Learning how to describe your personality at an interview is a useful skill to have, regardless of your profession or the job you’re applying for. The problem with many interviewees is that they are quite shy when it comes to speaking about how their personalities can have a positive effect on those they come into contact with.
It’s understandable, as many people feel quite exposed and vulnerable at interviews and find it difficult to put their personality across in a respectable manner. However, this is essential for getting the job you want and so it is worth putting some time aside before your next interview to consider how best to present yourself as an effective and reliable person.
In this article, we will be taking you through some of the most effective ways to describe your personality at an interview, whilst demonstrating how it can make a difference.
Importance of Knowing How to Describe Your Personality During an Interview
One of the key reasons why it is important to know how to describe your personality at an interview is that it can often be a deciding factor when employers choose between two similar candidates.
Your interviewer may have already found out some of your backgrounds during their research and so it will be helpful if you can demonstrate through your words and behavior what kind of person you are.
By doing this, you’ll stand out from the other applicants and ultimately help secure yourself an offer of employment. In addition, knowing how to describe your personality is important because it can help improve your interview performance.
If you can get across what kind of person you are, this will give the interviewer more confidence in assigning tasks to you once you have been employed. Being aware of how to describe yourself also helps keep your mind focused on who you are and why you want the job.
It’s easy for people attending an interview to become flustered with nerves but by taking some time beforehand, it is possible to remain positive and ready to take control of the situation.
How to Describe Your Personality – Paragraph Examples
The following are 10 ways to describe your personality at an interview, with some example paragraphs to help you get started.
- Making the Most of Your Talents and Abilities
- Experience of Working in Challenging Situations
- Applying Learning from Previous Jobs or Internships
- Having an Open Mind about Problems or Challenges You May Face
- Demonstrating an Ability to Make Sound Judgements
- Being Able To Get Along Well With Others
- Being a Motivated Person
- Having a Keen Eye for Detail
- Being Able to Prioritize and Delegate Tasks
- Having Leadership Skills
Making the Most of Your Talents and Abilities
“I like to think that my abilities make me stand out from other applicants. For instance, I am very resourceful which means I will always find a way to complete any given task.
This often makes me feel confident when engaging with customers as they know that everything will be handled by me efficiently and effectively.”
Experience of Working in Challenging Situations
“I am no stranger to working under pressure or new situations that require quick thinking on the spot. During my time working at XYZ company, I was required to deal with all kinds of customer complaints ranging anywhere from rude behavior to more serious complaints.
I found that having to deal with these situations helped me develop my problem-solving skills and also my social interaction.”
Applying Learning from Previous Jobs or Internships
“I am great at listening to what others have to say, not only because it helps build rapport but also because I’m always eager to learn new things. Indeed, one of the main reasons why I want this job is because of the opportunity it will give me to be around people who are engaged in similar interests as myself.
This means that by the end of this job, I’ll have more knowledge in our industry than others who are just in it for the money.”
Having an Open Mind about Problems or Challenges You May Face
“Having to deal with challenging situations is what I’m all about. From working in retail to internships, it has always been important for me to be resourceful and quick thinking in any given situation. This way, I can handle anything anyone can throw at me.”
Demonstrating an Ability to Make Sound Judgements
“I am often told that my greatest strength is being able to look at things from different perspectives. During my time as a customer assistant at XYZ store, I found myself faced with many difficult problems but was able to make the right decision every time by using sound judgment.”
Being Able To Get Along Well With Others
“I like the idea of teamwork and know that this will be an important part of this role. I am friendly, approachable, and always keen to help others when they are in need. In the past, I have been told that my people skills make it easy for me to get along with pretty much anyone.”
Being a Motivated Person
“I want this job because it will allow me to learn new things and at the same time allow me to work with a great team of co-workers who all feel passionate about the business. However, these days I understand that hard work does not go unrewarded and that eventually there is a good chance for advancement within this company if I perform well during my probationary period.”
Having a Keen Eye for Detail
“I am very observant and notice details that might have escaped other people’s notice. For example, throughout my time working in retail I was often praised for having a keen eye for detail and always getting the job done.”
