Self Deprecation

Interview Skills - Self Deprecation

There's a terrific cartoon from The New Yorker we saw a while back that shows a shy looking man sitting on one side of a desk with a more bullish man on the other.

The bullish man is saying

"You've just self-deprecated yourself right out of a job."

Weak and Ineffectual

Self-deprecation is all well and good in order not to appear big-headed, a show-off or arrogant.

However, being too self-deprecating can make you appear weak, ineffectual and even a bit colourless.

Annoying

Self-deprecation can also be extremely annoying.

People get fed up with hearing things like:

"Oh, I'm not really very good at this,"

"Oh no, it was no big deal to get it done, nothing special."

"This old thing? I've had it for years."

You get what we mean.

Batting Away Compliments

You'll know someone (or heavens! be that someone yourself) who bats away compliments as though they were playing for the Ashes.

That's when self-deprecation can be at its most infuriating.

Someone praises you or flatters you and instead of accepting the compliment you make yourself small by almost disapproving of yourself.

Isn't that a weird thing to do?!

Robust People

Especially if you are interviewing for a job, the last thing you want to do is come across as so humble as to be invisible.

Most companies are looking for people who are pretty robust.

Too much self-deprecation and you'll look like you could be squashed by anyone with a strong opinion.

Finding a Balance

It's important to find the balance between being overly self-deprecating and a show-off.

You need to hit that middle ground where you come across as thoughtful and considerate of others.

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