Interview question: how do you sound like you're not bragging or on a high horse?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I want to say that I consistently over deliver and have strong values towards never letting anyone down.

1. I take way more pictures than what my "boss" says is necessary because I want to do the best that I can do for my boss, for the organization, for everyone.

2. I insist that I do my jobs pro-bono because I hate charging people and because I figure that the job will give me good experience and will only help me perfect my craft. It's not about the money. It's about being the best or to continually improve at what I do.

3. Back in the day I did some online retail selling. I would answer customer's questions in real time and ship more or less within a couple of hours of them placing the order. I would then give them an ETA, as well as a follow-up to make sure they were ok after the order. As a result I got some extremely positive reviews.

4. I used to have a job as a dishwasher. When my boss told me to stop I insisted on working further because I believe in doing the best for someone. My boss once told me that he wished I was his son.

 

[JS80]

Tone.

/Thread

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Try and downplay everything?

ex.

"I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down."

vs.

"I like to over deliver and I do my best never to let anyone down. I mean, I dunno, just feels like the right thing to do, you know? *shrug*"

 

[Zee]

concentrate more on the specific examples than what you are promoting

 

[prism]

I would do something in between your two examples. The first one's a little too cocky, while the second one sounds like you're a little unsure of yourself. Do something like your second example w/o its second sentence.

EDIT: By examples I mean your second post, not #2 from your first post.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Don't say anything. If you say "I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down." then you are going to be held to that. If you don't say anything at all and just simply show that you are trying to do your best then your boss/client will make the realization that you always over deliver and never let anyone down. This is worth more since it builds their trust without you putting your word on the line.

Edit:

Didn't see it was an interview question.

Just give an example of a time where you went above and beyond to sacrifice time/money to help the company/client/boss.

Stories are greater than comments/answers.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Zee
concentrate more on the specific examples than what you are promoting

But I feel like this is what can land me in some trouble.

There have been numerous times where my various bosses have told me to not work so hard, but I never listen.

My boss tells me that 20 or so pictures is enough. But I take 1,000 instead. This sounds like I'm bragging, but it's what actually happened.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Don't say anything. If you say "I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down." then you are going to be held to that. If you don't say anything at all and just simply show that you are trying to do your best then your boss/client will make the realization that you always over deliver and never let anyone down. This is worth more since it builds their trust without you putting your word on the line.

Hmmm... interesting.

"I always try my best. If someone is relying on me I'll do my best to make sure his or her reliance wasn't misplaced."

But how do I convey my actions which - to put it mildly - would be considered overkill?

Boss only wants 20 pictures and he's relying on me to get those pictures. So I take 1,000.

 

[sunzt]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

But I feel like this is what can land me in some trouble.

There have been numerous times where my various bosses have told me to not work so hard, but I never listen.

My boss tells me that 20 or so pictures is enough. But I take 1,000 instead. This sounds like I'm bragging, but it's what actually happened.

I think it's good you do that, just don't say act like you are better because you just took 1,000 pictures. Explain WHY you did take 1,000 pictures. I'm guessing that you pay much attention to the details and getting the absolute best picture is why you take 1,000 pictures. Also, it sounds like one detriment is that you could be "wasting or losing time" or missing other shot opportunities. Get ready for things like that because no matter how good you are the interviewer will have to criticize you and try to point out negatives, it is part of their interview questions.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Don't say anything. If you say "I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down." then you are going to be held to that. If you don't say anything at all and just simply show that you are trying to do your best then your boss/client will make the realization that you always over deliver and never let anyone down. This is worth more since it builds their trust without you putting your word on the line.

Hmmm... interesting.

"I always try my best. If someone is relying on me I'll do my best to make sure his or her reliance wasn't misplaced."

But how do I convey my actions which - to put it mildly - would be considered overkill?

Boss only wants 20 pictures and he's relying on me to get those pictures. So I take 1,000.

I hope you only submit your 20 best in that case

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Don't say anything. If you say "I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down." then you are going to be held to that. If you don't say anything at all and just simply show that you are trying to do your best then your boss/client will make the realization that you always over deliver and never let anyone down. This is worth more since it builds their trust without you putting your word on the line.

Hmmm... interesting.

