Why You Should Take Ownership Of Your Accomplishments During Job Interviews

You've finally landed that job interview for the role that you've been dreaming of!

As the initial excitement begins to fade away, you know that now is the time to start preparing ahead of time to put your best foot forward and show a potential employer why you're the best fit for a specific role.

You'll hear a lot of conflicting advice about the language you should use to present yourself as a strong candidate, with many cautioning against "tooting your own horn" and showcasing your successes in previous roles.

?Some may warn you that taking sole ownership of your accomplishments may give the interviewer the impression that you don't value teamwork or can only work independently.

The reality is that this could not be further from the truth!

While it can be tempting to overuse "we" or "my team" when describing your achievements, this only weakens your personal brand and dilutes your accomplishments' impact.

?Remember, the organization isn't looking to hire your team; they want to know why they should hire YOU!

That's why it's important to confidently explain your accomplishments using "I" statements when responding to the interviewer's questions. As unnatural as it sometimes feels, using "I" statements demonstrates to the employer where your strengths lie and how you can benefit the company.

?In a society that often tells us to be humble about our accomplishments, getting comfortable with highlighting and owning our achievements can often be easier said than done.

If you're finding it difficult, uncomfortable, or unnatural to describe your accomplishments using "I" statements during interviews, you can use strategies to make it easier!

For example, you can start by explaining the task your team was responsible for completing and sharing how you contributed to successfully delivering the project.

For example, you could say, "My team was tasked with increasing visits to our website by 8%. I conducted a website content review and significantly improved our SEO ranking to successfully increase our organic website traffic by over 15%!"

Using "I" to demonstrate exactly what you were responsible for achieving, you can show the interviewer that you're a team player while sharing what you've accomplished in your own right.

Don't worry about sounding like you don't appreciate your team's contributions. The reality is that if the interviewer wants to gauge how much of a "team player" you are, they will ask you direct questions about your experiences working with others on your team.

So, while "we" is not necessarily bad, these responses should be strictly reserved for questions that focus on teamwork.

?Don't underestimate the power of the words you use to sell yourself as a top candidate during the job interview process. Both what you say and how you say it can make the difference between landing your dream job or missing out on the opportunity.