Being Able to Prioritize and Delegate Tasks
“I believe patience is an important quality when it comes to working with others or when taking on any kind of project or task. Patience helps give me the ability to prioritize what needs to be done first and how best to go about doing it. During periods where I’ve felt overwhelmed, this has been one of my strengths – being able to identify what is most important.”
Having Leadership Skills
“From a young age, I have had a natural propensity for leadership and feel that I can use this skill to benefit the company. Over the years, I have come to realize that what makes a good leader is someone who can be both fair and firm.”
How to Describe Your Personality to a Girl
When it comes to describing your personality, it’s not just a useful skill to have in your professional life. When speaking with a person that you’re romantically interested in (let’s consider a guy that wants to get to know a girl better), you need to consider the many ways to impress her.
You don’t want to be too negative or boastful, but you also want to make sure she knows how awesome you are. Finding the right balance can be harder than it sounds, so this is where I want to help you make the right choices.
Here are some questions to consider that will help you figure out how to answer this question:
1. What makes you unique?
“My ability to always say just the right thing at just the right time is one of my better traits.”
A fun or creative response that shows off your talents at reading people is sure to impress the ladies. It also allows you to bring up something cool about yourself without bragging too much or sounding arrogant.
2. How has your unique personality helped you?
“It’s simply impossible for me to be in a bad mood.”
A positive, confident response like this shows off your self-esteem. Being able to recognize the good things about oneself is a very attractive quality, as it shows you have a positive attitude and can appreciate what you bring to the table.
3. Can you tell me more about what makes you, YOU?
“I feel that I’m particularly good at recognizing someone’s insecurities or self-doubts and reassuring them that everything is going to be okay.”
This gives her an idea of what your talents are and how another person might appreciate them. If you can, provide an example of something specific that you’ve done so she knows you’re not just bragging.
Extra Tip: How to Describe Your Personality on a Dating Site
When it comes to using dating sites, you need to consider the possible topics of conversation. These sites turn to find a date into a game so it’s important to make the best moves and ultimately win. Describing your personality on such sites is an act of self-marketing.
You’re trying to sell yourself, so you can be neither boring nor too wild. Remember to keep it lighthearted and fun since your goal is to get her interested in you, not creep her out. This may sound like a tough balance, but hopefully, the above considerations will give you an idea of what to do.
How to Describe Your Personality to a Friend
When dealing with a friend, describing your personality is also a great skill to have. To come across just right, you’ll want to balance honesty with tact.
Here are some tips for how to go about it:
- Be honest, yet don’t brag about yourself, or talk about your accomplishments too much. You want to come across as modest and maybe a bit mysterious; someone they’ll want to get to know better.
- Use examples of things you’ve done in the past that show this side of yourself off. If there’s something specific you’d like them to focus on, bring it up. This makes it easier for them to understand what you’re talking about instead of just imagining it.
- Don’t act differently than usual if they don’t seem interested. It’s okay if someone that you wanted to become your friend just isn’t cutting it. Don’t force anything since that will likely backfire and ruin the relationship before it even starts.
How to Answer Personality Interview Questions
Now that we looked at how to describe your personality, let’s look at how to answer questions that are directed at you on this topic. Answering personality questions during an interview is a good skill to master. For each question below, I’ll give you a sample answer to consider and a brief explanation of why this works.
1. Why do you want this job?
“It’s a new challenge and also something that aligns with my career goals of becoming a marketing executive.” Speaking about why a new job is a challenge shows that you are up for the challenge and demonstrates that you’re not someone who will shy away from new responsibilities.
2. What are your greatest strengths?
“I’m very organized, flexible and I thrive under pressure.” Great strengths include being able to work well independently as well as within a team.
3. How do you typically handle conflict?
“I am always able to see things from different perspectives which gives me an advantage over others during conflict situations. I know that sometimes it is best to confront problems head-on but other times it might be better to take some time out before coming back with a solution.”
The ability to handle conflict shows you are mature and tactful no matter what happens in the day-to-day.
