{"id":13762,"date":"2025-09-07T10:44:42","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T10:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=13762"},"modified":"2026-04-20T14:08:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:08:11","slug":"how-not-to-show-your-personality-in-a-job-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/how-not-to-show-your-personality-in-a-job-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"How not to show your personality in a job interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

During a job interview training<\/a> a few years ago, I asked a client to \u00abtell me about yourself.\u00bb He launched into a detailed account of his upcoming wedding, his passion for windsurfing, and his demanding mountain tours in summer. Only then did he briefly mention his professional background. When I asked why, he explained that it was important for him to come across as a person in the interview.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
\nZurich, November 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with that, does there? I regularly encourage my clients to show themselves and to have the courage to be visible as a person. The crucial point, however, is to bring in one\u2019s personality in an appropriate way.<\/p>\n

The drawback of his chosen approach was obvious to me: I could not help but wonder how important his work really was to him and how much time he would have left for it alongside all his private commitments. What is more, the information was too personal \u2013 especially regarding his relationship. After all, one would hardly start a conversation with strangers \u2013 except perhaps in online dating \u2013 by announcing one\u2019s relationship status.<\/p>\n

Show your personality\u2026<\/h5>\n

This example illustrates that many people define their distinctiveness primarily through hobbies and lifestyle. This is arguably a consequence of social media self-presentation, where people stage themselves within their worlds of leisure. Yet true uniqueness often remains invisible there.<\/p>\n

That strikes me as superficial. As I described in my article \u00abDiversity? Yes \u2013 but for real!\u00bb, reflection on difference often stops at visible or easily distinguishable traits such as gender, background, or sexual orientation \u2013 or at lifestyle attributes. Real individuality goes deeper: it is revealed in how people think and act.<\/p>\n

\u2026in the right context<\/h5>\n

Later in the conversation, I asked my client about specific professional experiences and challenges he had mastered. As so often, the answers were very general \u2013 almost like those of a job-application avatar: in the \u00abwe\u00bb form, sometimes even in the impersonal \u00abone\u00bb form. As if there were no differences at all in how people tackle their tasks. That was precisely where I would have liked to see his personality \u2013 in the professional context, where it truly matters to future colleagues.<\/p>\n

So, show yourself in the interview<\/a> as your personality expresses itself at work. Recruiters<\/a> are not looking to marry you \u2013 at least in almost all cases \u2013 but to determine whether you are a good fit for the role.<\/p>\n

#strengths<\/a> #selfconfidence<\/a> #jobinterview<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During a job interview training a few years ago, I asked a client to \u00abtell me about yourself.\u00bb He launched into a detailed account of his upcoming wedding, his passion for windsurfing, and his demanding mountain tours in summer. Only then did he briefly mention his professional background. When I asked why, he explained that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nHow not to show your personality in a job interview - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don't show your personality in a job interview by talking about your hobbies, but rather by how you approach professional challenges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/how-not-to-show-your-personality-in-a-job-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How not to show your personality in a job interview - 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