For a job interview what is worst: overly confident or overly shy?

[kyrax12]

If you were to be going to your first job interview.

 

[mikegg]

Not even close. Overly shy.

Unless I'm specifically looking for a shy person, I'll always hire the overly confident candidate.

My very first hire that I managed, I hired a shy person and as soon as she started on her first day, I started having regrets.

Shy is okay if all you want is a code monkey or someone who s incredible at what he/she does and doesn't have to talk to anyone.

 

[Rakehellion]

I'm always confident. If the employer has a problem with that, they can go fuck themselves.

 

[sourceninja]

Shy would kill you. You have to be personable. If the interviewer doesn't think you know how to communicate, they are not going to hire you.

 

[Slew Foot]

shy people scare me, they make they think they're freaked out and wont know whats going on.

 

[Rakehellion]

Confident isn't the same thing as arrogant. Shy isn't the sane thing as unknowledgeable.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Shy would kill you. You have to be personable. If the interviewer doesn't think you know how to communicate, they are not going to hire you.

Unless it's a position for a programmer of course, then it's totally normal that they can't communicate

 

[Mai72]

Over shy= Low Confidence. You will have a very difficult time finding work.

An overly confident applicant can lie about his credentials and get away with it. An overly shy man doesn't have that opportunity, and will look like a creep.

Don't be a creep.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Being shy is only a good trait if you're a cute female looking to play the obedient housewife role.

 

[Bateluer]

Being overly shy during an interview would totally sink that interview. You may not know everything, but you do need to show that you can communicate with a team; interviews aren't only there to demonstrate your knowledge of the skillset.

 

[OverVolt]

Overly caring is bad if like 2,000 people applied to the same job.

 

[brianmanahan]

Unless it's a position for a programmer of course, then it's totally normal that they can't communicate

Nope. Communication is half of a programming job, maybe more, so when I interview/choose candidates, I will not consider someone without decent communication skills.

 

[Rakehellion]

Be a geisha.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

You must be confident in an interview. That's a skill I've honed over the years and I knock nearly every interview out of the park. Smile, make eye contact, answer questions confidently, and if you don't know an answer, don't BS -- say that you've not had the opportunity to work in that area but here is how you would go about learning that topic.

 

[TheSlamma]

If you were to be going to your first job interview.

Here is an idea, why don't you do something most Americans can't seem to figure out. Go moderate and be right in the middle of those.

Be a pleasant person that feels good in his own skin and be honest about what you know and don't know and that you are an open person willing to learn.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Eh, there needs to be a balance. Overly shy folks more than likely won't mesh well in the culture of a company, whereas overly-confident people can come off as arrogant or an ass.

 

[mmntech]

Shy people are either distrusted or not seen as a go-getter. Personal experience.

Confidence and extroversion get you jobs, even if you have to fake it.

 

[Imp]

Shy is bad. Why? Because if you come off as shy, people will think you're not a people person, not a team player, and lack confidence.

If they misinterpret your shyness, they may even think you're an arrogant prick who's too up his/her own ass and too good to talk to people.

As a shy person, I've seen number two happen way too many times -- I just didn't feel comfortable mouthing off, not because I thought I was better than you.

Now that I know people misinterpret my actions, I put on an act showcasing how extroverted I am to fit in -- yep, just an act, and now I do have a stick up my ass.

 

[Insomniator]

Overly in either direction would probably be equally bad.

I know personally, I'd consider the overly confident person to be a total a-hole and have no clue if the shy person is capable of the job.

If we are talking actual OVER confidence, that does not read as 'people person' at all.

 

[Tombstone1881]

Be confident, but not overly confident. And don't be shy.

Confident means that you can do the job. Overly confident means that the job is beneath you. Being shy means that you are not a 'go getter'.

Confidence shows that you are the perfect match for the position.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Over confidence is a red flag for me.

I would never hire someone who promises shit that I:
1) did not ask for
2) know will be a challenge, but state is would not be,.. for them (ugh)

Interviews are about selling yourself. And, they are in effect selling lies - I have no time to buy vaporware, phantom solutions and deception.

 

[purbeast0]

being shy.

someone who is shy has terrible communication skills and doesn't like being around other people. sounds like a recipe for disaster in a work environment where you are working with others constantly.