"I always try my best. If someone is relying on me I'll do my best to make sure his or her reliance wasn't misplaced."

But how do I convey my actions which - to put it mildly - would be considered overkill?

Boss only wants 20 pictures and he's relying on me to get those pictures. So I take 1,000.

Might not always be a good thing. Might show that you dont follow instructions well, regardless of what they may be. Also can imply that you dont work well in a team since going way overboard is only going ot make your teammates look bad even though they did waht they were asked.

 

[Zee]

For that example, you have to word it so that you did it within time constraints. The boss is telling you 20 pics because he's allocating resources. He has used whatever mental calculations and his experience do decide that 20 is sufficient. So when you explain that you took 1000, you say you did it to be proactive and you had the time and resources to take 1000, within the same timespan that the boss wanted the 20. Else you either a tryng to rack up unauthorized overtime or you have no comprehension of proper time management.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Don't say anything. If you say "I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down." then you are going to be held to that. If you don't say anything at all and just simply show that you are trying to do your best then your boss/client will make the realization that you always over deliver and never let anyone down. This is worth more since it builds their trust without you putting your word on the line.

Hmmm... interesting.

"I always try my best. If someone is relying on me I'll do my best to make sure his or her reliance wasn't misplaced."

But how do I convey my actions which - to put it mildly - would be considered overkill?

Boss only wants 20 pictures and he's relying on me to get those pictures. So I take 1,000.

Might not always be a good thing. Might show that you dont follow instructions well, regardless of what they may be. Also can imply that you dont work well in a team since going way overboard is only going ot make your teammates look bad even though they did waht they were asked.

Hmmm... good point. Although all my photo jobs have been solo, so no teammates to look bad in this situation. I would definitely need to point out that it was solo though.

In a team environment I wouldn't take the time to make only my part look spectacular. I would do my best to make everyone's part look as good as possible. We rise and fall together.

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I want to say that I consistently over deliver and have strong values towards never letting anyone down.

1. I take way more pictures than what my "boss" says is necessary because I want to do the best that I can do for my boss, for the organization, for everyone.

I take all my assignments seriously and will often do beyond what's necessary to ensure we don't run into any problems later on. For example, I often take more pictures than my boss requires because it's better to take more pictures and sort through later than to miss a critical shot.

2. I insist that I do my jobs pro-bono because I hate charging people and because I figure that the job will give me good experience and will only help me perfect my craft. It's not about the money. It's about being the best or to continually improve at what I do.

I love photography very much. I have worked pro-bono before, and will do so again in the future because I believe in the challenge and continuous improvement.

3. Back in the day I did some online retail selling. I would answer customer's questions in real time and ship more or less within a couple of hours of them placing the order. I would then give them an ETA, as well as a follow-up to make sure they were ok after the order. As a result I got some extremely positive reviews.

I believe my customer service skills are excellent. For example, in my past role as a _________, I went beyond my duties to ensure the customer received his/her's orders promptly and to answer any after-purchase questions. This ensures customer loyalty and I have received great customer reviews along the way.

4. I used to have a job as a dishwasher. When my boss told me to stop I insisted on working further because I believe in doing the best for someone. My boss once told me that he wished I was his son.

Mr./Mrs. _________, I believe you will find me to be a great candidate for this position. I take all my roles seriously, and I will work hard at my duties. My boss once told me that he wished I was his son when I insisted on working further because I believe in doing the best for someone, even though the position was a dishwasher! <smile or chuckle>

 

[PhlashFoto]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: Zee
concentrate more on the specific examples than what you are promoting

But I feel like this is what can land me in some trouble.

There have been numerous times where my various bosses have told me to not work so hard, but I never listen.

My boss tells me that 20 or so pictures is enough. But I take 1,000 instead. This sounds like I'm bragging, but it's what actually happened.

So if the boss wants 2 sugars on the side with his coffee; are you going to bring him the whole box and 3 different brands???

 

[JJChicken]

As the other guys have said, always provide examples. Everybody can make statements (e.g. how Hillabeast does :laugh: ) but the one that actually SHOWS he/she is that is the winner in the interviewer's books. Best of luck dude in your interview!!!

 

[duragezic]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I want to say that I consistently over deliver and have strong values towards never letting anyone down.

