How To Answer The Job Interview Question "Describe Yourself In One Word"

Popular How To Answer The Job Interview Question "Describe Yourself In One Word" Peggy McKee Jenna Arcand March 18, 2022

It's the ultimate elevator pitch request: "Describe yourself in one word." If you're asked this in a job interview, how can you boil down everything you can bring to this role in one single word?

Strategy Is Everything

The key (as with all job interview answers) is to be strategic. If you're asked to describe yourself in one word, it isn't enough to choose a word that only describes your personality, no matter how accurate it is.

You could be any number of wonderful things: happy, resilient, warm, smart, a great friend, generous, kind, and so on. But these answers won't do anything to help convince them to hire you.

What you want to do is think about the job and what qualities would be especially good for someone to be successful in that role, and then choose one of those that apply to you.

What are some good words to choose? Personally, my answer would be "dynamic." For me, this is a good word because I change, adapt, and do whatever I need to do in order to succeed. This quality has served me well in sales, management, recruiting, career coaching, and running Career Confidential. However, it's also a good word that could help someone be successful in other roles.

What would make you stand out in the role you're discussing?

Here are some other great options...

Words That'll Make You Stand Out

• Successful (if you're successful in other places, chances are you'll be successful here, too)
• Motivated (great for roles where you'll be working more independently)
• Strategic (great for planning roles or leadership roles)
• Enthusiastic (maybe a good word for roles needing a change agent)
• Organized (good for managers or those working with a lot of moving parts)
• Focused
• Productive
• Steady
• Creative
• Active
• Helpful
• Responsible
• Dedicated
• Honest
• Versatile
• Valuable
• Flexible
• Tenacious
• Analytical

These are all great words you can use to describe yourself during a job interview.

Whatever answer you choose, be prepared to follow up with an explanation or example of how you embodied that trait in your work life in the past. Structure your answer with the STAR technique (tell the situation or task you faced, the action you took that is an example of your trait, and the result you got from it).

Every interview answer you give needs to do its part to help convince the hiring manager to go ahead and offer you the job. Be prepared with a great answer for dozens of tough questions when you check out How to Answer Interview Questions and How to Answer Interview Questions II, both available on Amazon.

Before your next interview, think about the position you're applying for and choose the best word that describes YOU in relation to that position. What word will convey how and why you'd be a great fit? (Hint: the best word that describes you will probably change depending on the position you're applying for.)

And remember—a little preparation goes a long way!

Need Help Acing Your Next Job Interview?

We hope these tips help you answer "describe yourself in one word" in your next interview.

If you need more help preparing for a job interview, landing a job, or changing careers, we're here for you. We'd love it if you joined our FREE community. It’s a private, online platform where workers, just like you, are coming together to learn and grow into powerful Workplace Renegades.

It's time to find work that makes you feel happy, satisfied, and fulfilled. Join our FREE community today to finally become an empowered business-of-one!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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So, you're over 50. You had your resume and LinkedIn profile professionally done. You're applying to tons of jobs and recruiters are saying you're perfectly qualified. And then they're lowballing you by 20%. What are you doing wrong? How do you get back to making the same amount of money you were making at your last job?

This is one of the biggest resume mistakes people over 50 make, and what older professionals should do instead...

Not Branding Yourself As A Specialist @j.t.odonnell Over 50? This resume mistake will cost you! #resume #resumetips #over50 #careeradvice #careertiktok #jobsearch ♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

The resume mistake most people over 50 make is hiring a professional resume writer who makes you look like a jack- or jill-of-all-trades (or doing this when writing your resume yourself). The problem with this is that it makes you look overqualified and old school, which could make you more susceptible to age discrimination and hurt your chances of landing a well-paying job.

The solution? Specialize.

In order to appear relevant and valuable to employers, you need to brand yourself as a specialist. Sure, you've probably acquired countless skills over your decades as a professional. But employers are hiring you to solve a specific problem or alleviate a certain pain, so you need to highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the position you're applying for.

The best, most effective way to brand yourself as a specialist in your job search is to create a simplified, targeted resume and LinkedIn profile that showcase your specialty. You also need to build your personal brand to show recruiters and your professional network you're a valuable business-of-one who's worth the money. You're an expert at something. So, pick a skill set to highlight and apply for the jobs that will allow you to leverage that skill set.

Want To Learn How To Brand Yourself As A Specialist?

The truth is, school never taught us how to do this. I know how difficult it is to find a job and make the right career decisions. If you're feeling trapped or lost in your career right now, I'm here for you. I'd love it if you joined my FREE community where professionals like you are learning how to become empowered in their careers so they can finally find career happiness and satisfaction.

Sign up for my FREE community and become a Workplace Renegade today! My team and I are looking forward to working with you soon.

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