Great post. Most hiring managers prefer the more confident candidate, and less competent people tend to have more (unwarranted) confidence in their abilities. Is it any wonder that so many hiring mistakes are made? Asking people to self-assess is a recipe for disaster in hiring.

The people who really push themselves to learn more (the “A” students) tend to assess themselves more harshly. While humility is deeply ingrained and hard to overcome, I recommend top performers get on the safe ground of objective facts as early in career conversations as possible. Arm yourself with examples, stick to the facts. For example: “So, do you think you can handle the responsibility of XYZ?” or “Are you good at ABC?” “Well, I was able to take my last project from point A to point B in record time and under budget…” Even poor interviewers, when confronted with your accomplishments, might sit up and pay attention.
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