1. I take way more pictures than what my "boss" says is necessary because I want to do the best that I can do for my boss, for the organization, for everyone.

I take all my assignments seriously and will often do beyond what's necessary to ensure we don't run into any problems later on. For example, I often take more pictures than my boss requires because it's better to take more pictures and sort through later than to miss a critical shot.

2. I insist that I do my jobs pro-bono because I hate charging people and because I figure that the job will give me good experience and will only help me perfect my craft. It's not about the money. It's about being the best or to continually improve at what I do.

I love photography very much. I have worked pro-bono before, and will do so again in the future because I believe in the challenge and continuous improvement.

3. Back in the day I did some online retail selling. I would answer customer's questions in real time and ship more or less within a couple of hours of them placing the order. I would then give them an ETA, as well as a follow-up to make sure they were ok after the order. As a result I got some extremely positive reviews.

I believe my customer service skills are excellent. For example, in my past role as a _________, I went beyond my duties to ensure the customer received his/her's orders promptly and to answer any after-purchase questions. This ensures customer loyalty and I have received great customer reviews along the way.

4. I used to have a job as a dishwasher. When my boss told me to stop I insisted on working further because I believe in doing the best for someone. My boss once told me that he wished I was his son.

Mr./Mrs. _________, I believe you will find me to be a great candidate for this position. I take all my roles seriously, and I will work hard at my duties. My boss once told me that he wished I was his son when I insisted on working further because I believe in doing the best for someone, even though the position was a dishwasher! <smile or chuckle>

Agree with this person's answers! Very nice.

Depending what style of interview it is, you might have the chance to give lots of specific examples of your work ethic without simply coming out with it out of nowhere and sound like you are bragging. Or if they ask you the weakness question, you can give also use that as an example, like you are very thorough and take so many pictures, but you realize that you won't always have the time to do that in future projects (to spin the negative around).

They love asking you questions like "Tell me about a time when you were ... and how you resolved it ...". I think you'll be able to answer a lot of those questions very well with specific examples, which is what they are really looking for, and they will find a sort of overall message from your answers that says you work hard and won't let them down.

Using the right tone with all of that would definitely convey it well and without sounding like bragging.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Try and downplay everything?

ex.

"I always over deliver and I will never let anyone down."

vs.

"I like to over deliver and I do my best never to let anyone down. I mean, I dunno, just feels like the right thing to do, you know? *shrug*"

wtf does that mean? over deliver? by what metric? as an interviewer statements like that don't impress me at all. you could START with something like that, but I need something concrete. I accomplished ____ in 4 months instead of the 6 it was planned for. I completed ____ for $$$ instead of the $$$$$ we were anticipating. Show some productivity, a portfolio, concrete examples. If you are truly as good as your comments, your work will speak for itself. Your experience, education and quality of work speaks much louder than whatever baseless compliments you can make up for yourself.

Leaving the compliments for your references to give when they are contacted.

 

[Lazy8s]

I think instead of worrying about sounding like a braggart you should concentrate on not sounding like you're unsecure about your ability to do a job well and your inability to follow directions.

If my boss said to take 20 pictures and I took 1000 he would be ticked off instead of happy. He would much rather I have stopped at 20 and used the time I took 980 other pictures to do something else he needed.

Also, the dishwasher story makes you sound like a brown noser and also someone that was very insecure about their ability to keep a job, even as a dishwasher. Your boss TOLD you to stop and you refused? Why? Did you feel like you had to work twice as hard as everyone else for free just to be worth the same pay? He wished his son was a dishwasher?

I am sure you're a great person and a hard worker but project those qualities. If I were the interviewer and you told me the stories above I would be asking your previous employers some very pointed questions about you, if I didn't take your resume out of the stack first. It sounds like you overachieve to make up for your lack of whatever else and who knows if the employeer would want to figure out what that something else is.

If I was you I would state that you always do your best, want to make sure you do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay and let them be pleasently suprised when you do twice the work as everyone else instead of using that as a selling point. It sounds like you are either desparate, an overachiever that may burn out, or you are trying to mak up for something that you seriously lack in the workplace.

EDIT: Since you're offering to work for free though, I guess it doesn't matter. I don't know anyone that would turn down free work.