4. What is your greatest weakness?
“I am not afraid of taking on new challenges, but sometimes I need to work on my time management skills.”
Everyone has some kind of weakness. Try to find something that you’re working on improving like time management or planning better. For this question, try to focus on a problem that does not get in the way of getting your job done or is something that will get better with more experience.
5. How would coworkers describe you?
“A team player who likes to get things done without needing help from others.”
The best answer shows you often go out of your way to help other people at work while also doing whatever needs to be done without asking for help.
6. How would your previous supervisor describe you?
“Highly motivated and good at planning.”
The best answer shows that you were able to work well with others as well as on your own. When faced with challenging tasks, you rose to the occasion and did whatever was necessary to get the job done.
7. What kind of people do you not like working with?
“Someone who lacks drive or enthusiasm.”
It is important to find something that someone can improve on, like having less drive than other people. This will show the interviewer that you are looking for ways how another person’s performance at work might improve instead of finding fault in them.
8. What do you know about our company?
“My research showed that your company is especially good at providing training opportunities for employees which means I would have the chance to constantly learn .”
Make sure you talk about something specific like how many other employees are already in the position that they are interviewing people for. You should also mention anything else that makes them stand out from their competitors or gives them an advantage over the other companies you’ve interviewed with.
9. How do you stay current?
“I read several business magazines and I also have a subscription to your company’s newsletter.”
This answer shows that you keep up with what’s going on in the industry. You might add that you’re not afraid of technology or getting new gadgets for work.
10. Tell me a little about yourself.
“I studied marketing at college and I have held several different jobs in that field since then.”
This is where you get to talk about your experience. Feel free to mention anything that makes you stand out from the other candidates, like being bilingual or having experience with industry-related tools.
Answering ‘What Makes You Unique?’ In an Interview
This is a question that stumps a lot of interviewees, and it’s not necessarily because they’re boring. It’s just an open-ended question that requires a lot of thought to answer well.
Use this question as a chance to flaunt your skills, interests, and qualities, so the interviewer will want to hire you. Be sure to also show examples of how you’ve used these talents in previous jobs.
Here are some good ways to approach this question:
Describe your greatest strength
“I’m very organized, flexible and I thrive under pressure.”
Great strengths include being able to work well independently as well as within a team or having traits like punctuality and patience. For this example, we chose “organized,” but feel free to change it depending upon your strengths.
Describe a time you used your greatest strength at work
“I always make sure to set my deadlines early enough so that there is plenty of time for me to complete a task.”
In this answer, not only do you describe the skill, but also give an example of how it benefits everyone around you. If you can include a story about how this made a co-worker happy or saved the company some money, that would be even better.
What are your interests?
“My favorite pastime is going to concerts.”
You could also decide to share something about yourself in answering this question by mentioning your interests. Interests could include anything from cooking and reading to fishing and playing video games.
As we said, for this question, stick to things that don’t have anything to do with what the company does. They’re looking for you to tell them about your personality, not what your day job might be.
How To Describe Your Personality FAQs
How do you show your personality in an interview?
You can show your personality by staying authentic throughout the interview. Be genuine with your responses, and share some important moments of your career with the interviewer.
Allow the interviewer to understand how you felt in those key moments, what motivates you, what your goals are, why you are interested in the job, and your prior accomplishments mean to you. Answering these questions will help the interviewer understand your values, passions, goals, and personality as a whole.
How can I introduce my personality?
To describe your personality, you should not be afraid of clearly articulating your strengths. Think about the best moments of your career. Which traits helped you achieve that success? Then describe your personality to an interviewer, remember this moment.
Outline why it is important to you and which elements of personality it shows. It is especially powerful if you can cite how your personality traits positively impacted someone else.
Overall Conclusion Of How to Describe Your Personality
In conclusion, describing your personality at an interview, on a dating site, or even to a friend can be tricky. You have to consider the individual asking the question and what they might find interesting so you can tailor your answer accordingly.
You must remain humble while also not showing yourself in too negative a light by focusing on your flaws. People want someone who has some good qualities but isn’t afraid to admit their weaknesses as well.
