Define Humility:
In this day and age, humility is usually defined as lacking any kind of pretense and pride. Humility is not thinking less of yourself but concentrating more on what you are lacking.
One of the main signals of being humble is not to think too high of oneself.
So now let us have a look at what does humble mean,
Define Humble:
Being humble does not mean that the candidate is not confident enough to take pride of their works, instead being humble paves way to another type of confidence called as quiet confidence.
Quiet confidence defines the quality of the candidate and enhances the compatibility that the candidate has for the job position.
It simply means that the candidate has high skills and high competency for the job but no form of arrogance and snobbish behaviors is expected from the candidate.
Arrogance is one of the main reasons why many employees tend to have disagreements with their higher ups and fellow colleagues.
Once the feeling of arrogance sets in, then it becomes very difficult for both the candidate and the company to curb the habit. Many recruiters tend to not hire arrogant candidates as this would lead to loss of workforce and capital within a company.
Moreover, many companies prefer to hire people who have attractive personalities rather than hiring a bad employee and spending lots of time and capital in changing them
One of the most common features that recruiters try to find within their ideal employees is a satisfactory combination of humility, education, character and pleasing personality.
This is why most of the candidate selection process is so difficult in this day and age of fierce and competitive industry.
Moreover, the selection factors for finding the right employee for the job position changes every time with the change in industry and technological advancements.
Strategies for recruiting the most ideal employee changes more often than usual. The main reason is due to the large abundance of talent and competition.
To ensure they are recruiting the right kind of talent and skill, companies often analyze their hiring strategies and they often check the recruiting process to ensure they have the right candidate for the job.
It also depends on the fact that how the recruiter sees the prospective candidates and what all factors they give priority to while searching for the right candidate.
Some recruiters are dead set about the education and work experience of candidates, while some are more interested on the emotional quotient and the emotional capability of the candidates for selecting the right candidate.
Why Humility is Considered as an Important Factor?
One of the main aspects of hiring employees based on humility and modesty is to check their level of emotional quotient and also see how their personalities and characters mold well with the company and the working environment of the organization.
Having good communication skills, being approachable to fellow colleagues, having sympathy and having a bright sense of humor are also some of the factors that many interviewers tend to measures from the candidates using questions to assess humility.
This is why most of the famous and name worthy companies such as Apple, Google, Tesla, etc try to hire employees based on their humility and bright personality.
Even surveys and studies have shown that one of the most valued and prized personality trait that should be found within a perfect employee is humility. This makes it one of the best personal traits that a potential job seeker should have.
The main reason why many companies are after more humble and polite employees is due to the amount of easiness they have in working in groups and they also give out a positive aura within themselves and to others, thus brightening up the whole team.
They are also a driving force in providing a good working for fellow colleagues and supervisors.
It also provides the managers and supervisors a good chance to get to know humble employees more when compared with their rude counterparts.
Having a good amount of humility also gives rise to trust and responsible humble leadership qualities within a candidate.
Now if you think why humility is important, then the answer is Humility is a great trait for instilling positivism and honesty within an employee, thus making them most suitable to work intensive operations in a company.
Humility also opens the door for curiosity and respect to the job within an employee.
Humble people are proven to be more inclined to personal development and growth and they also always try to improve themselves in all aspects thus making them the best choice for any job opening.
One of the best ways to assess humility within a candidate is to ask them behavioral and situation based concepts.
It is to understand their thought process and also to understand how they will be able to calm down the problem given to them with utmost maturity and clear thinking about the dilemma while having good control of the situation.
Questions to Test the Humility Level of a Candidate:
Here are some of the most commonly asked behavioural questions that can be used to test the humility level with a candidate and assess them whether or not they are the best choice for the job position.
These include questions such as:
1. Who is your biggest inspiration and for what reason?
This is one of the basic questions that many recruiters ask to candidates as a method to get to know them better and also to assess their personality more carefully and in detail.
Asking a candidate about his or her biggest inspiration will give the recruiter an idea about who they consider as a model.
The job seeker’s answer can also give the recruiter the much-needed insight about their personality scale, behavioural traits and also enable them to know whether they are suitable for the job.
It also gives them an insight for the recruiters if they are a valuable employee to the company in the long run.
2. Suppose you are going to start a company, what all would be the three foundational values that you will base your company on?
Through this question, the recruiter can get a basic insight on what all values the candidate will give priority to and it also enables them to understand whether or not these values resonate with the company that they have applied to.
It also shows what all qualities that the candidate wants to see in an ideal company. So, it is always a good option to include humility, honesty, and dedication into the list of values that a candidate wants in a company of their own.
These values are considered by all the employees who want to work in a good company.
It will also provide a good first impression to the recruiter about the behaviour and personality of the candidate.
3. If there is a change in your business priorities, explain how you and your company will try to understand the change and execute a successful action plan?
This question shows many aspects of a company, it is a normal process that there will be changes in the targets and priorities within a company and the ability to tackle and adjust with the said change is what makes an employee successful and valued within a company.
