Never say “I’m a People Person” in an interview. It makes you sound like a rookie.

Never say “I am a really good ‘people person.’" in an interview.

As a person who prides himself on my domain knowledge within the People Ops realm, there’s one answer that makes me and people across all departments cringe. And it typically follows an interview question such as "Why should I hire you?”, “What makes you the best at what you do / what is your superpower?” or “What would you describe as your core skillset?" The answer that makes me cring? “I am a really good ‘people person.’" 

Oh brother.

Red flag.

Look out.

While I understand what this person may be trying to get at, it’s a really scary answer to hear b/c of one of three reasons: (1) The person really believes working well with people is a core differentiator, (2) The person is a people pleaser to the detriment of a business, or (3) The person is arrogant and should be avoided.

Most companies in 2021 expect every single person they hire to a business to be able to interact with people in a professional way. I know it’s an expectation of mine. Human beings should be GOOD human beings. If you don't get along well with people, it’s something for a company to be cautious of for potentially allowing one bad egg to spoil the bunch.

I understand the sentiment of what you’re trying to say, but I encourage you to dig deeper. Are you an empath? Are you strong in persuasion? Are you a critical thinker and able to challenge others with your point of view for good dialogue? Are you able to have tough conversations and offer direct feedback in challenging times? Think through what it means to you to be good with people and what your true differentiator is… why do you think that way?

The only person who should ever be able to say you are good or bad with people is… another person. Let them determine for themselves.