly skilled candidates, often more analytical, may appear less enthusiastic or direct because they are formulating elaborate, considered responses. Furthermore, deep knowledge in a field can foster imposter syndrome, a feeling fueled by the continuous learning process where "the more you know, the less you know."

We often use the pronoun 'we' instead of 'I' or use ambiguous language like 'maybe this happened' or 'the context helped'.

โ€” Madi RฤƒdulescuDescribing how candidates dilute their personal achievements during interviews.

Recognizing and combating imposter syndrome during an interview involves avoiding the dilution of personal achievements. Candidates might use "we" instead of "I" or employ ambiguous language like "maybe this happened" or "the context helped." Such phrasing distances the individual from their successes. Another common error is justifying performance with phrases like, "I didn't do anything special, that's just how things should be done." To counter this, experts advise clearly highlighting one's specific role and contribution, rather than solely attributing success to the team or external factors.

I didn't do anything special, because that's how things should be done.

โ€” ExpertIllustrating a common phrase used by candidates to downplay their performance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Adevฤƒrul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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