10 Phrases for Instant Credibility in a Job Interview

Have you ever heard someone speak who immediately oozes credibility, presence, and authority, and you’re not even sure why or how they do it? Well, chances are they use certain key phrases that make you see them differently—phrases that you, too, can use in a job interview.

Below are some of these phrases that you can use to preface some of your interview answers and stories to help build credibility with hiring managers. As you read each of the following phrases, consider the following things: Can you use an example to further illustrate the phrase? Do you have a story to tell about the phrase? In what context are you using the phrase, and does the context work?

Here are the phrases:

1. In the past, it's been noticed that I often get teams communicating with each other.

2. On my last performance review, my manager mentioned that I had a knack for ________.

3. My previous manager would often tell me that ________.

4. I was previously recognized for always being on time (or ahead of schedule) with deadlines.

5. My team commented that I had a talent for ________, and they’d always give me the tasks related to this.

6. My colleagues have commented on my ability to keep things moving forward.

7. I've been recognized in the past for taking initiative on things that needed to be addressed.

8. I’ve been commended for being the person in the room who speaks up.

9. I’m the type of person who's very comfortable around people.

10. I’m incredibly passionate about ________ because I find ________ fascinating.

If you're able to slip in some of these phrases when answering questions about yourself, you can often boost someone’s opinion of you, and they won’t be consciously aware of why or how you’ve done it.

Keep in mind that while you’re not providing physical evidence of your abilities with any of these statements, you're elevating the person’s perception of you because someone else noticed, observed, or realized something about you enough to mention it.

Natalie Fisher is an enthusiastic HR Generalist who loves her job. She recently put together some example interview stories in a resource that will help boost your credibility and effectively communicate your value in your interviews. It’s called The Ultimate Guide to Situational Based Interviewing and includes fill-in-the-blank templates for you to fill in your own stories, as well as 25 questions you can ask yourself to help you find the stories you want to tell in your next interview. You can get a copy of that here.