By asking such a question, a recruiter can get to know about the flexibility and the versatility that the candidate has and also the level of adaptability that the candidate possesses in order to lead a team to success.
Humility within the candidate through this question can be understood by knowing the dedication and motivation that the candidate has in order to make the company a success.
4. Do you prefer to build friendly and long-lasting relationships while working?
This question shows how much importance the candidate gives for emotional and personality development while working for a company.
People who have genuine interests in creating good and long-lasting professional relations with fellow coworkers and employees is a signal of an ideal employee, and it also shows the level of humility that the employee has within them.
5. Have you ever felt like you are missing a skill?
This is a trick question that many recruiters like to ask the candidates so as to know about the level of intellectual humility that the candidate has.
The best method of answering such a question is to accept the fact and explain to the recruiter in what all ways you are following to improve your skill sets. Those who struggle while answering such questions are considered to be proud and less humble of their skills and talents.
Many recruiters tends to stay away from candidates who are overconfident and snobbish about their skills and talent. These kinds of people do not show any signs of desire and curiosity to learn, thus stagnating their talents and skills.
6. Could you teach me a skill that I have not heard of before?
This question shows how humble the candidate is while teaching the recruiter new things.
The best way to answer this question is to carefully think and frame the answer in such a way that it is understandable to the recruiter and also explain it in a less detailed manner such that it can be easily grasped by the recruiter who is not knowledgeable with the subject matter.
Also, try to ask empathetic questions like “is it making sense” to show the recruiter that you are always ready to help others and are very humble person while helping.
7. What are the three top factors that helped you to attribute success in life?
Always try to answer such questions in a collective and selfless manner.
Try not to always use the term “I” or “me” all the time, as that would give a bad impression to the interviewer that a candidate is a person who tries to accept success as their own and do not try to credit others who have helped to achieve the said success.
It also gives off a bad vibe that the candidate always prefers working alone and seems uninterested in working within groups and teams. This is not a good sign for an ideal employee.
Always try to be sociable, friendly and approachable to others while working in a team and also while working together to achieve the same goal.
8. Was there any kind of situations that you had to admit, that you had made a mistake to others and how did you handle such a situation?
One of the ultimate questions to test one’s level of humility and confidence. If there was any similar situation that has occurred to you, then the best option is to frame it as an answer to the asked question.
Try to answer in such a manner that the recruiter can understand what kind of mistake was made by you and what was the reason for it, a humble person always does so.
Also, try to include the consequence and how you tried to take control of the situation and what all methods you used to solve the problem. This shows the recruiter how much thought and planning the candidate has took to curb the disaster and what all measures the candidate took to apologize to the other team members and fellow colleagues.
To be able to apologize within a team for a mistake requires lots of courage and responsibility and through this question; you can get a chance to prove that you are responsible and mature enough to handle any kind of situation thrown at you.
To be humble,
- Firstly, try not to think too much about yourself and try not to be too overconfident.
- Secondly, make sure that you do not get offended by the slightest of remarks and comments by the interviewer.
- Thirdly, treat others in a way that you would like them to treat you.
Questions to Assess Humility in an Interview:
“The future belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious.” — Ted Levitt
There are few things which act as an important factor for getting employed, other than being subjective technically. Attitude is one such factor that most employers look for in a candidate. The main aim of it is to understand the personality and behaviour of the candidate or to check whether he can abide by the existing work culture.
Humility is also an attitude in an employee, which works well before the recruiter in an interview process to get recruited in an organization. Also, these are some traits that would make you unique among other applicants.
Some of the other attitudes are,
- Honesty
- Perseverance
- Initiative
- Determination
Some of the common questions asked in an interview when assessing humility are,
- Share an experience at work that helps you grow and improve?
- What Would Be Your Ideal Working Environment?
- How would you manage situations when you are asked to do something out of the box?
- Are you a person who admits their mistakes? Tell us one such experience
- Tell me about a time when you experienced a bigger hindrance at work and you handled it?
- Have you ever faced a situation where you decided to almost give up and did not?
How to Show Humility in an Interview?
Being confident is one of the best quality but most people overestimate themselves and become overconfident which can hinder their career growth in a great way. So it is very important that you get a clear idea on difference between confidence and overconfidence.
No matter how intelligent you are or how efficient you are, being humble can help you achieve growth and prosperity in life. Showing humility towards others is a noble thing which everyone must practice. Also, this behaviour can also help you get employed in an interview, provided you are good at work too.
Tips to Show Humility in an Interview Process:
You should always mind your body language in an interview, as it is the first thing that any interviewer would notice. Moreover, it can speak a lot about you than you literally can.
- Do not use the term ‘I‘ in an interview too much
- Do not boast only about yourself, but share about your teamwork too
- Make your resume effective
- Be honest when talking about your strengths or weakness
- Maintain a good body language
- Think before you answer or speak.
Final Words:
If you treat nicely, then others will also be nice to you. Make sure to have a nice and pleasing attitude before you attend the interview. Also, keep in mind that during the interview there will be lots of chances for the candidate to express and exhibit their character traits in front of the recruiter.
