--- title: Job Interview: How to Be Yourself description: Following the advice of "just be yourself" is a lot easier said than done. canonical: https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/ author: Carolyn Rodz article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-03T13:00:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:02:22.590Z og:title: How to Be More Genuine in Your Next Job Interview og:description: Because following advice to 'just be yourself' is easier said than done og:url: https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e32a1a43fcf03b/69889162e20a87b5a7a90a6d/be-authentic-job-interview-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4950 og:image:height: 2784 og:image:alt: Red Balls and Mirror og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Be More Genuine in Your Next Job Interview twitter:description: Because following advice to 'just be yourself' is easier said than done twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e32a1a43fcf03b/69889162e20a87b5a7a90a6d/be-authentic-job-interview-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Be More Genuine in Your Next Job Interview by [Carolyn Rodz](https://time.com/author/carolyn-rodz/) ## Carolyn Rodz May 3, 2016 1:00 PM UTC  Red Ball, White Balls, Blue Background, Mirror Red Ball, White Balls, Blue Background, MirrorGetty Images by [Carolyn Rodz](https://time.com/author/carolyn-rodz/) ## Carolyn Rodz May 3, 2016 1:00 PM UTC There are few things as nerve-wracking as sitting in the waiting room for the job interview of a lifetime. The more you want that job, the more stressful the interview process becomes. You’ve no doubt heard the advice to “just be yourself,” but how do you make sure “yourself” really comes through in the interview? Follow these four tips. **1\. Be extra friendly to strangers in the elevator**If one of these strangers ends up being the person interviewing you in 10 minutes, you’ll have already have given them a glimpse of your personality. And even if they don’t, making chitchat will help you work out any social jitters you may have, setting the stage for your most confident you. **2\. Use anecdotes to illustrate your strengths**Just listing out your beneficial qualities can feel superficial. Backing them up with evidence in the form of anecdotes provides real insight into who you are and is far more effective at communicating what you’re good at. I also recommend people try to work in a story about a time they’ve worked well with coworkers or really been a team player. It’s highly likely that you’ll be working alongside the interviewer should you get the job, so this helps let them see you as a pleasant and reliable person. **3\. Avoid asking canned questions**Remember that you’re talking to a real person here, so ask about their own experiences at the company with questions like, “What do you wish you had known when you first joined this company?” or “What made you want to work here?” Help them remember what it was like to be in your shoes so they empathize with you and your situation. **_Read more:_** [_4 Things You Should Do Before Networking_](http://motto.time.com/4299166/networking-meeting-tips/) **4\. Follow up with a link to an article you think the interviewer will find interesting**Include a note saying that you came across the story and thought they would enjoy the read. It shows that you care about them as a person and that you really learned something about them during your chat. _Carolyn Rodz is founder and CEO of_ [_Circular Board_](https://www.thecircularboard.com/)_, a virtual accelerator serving women entrepreneurs from around the world._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/"},"headline":"How to Be More Genuine in Your Next Job Interview","datePublished":"2016-05-03T13:00:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:22.590Z","description":"Because following advice to 'just be yourself' is easier said than done","url":"https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/","keywords":["motto","Interview","career advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e32a1a43fcf03b/69889162e20a87b5a7a90a6d/be-authentic-job-interview-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Carolyn Rodz","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/carolyn-rodz/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e32a1a43fcf03b/69889162e20a87b5a7a90a6d/be-authentic-job-interview-advice.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Red Balls and Mirror","caption":"Red Balls and Mirror","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4314006/job-interview-be-yourself/","name":"How to Be More Genuine in Your Next Job Interview"}}]}] ```