You might be highly accomplished and confident, but when it comes to talking up yourself in an interview, you just feel reluctant.

Many people have this problem: How do I make myself sound interesting in a natural way, without coming across as arrogant?

Success is interesting!

You may not realize this, but not talking about yourself in an interview can make you seem boring. The purpose of an interview is mainly to talk about you, and therefore, you should embrace the idea of discussing your professional merits.

This is one of the main reasons some people don’t like talking about themselves, it can feel unnatural. We typically learn from our parents and various social interactions that bragging isn’t polite. While modestly can be an asset at networking events and in your personal life, it’s a hindrance in an interview setting.

Since interview modesty is simply a mindset, all you need to do is change your perspective, and that can be done by focusing on strategies to sell yourself.

Marketing You

In a very real way, an interview is a kind of sales pitch. You are trying to sell yourself to a company and, like any marketing effort, there’s way proven ways to maximize your chance of a sale.

Start by determining what a company is looking for in a candidate. Companies’ descriptions of themselves and their open position can reveal clues about the workplace, and if you are a good fit. Identify how your strengths match up with what the job calls for and use this knowledge to inform your sales pitch.

After you figure out how you are going to talk about yourself, write out a list of key points that make you the ideal fit for the job. For each point, write out a short statement and practice delivering these statements out loud. It may feel unnatural, but hearing the words come out of your mouth will help you refine these talking points. Play around with the way you phrase your points and settle on the best ways to deliver them. Ideally, you should be practicing and refining these points until they sound boring to you. That way, when your nerves kick in, you will know all your talking points by heart.

Making your pitch sound natural

Even though you have an arsenal of talking points, you probably shouldn’t storm into the interview and robotically rattle them off. You should be looking for strategic spots to deliver each point with deadly precision, and your interviewer should give you plenty of openings to deliver the goods.

Essential interview questions like, “Tell me about your strengths” or “Tell me about a time you worked in a successful team,” call out for you to deliver your lines in a natural, conversational manner.

When you work with ZDA, you’ll partner with a dedicated search consultant who has access to our exclusive network of strategic partners. We have relationships with companies across the country and provide you with access to the best supply chain employment opportunities, many positions that can’t be found anywhere else.

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