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[NF] I just got told that I seemed "overconfident" in a job interview...

SilkRoad

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...and that was one reason why I didn't get the job...well, they also thought I seemed a bit overqualified, which makes me suspect the salary would have been crap. I thought from the job description/interview that I seemed pretty much exactly qualified, not over-qualified.

But I just could not believe the overconfident thing. Maybe I am a bit overconfident about this :D but I am not sure I have EVER been told that in any aspect of my life... I mean, what should you do? Say "Well, um, I'm not sure my experience is that great, but I think I could probably do this anyway?" I always worry about not seeming confident enough - maybe I over compensated or turned into an ESTP for the duration of the interview :D

I can't help wondering if this is a bit of an English thing (I'm Canadian but live over here.) The English love their self deprecation. I have a hard time imagining a North American interviewer telling me I seemed over confident.

I am so discouraged by the job search... :(
 

entropie

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Well what you write her, sounds a bit over-confident :D.

No really, being told you are over-confident prolly only goes back to the interviwer not liking you. Dont think it has to do with the state you're in or your skills you apply with. Sometimes they just need a pawn to do their bidding in a job and then they cant work with people who seem to be able to think on their own.

Dont be sad about it, only shows you're still the boss :)
 

Oaky

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I think it is part of american culture to be overconfident. Or maybe I'm stereotyping. The english have some self-pride so you might have to be a bit submissive to them for them to accept you. Actually, it would be like that in most countries.

EDIT: I'm saying it could be possible you were being stereotyped.
 

bighairything

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I feel for you SilkRoad. I'm English, and frankly I think telling a candidate that they're "overconfident" is a bloody awful thing to say. It sounds like they're total idiots and you're better off without the job. Seriously. You may feeling happier right now if you had got it, but it's probably a shitty place to work and a month from now you'd be feeling miserable.

So in answer to what should you do: forget about it, don't think about it. It's totally their loss.

Idiots!
 

Laurie

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I agree with ent. Also, like bht said, the job would probably suck eventually.

I think you shouldn't let this affect how your interview.
 

Shimmy

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...and that was one reason why I didn't get the job...well, they also thought I seemed a bit overqualified, which makes me suspect the salary would have been crap. I thought from the job description/interview that I seemed pretty much exactly qualified, not over-qualified.

But I just could not believe the overconfident thing. Maybe I am a bit overconfident about this :D but I am not sure I have EVER been told that in any aspect of my life... I mean, what should you do? Say "Well, um, I'm not sure my experience is that great, but I think I could probably do this anyway?" I always worry about not seeming confident enough - maybe I over compensated or turned into an ESTP for the duration of the interview :D

I can't help wondering if this is a bit of an English thing (I'm Canadian but live over here.) The English love their self deprecation. I have a hard time imagining a North American interviewer telling me I seemed over confident.

I am so discouraged by the job search... :(

What kind of a job was it? I'm curious to know in what line of work confidence might be a bad thing!
 

SilkRoad

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Awww you guys are nice. Thanks. :hug: I'm getting my [over] confidence back. :D

Ragingkatsuki, I think you could have a point about the stereotyping. Of course, I am Canadian, not American :D but if they were serious about the over-confidence, I suppose Canadians and Americans could come across in much the same way! Plus I'm a tall woman with a deep voice, hehe.

What kind of a job was it? I'm curious to know in what line of work confidence might be a bad thing!

It's in publishing - it was with a major publishing house and it's working with the publishing schedules and that sort of thing. I just finished a maternity cover contract at another major publisher where I was doing a lot of similar stuff. Who knows, the job might have sucked eventually but the company I interviewed with certainly publish a lot of great books...

I should be allowed a bit of confidence! The job I just finished was a steep learning curve for me and though I had some good skills for it when I was offered it, there were A LOT of things I hadn't done before, some of which was terrifying (like chairing meetings - terrifying for me.) And I think I did a pretty good job.

Publishing is a bit of a weird industry. I think you're supposed to view it as a giant privilege if you get a publishing job, so maybe they expect you to be a bit deferential. It is a difficult industry to break into and it is one of those where they really expect you to do unpaid work experience before you get a job. In other words, a lot of people who work in publishing have parents supporting them at least up to a point, or rich husbands. It's quite elitist. Maybe I am being a little bitter or stereotyping myself, but it is also very English-dominated in England and I occasionally wonder if that puts me at a slight disadvantage (though I have an EU passport, I'm not on a visa). I did temp work to get in, so at least I escaped work experience but it might be partly because I'm a bit older than the average person breaking into publishing and I already had office experience, etc plus a mania for books.

