Talking about yourself can feel daunting in high-stress situations like an interview. You want to toot your own horn a bit, but then again, not to sound too self-centered and narcissistic. And that’s when it’s easy to overthink things when you get asked something like “How would you describe yourself?”.

To help you better prepare, our team pulled together a list of 190 power words to describe yourself during an interview. Save ‘em as a note on your phone to use as a memo! 

Best Words to Describe Yourself in an Interview

The purpose of a job interview is to market your core competencies. So the words you choose to describe yourself should relate both to your hard and soft skills. Here are some great ideas to add to your vocabulary. 

Work Ethic	Personality	Leadership
Enterprising  Reliable Diligent Persistent Self-starter  Team player  Tenacious  Proactive Goal-oriented  Consistent  Solution-oriented Customer-centric  Resilient  Adaptable  Efficient  Problem solver  Achiever Ambitious  Systematic  Resourceful	Adaptable Autonomous  Resilient Self-aware  Emotionally mature  Empathetic Creative Humble Confident Enthusiastic Extravered  Introverted  Personable Honest  Humorous  Open-minded Dynamic  Sociable Calm  Patient	Visionary Supporting Accountable Cooperative  Empowering Strategic Analytical  Transformational Candid  Inclusive  Rational Motivational  Diplomatic Approachable  Respective Bold Decisive  Assertive Consensus-seeking  Charismatic

Pro Tip: Mention The Top In-Demand Skills 

When describing yourself to a recruiter, set yourself apart by mentioning the skills most companies actively search for. The Future of Jobs 2025 report from the World Economic Forum says the next core competencies are considered “essential” by employers:

Source: WEF 

Best Keywords to Describe Your Hard Skills 

Hard (technical skills) are more difficult to generalize since these vary a lot depending on your professional background. However, there are several hard skills almost all roles require. For example, 92% of jobs have requirements for digital skills alongside more traditional competencies, while data analytics has remained the most in-demand skill for business roles for several years in a row. 

Here are some strong words to describe your competency in the next six areas. 

Digital literacy	Management skills	Analytical skills
File management Data protection  Online research  Online data fact-checking Cloud platforms usage Digital workplace tools  Data backup  Password management  Cybersecurity awareness  Digital copyright and fair use knowledge  Data interpretation  Email management Social media management  Digital presentation design  Basic digital editing  Online etiquette Artificial intelligence awareness Internet of Things (IoT) understanding Data analytics tools usage Low-code knowledge	Strategic thinking Delegation  Coaching  Crisis communication Change management  Conflict resolution Negotiation Active listening Feedback management  Stakeholder engagement  Cross-cultural communication Remote team management  Async communication Risk management Facilitation  Process optimization Goal setting  Resource allocation Meeting management Performance evaluations	Data mining Data aggregation Data cleansing  Problem framing  Metadata management  Statistical analysis Predictive modeling Hypothesis validation Regression analysis Root cause analysis  Troubleshooting  Experimental design Use case validation  Quantitative research Qualitative research  Machine learning basics  Business intelligence tools  Cost-benefit analysis Financial forecasting  Competitive analysis

Pro tip: Don’t Go All Jargon-y 

Learn which interview buzzwords to adopt (and drop) during your next meeting.

Best Adjectives to Describe Yourself in an Interview 

The English language has over 4,800 adjectives (can you imagine!). We’ve picked out the best ones to use when talking about your personality and soft skills during an interview. 

Tip: For an even better effect, pair these with power verbs when describing what you do during the interview and detailing your duties on a resume. 

1. Emotionally intelligent
2. Good listener 
3. Caring
4. Considerate 
5. Genuine
6. Witty 
7. Easygoing
8. Gentle 
9. Attentive
10. Customer-oriented 
11. Insightful 
12. Straight-talking
13. Good presenter 
14. Public speaker 
15. Feedback-oriented 
16. Mediator 
17. Concise 
18. Collaborative 
19. Inventive
20. Warm 

Need more ideas? Check our list of interpersonal skills. 

Bonus: Other Characteristics to Describe Yourself

Most employers don’t just hire for a skill — they also look for a cultural fit.  For that reason, many employers pose personality-related and behavioral interview questions. When you answer them, don’t just focus on explaining your actions. Provide a glimpse of your disposition by mentioning the following characteristics: 

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. If the conversation goes into personality territory, you can always use the MBT framework to describe your character. While it’s not without its flaws, it can give hiring managers a better understanding of your demeanor. 

• Work environment preferences. Describe the type of environments where you usually thrive. Do you prefer autonomous or collaborative work more? What’s your feedback-giving and receiving style? What’s your work-life balance philosophy? Relate your answers to the job requirements and company culture. 

• Leadership style. If you’re applying for a senior role, talk more about your approach to team goal setting, performance management, and collaboration. Give specific examples to better contextualize your skills and preferred strategies. 

More Unique Words to Describe Yourself in an Interview

If you want to sound even more well-spoken during your next interview, here are some extra good words to describe yourself in an interview. 

How to Pick Three Words to Describe Yourself to an Interviewer 

Alright, you now have a huge list of good words to describe yourself in an interview. But the average interview length is about an hour. You can’t possibly (and shouldn’t) try to fire all those up at an interviewer. 

Typically, you’ll have several strategic opportunities to present yourself. When asked:

• Please tell me about yourself (as an interview opener)
• Is there anything else you’d like to tell us? (at the end of the interview)
• How can you describe your personality? (as part of the culture-fit interview)

In most cases, an interview expects to hear a short elevator pitch about specific skills and qualities you have,  rather than a long-winded story about your character development. 

To nail your answer, use this simple formula: 

• Mention your main technical skill
• Back it up with a soft skill
• Round up a personal attribute. 

This type of selection provides the other party with an understanding of both your abilities and personality. 

Now let’s put the above into practice. Here are several sample answers to the “Describe yourself in three words” interview question.

Sample answer for a recent graduate:  

“I’m a self-learner [personal attribute]. When I was 14, I learned Adobe Photoshop, typography, and branding basics [hard skills]. This prompted me to pursue a degree in UX design [hard skill]. Since I’m also very empathetic [soft skill], this career path looked like the best match for me”. 

Sample answer for a sales manager:

“If you ask my team, they’d say I am assertive, but candid when it comes to giving feedback [soft skills]. My accounts will tell that I’m very knowledgeable in the cloud computing market and cloud cost optimization [hard skills]. My friends, on the other hand, tell me that I’m very easy-going and reliable [personal qualities]. They can always count on me.”

Sample answer for a teacher: 

“I chose the education field because I’m very passionate about sociable [personal attributes]. I love breaking down complex concepts into digestible soundbites and use video storytelling in classes as an aid [hard skills]. Colleagues often frequent my office for tips and I love listening to them, providing feedback, and sharing my knowledge [soft skills].  

To Conclude 

The English language has many fancy words for describing human beings. Yet, when you prepare for a job interview, don’t head for a Thesaurus. Using eloquent synonyms or rarely-used words won’t make you appear as a better job candidate.

Instead, head to the employers’ website and do some research. Check the language they are using to describe what they do. Make some notes and try to mirror the tone of your conversation. Also, the LinkedIn Skills section is another goldmine of in-demand skills employers seek these days. Check it out for even more words to add to your personal list!

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