Are You Cocky or Confident?

Are You Cocky or Confident?-Resume Rescue-Kylie Dowell

Job seekers out there know, just as well as the hiring managers, that confidence can make or break a person’s ability to get a good job. Confidence allows people to believe in you, and also makes you appear like a qualified, intelligent, and capable individual. Here at Resume Rescue, we understand that there is a very fine line between cocky and confident, and you need to make sure that you don’t cross that line when you go to a job interview. Otherwise, your ego may end up getting a pretty harsh reality check. Here are the differences between being cocky and confident.

Having Confidence is…

  • Showing that you are happy to be at the job interview.
  • Smiling at your interviewer and looking them in the eye.
  • Engaging with your interviewer.
  • Believing that you are able to handle the tasks that the job requires.
  • Talking about your qualifications with interviewers.
  • Being polite with everyone in the office.
  • Asking questions about the company’s benefits plan.
  • Showing off your knowledge about the company.
  • Being perfectly fine with introducing yourself to other applicants, office workers, etc.
  • Having a positive attitude about the entire experience.
  • Realising that even if you don’t get the job, it’s still okay.
  • Knowing that you are an asset to any company.
  • Trying to relate to people in the office who you meet.
  • Showing up with the right attire, a crisp resume in hand, and a business card ready to present to the interviewer.
  • Being able to laugh if you make a small mistake during an interview.

A Cocky Attitude is…

  • Believing that the interview or the position really isn’t worth your time.
  • Demanding that the people bow to your demands, even if it is against company policy to do so.
  • Putting down other job applicants, either in front of the selection panel or in front of other job applicants.
  • Actually, putting down other people in general is just not cool.
  • Being rude to the secretary, the manager, or anyone in the office.
  • Expecting to get the job, and raising hell if you don’t.
  • Arriving to an interview poorly dressed and still expecting to get the job.
  • Boasting about how much your relatives.
  • Treating others with disrespect, or with a low regard for their personal needs.
  • Shoving qualifications that have nothing to do with the job in peoples’ faces.
  • Bragging.
  • Refusing to look people in the eye, not because of shyness, but because you just don’t think it’s worth looking at them.
  • Flatly telling people in the office that you have worked in better places, or that you studied in a better school.
  • Taking the reins in a job interview, and telling your hiring manager that you’re “cutting to the chase” for them.
  • Saying any sentence that starts with the phrase, “The only reason I’m even applying…”
  • Mentioning that the company’s wages are “a little bit below your standard but, you know, it’s okay.”

Remember, being boastful and being confident are two completely different things. One will end up making you appear like a rude, conceited, and arrogant individual who simply will not contribute to the team effort expected in any workplace. Another will show that you are capable of doing the job, and that you also are alright with getting along with others.

Which attitude do you want to be demonstrating and known for? If you think that maybe your over confidence is being driven by nerves then read our article on How to Calm Your Nerves for a Job Interview to help you control them.

If you are struggling with confidence altogether and think you are lacking confidence, read our article on building confidence here.