I know a lot of people who are super humble about their skills. It’s a good quality to have, to an extent. No one likes to be friends with a braggity braggy pants.
But no one wants to hire a loser.
When it comes to your career, being humble isn’t going to cut it. You don’t have to be an arrogant prick, but if you don’t think you’re hot stuff, why should an employer think you are? I’m not advocating acting like a complete ass; I feel like I need to make that clear, so I’ll say it again: I’m not advocating acting like a complete ass. We don’t need to hear how awesome you are every two minutes, even if you are in full job hunting mode. But when you’re asked about your skills, be confident and strut your stuff, baby.
If you don’t believe in yourself and aren’t confident in your skills, ask yourself why. Do you feel like you aren’t educated enough to compete. Are you lacking experience? Could you use more social proof? These are all things that can be changed. So change them! Rather than continuing to lack the confidence that every employee should have, take some time to better yourself so you feel more secure standing up and saying, “Yes! I am the best person for this job.”
The moral of the story is this: Rock on wit’ yer bad self! Don’t be so humble that others don’t even realize how awesome you are.
Like what you read here? Stay connected with the After Graduation community and receive a free copy of Career Oomph!, a weekly newsletter to help you stay motivated to find that perfect job:
I did a character strength test and humility showed up as my main strength. It’s not. I trip over myself because I’m that humble and I can see how it gets in the way of work all the time.
It’s been hard to change for me, and has required the help of a psychologist. What works in other environments doesn’t necessarily work in the online one, where everything is so competitive.
Thank you for bringing up an important point
I think it’s better to be too humble and work toward being more assertive about your strengths than the other way around - being too cocky and having to tone it down.