I do really want to keep working in publishing cause it was a lot of work to get in and I love it...it's just so hard to get a permanent job right now :( (or even another maternity cover!)
 

bighairything

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Job hunting is almost always frustrating and stressful. Especially during a recession. I'm in the same boat myself. Rejections are just something you have to live with.

But if people are rejecting you because you are "over-qualified", I think you needn't worry about remaining in the publishing industry. I'm sure you'll get something before long.
 

SilkRoad

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Job hunting is almost always frustrating and stressful. Especially during a recession. I'm in the same boat myself. Rejections are just something you have to live with.

But if people are rejecting you because you are "over-qualified", I think you needn't worry about remaining in the publishing industry. I'm sure you'll get something before long.

:hug: yeah, I have to tell myself that it's not too personal, a lot of people are the same boat. It's a long time since I've been unemployed (though I have a tiny bit of temp work right now) so it all feels a bit scary. Hope it works out for you too, soon! :yes:
 

Eruca

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Are you sure they didnt just find you arrogant?

"Overconfident" might be a nice way to put it.
 

INA

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It's very much an American thing to really sell yourself. If your resume was US-style, they probably concluded you were over-confident before you walked through the door -- You were doomed. Have a local review it first next time, if that was the case.
It's not just the self-deprecating Brits who dislike self-puffery - I learned this when I had to modify my resume for an internship some years ago in another Euro locale. I can't say I blame them. Lots of US-acceptable horn-tooting is downright embarrassing. Not to mention a distraction tactic.
 

Fidelia

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I found when I lived in the States that there are definitely more cultural differences between Canadians and Americans than I had thought before. I have never been around enough English people to know what they are like in relation to us. I don't think though that if you are a fairly typical Canadian (and I realize there is a wide range within that), you would be likely to seem too brash, unless English culture is a shade more reserved than we are in the same way that we are a shade more reserved than Americans.
 

SilkRoad

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Are you sure they didnt just find you arrogant?

"Overconfident" might be a nice way to put it.

Oh, very likely they did. I just don't understand why. I am pretty sure that the most, um, confident things I said were along the lines of "I think I get along really well with my colleagues," "I'm used to dealing with a wide variety of problems," "I think I'm very effective in my use of x, y and z." Arrogant, really? ???????

I have had people assume that I'm intimidating/highly self-confident because of my height, for sure. I can't help wondering.
 

SilkRoad

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It's very much an American thing to really sell yourself. If your resume was US-style, they probably concluded you were over-confident before you walked through the door -- You were doomed. Have a local review it first next time, if that was the case..

No...well, I doubt it...I don't even have a "personal statement" on it at the moment. Just stuff about what I've done in my jobs!

I tend to think they just didn't like me for some reason or they tell everyone who is over qualified that they seem too confident. I have many faults, but I really think being over confident is not something I should be accused of. Confident, yes, because I knew I was qualified for the job and could do it. But I certainly never said "so, you can tell I can do a great job, right? When are you offering it to me?"

Traditionally, my friends and family (of whatever nationality) think I don't sell myself enough!!! Which was why this felt like such a weird (and unhelpful) piece of feedback.
 

runvardh

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Come on back home then, they're all crazy over there anyway. :D
 

bighairything

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I don't think it's either helpful or correct to put this down to cultural differences and English reserve. Those are all just stereotypes. I'm English and frankly it's just not something I can relate to at all from my actual experience. I think the interviewer was just inappropriate, and a wanker. Sometimes it's that simple.
 

runvardh

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I don't think it's either helpful or correct to put this down to cultural differences and English reserve. Those are all just stereotypes. I'm English and frankly it's just not something I can relate to at all from my actual experience. I think the interviewer was just inappropriate, and a wanker. Sometimes it's that simple.

Sorry about the stick up your backside; I thought you guys had a sense of humour over there... :(
 

bighairything

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Sorry about the stick up your backside; I thought you guys had a sense of humour over there... :(

My comment wasn't in response to yours. It was more of a general observation, but if it was directly prompted by any one post it was Ina's.
 
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