10 words you should never use to describe yourself in an interview

10 words you should never use to describe yourself in an interview10 words you should never use to describe yourself in an interviewJob interviews are the time to put your best humblebrag skills to use and show employers why youre the best person for the job. But when interviewers ask questions like Tell me about yourself, or How would your friends describe you? it gets a bit more difficult to brag about yourself without going over the top.Heres the dealWhile you definitely want to show employers all of the great things that make you perfect for the job, you dont want to risk slipping up and saying anything that makes you come off as, well, a self-righteous jerk. Theres a fine line between qualified and conceited, and you want to avoid the latter at all costs.With that in mind, here are 10 words you should never use to describe yourself in an interview, and what to say instead1. IndependentYou think youre telling interviewers that you dont need anyone to hold your hand through a proj ect, that you can get things done efficiently on your own, and that you dont need any micromanaging. But what theintervieweris hearing is that you dontwork well with othersand you might bedrngnis be the friendliest person to work with.Instead, tell the interviewer that you enjoy working autonomously, but you also enjoy being part of a team, and you can take direction well from others. You dont want employers to think that youre standoffish or elend a team player, so its best to avoid describing yourself as independent, a lone wolf, or something of the like.2. IntelligentDescribing yourself as intelligent in a job interview basically tells employers that you think youre smarter and better than anyone else. This is one of those personality traits youd hope for someone else to use to describe you, but saying that you think youre intelligent is a quick and easy way to come off as a pretentious jerk.Instead, describe to interviewers how you think and approach problems. Use terms like fas t learner, logical, perceptive, or analytical. Interviewers will be interested to know about your thought process and how you solve problems, but trust us, they dont really care about how smart youthinkyou are.3. ObsessiveYou think that using this word to describe yourself will tell employers that youre passionate and you have a keen eye for detail, but honestly, it just makes you come off as a little crazy. Avoid using any words that could possibly have a negative connotation so you dont end up having to explain yourself and recover from abad impression.Opt for more descriptive words to describe your passion for your work. Use words like detail oriented, focused, and excellent timemanagement. These words effectively show your dedication to your job in a much more positive light than saying that youre obsessive, or as the interviewer would hear, psycho.4. LikeableThis is another one of those descriptors that makes you sound a little self-obsessed. Plus, its going to be kind of hard to find examples to backup how likeable you are without sounding like a complete narcissist.To show that youre personable and generally well-liked without sounding hopelessly pompous, use words that you can provide examples for, like team player, enthusiastic, or outgoing. Then, feel free to provide examples of times you hosted company parties, spoke up during meetings, and pitched ideas for projects. This is much more convincing than just claiming that people like you.5. GenerousThis is another one of those words that you should never use to describe yourself. Generosity is a title thats earned, and its one of the highest forms of praise someone else can give you. Claiming for yourself that youre generous will just make you look silly.If you actually do feel that youre a fairly generous person and want to show this to your interviewer, tell them that youre helpful, or willing to lend a hand. Give them examples of your community involvement or participation in any fundraisers or cha rities. If you cant provide these examples, its probably not even worth trying to convince others that youre generous.6. HumbleEven though an interview is definitely where you want to put your best humblebrag skills to use, you should never actually brag about how humble you are. Its contradicting, its weird, and it just doesnt work.If this is an aspect of your personality that youre just dying to let your interviewer know about, show them that youre humble through your answers. Even interviews are the time totoot your own horn, you can show employers that youre humble by describing your experiences and stating facts - without bragging about yourself. Let the interviewer do the judging.7. Straight-forwardYou might think youre telling hiring managers that you tell it like it is, you dont beat around the bush, or that you just keep it real. But all the interviewer is hear is that youre abrasive, disrespectful, or just plain rude.Instead, describe yourself as being direct, sincere, or truthful. These descriptors effectively get the idea across without coming off like an inconsiderate jerk.8. Self-disciplinedThe struggle to stay self-disciplined is one that were all familiar with. Its difficult to stay so on-track constantly without needing a break every now and then. So difficult, in fact, that its almost unbelievable.If you really want to get this idea across, show the interviewer your discipline with examples of your projects and their outcomes. The best self discipline yields results, so use your experience to your advantage.9. AdaptableThis one is just redundant. Change is happening all the time, everywhere (except in the White House, am I right?), so its basically a necessity as a philanthropisch to be adaptable. Dont pat yourself on the back for being something that youre supposed to be.Instead, say that youre good at handling and leading change and adjusting to new conditions. You can also use words like flexible, innovative, or inventive, to showcase you r affinity for adjusting to new methods and ideas, or even creating new ideas of your own.10. SuccessfulJust dont even bring this one up. Saying that youre successful is another one of those terms that makes you come off as super self-obsessed. Employers will be able tojudgeyour success for themselves from reading your resume and listening to you describe your work experiences andprofessional strengths.If youre dead-set on convincing interviewers that youre successful, focus on describing why youre good at what you do and what skills you excel at. You should aim to show your success, not just deem yourself as a successful person.Now you know what words to avoid using when describing yourselfWhen it comes to interviews, everything you say matters. You dont want to risk saying something wrong and leaving a bad impression on your interviewer, especially when youre describing yourself.Use words that showcase and describe the aspects of your personality that you want to show off to inter viewers. And whatever you do, dont say anything that will make you come off as pretentious or self righteous.Now that you know what mistakes to avoid when describing yourself, check out these articles onhow to answer the tell me about yourself interview question, how to tell interviewershow your friends would describe you. Good luck at your next interview