Words to Use to Describe Yourself in an Interview

Author:
Oyewole Folarin
Updated date:
Jan 3, 2022

Oyewole Folarin loves writing greeting-card messages and helping others find the words they need for life's special moments.

The best words and adjectives to use to describe yourself during a job interview.
Marten Bjork via Unsplash

Positive Words to Describe Yourself With in a Job Interview

Your fascinating cover letter and the phrases that you used to describe your skills and professional experience in your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) have impressed the recruiter of the organization to which you have applied for a job. Now that your potential employers have found what they are looking for in your CV and you have been scheduled for an interview, do you have a list of positive adjectives you would use to describe yourself in a job interview?

Being able to identify some positive adjectives that describe you accurately when used in the proper context is very important for passing a job interview successfully. For a job applicant, the most difficult part is figuring out a list of positive descriptive words that best describe their personality.

This article will give you some ideas for words that best describe your skills, qualities, and positive traits.

If you have any other positive descriptive words, please put them in the comments’ box so you can help other readers, as well.

List of Positive Descriptive Words

Positive Adjectives That Start With A, B, C


Letter A	Letter B	Letter C
Achiever	Balanced	Calm
Adaptable	Believable	Candid
Agreeable	Beneficent	Capable
Alluring	Benevolent	Caring
Altruistic	Benign	Cautious
Active	Bighearted	Charming
Ambitious	Boundless	Charismatic
Approachable	Brave	Cheerful
Aspiring	Bright	Clever
Assertive	Brilliant	Courageous
Attentive	Businesslike	Courteous
Assiduous	Blithe	Cordial
Attentive	Bouncy	Conservative
Affectionate	Brainy	Conscious
Amiable	Bubbly	Coherent
Analytical		Comfortable
Appreciative		Compassionate
Articulate		Confident
Ardent		Conscientious
Auspicious		Cooperative
Arty		Creative
Active		Credible
Adept		Competent
Accomplished		Cultured
Artistic		Collaborative
Avid		Constructive
Agile		Competitive

Adjectives That Start With D, E, F


Letter D	Letter E	Letter F
Dazzling	Eager	Fabulous
Decisive	Earnest	Facilitator
Decorous	Easy-going	Fair
Delightful	Eclectic	Faithful
Dependable	Efficient	Fantastic
Detailed	Elated	Fascinating
Determined	Elegant	Flawless
Devoted	Eloquent	Flexible
Diligent	Elusive	Focused
Diplomatic	Eminent	Forgiving
Direct	Enchanting	Friendly
Discreet	Encouraging	Functional
Dynamic	Endurable	Funny
Dutiful	Energetic	Futuristic
Desirable	Entertaining	Factual
Devout	Enthusiastic	Forthright
Desire-to-Learn	Enterprising	Frank
Down-to-Earth	Entrepreneurial	Fervent
Diverse	Excited	Foresighted
Discerning	Excellent	Forward-Thinking
Dauntless	Exclusive	Fun
	Extroverted
	Expressive
	Exuberant

Adjectives That Start With G, H, I


Letter G	Letter H	Letter I
Gallant	Habitual	Impartial
Generous	Hale	Imaginative
Genuine	Happy	Incredible
Genius	Hard-Working	Industrious
Gentle	Hearty	Initiator
Gifted	Harmonious	Intellectual
Glorious	Helpful	Inspirational
Goodhearted	Hilarious	Insightful
Genial	Honest	Illustrious
Glad	Honorable	Instinctive
Good	Hospitable	Intense
Goal-Oriented	Humble	Intelligent
Good-Natured	Humane	Inventive

Adjectives That Start With K, L, M


Letter K	Letter L	Letter M
Kind	Laudable	Magnanimous
Kindhearted	Learned	Mature
Knowable	Leader	Meaningful
Knowledgeable	Lighthearted	Mediator
Keen	Like-Minded	Merciful
Kindly	Literate	Methodical
	Lively	Meticulous
	Logical	Mindful
	Loyal	Motivated
	Liberal	Multi-Talented

Adjectives That Start With N, O, P


Letter N	Letter O	Letter P
Nice	Obedient	Painstaking
Noble	Objective	Patient
Normal	Observant	Peaceful
Noteworthy	Original	Perceptive
Nurturing	Omniscient	Persuasive
Nationalistic	Open	Personable
	Open-Minded	Persistent
	Optimistic	Perky
	Organized	Penitent
	Outgoing	Passionate
		Placid
		Plausible
		Pleasant
		Productive
		Political
		Proactive
		Proficient
		Protective
		Purposeful
		Punctual

How to describe yourself positively and powerfully when applying for a job.
Christina via Unsplash

Adjectives That Start With R, S, T


Letter R	Letter S	Letter T
Rational	Sane	Tactful
Realistic	Scintillating	Talented
Receptive	Scrupulous	Tasteful
Reflective	Selective	Teachable
Regardful	Sensible	Team player
Resolute	Sensitive	Tenacious
Results-Driven	Sincere	Thoughtful
Results-Oriented	Skillful	Thrifty
Reasonable	Sociable	Tireless
Respectful	Splendid	Tolerant
Responsible	Steadfast	Trustworthy
Resourceful	Stimulating	Truthful
	Supportive	Thorough-Going
	Self-Starter	Team-Centered

Adjectives That Start With U, V, W


Letter U	Letter V	Letter W
Unbiased	Valuable	Warm
Unconventional	Venturesome	Wary
Understanding	Viable	Watchful
Unimpeachable	Vibrant	Well-Behaved
Unique	Vigilant	Well-Balanced
Unruffled	Vigorous	Well-Informed
Unselfish	Virtuous	Willing
Upbeat	Visionary	Wise
Upright	Voluble	Witty

Other Useful Descriptive Words and Phrases to Use in an Interview


Adventurous	Fair	Philosophical
Considerate	Gregarious	Unassuming
Astonishing	Moderate	Mild
Meek	Positive	Authentic
Emotional	Easygoing	Just
Versatile	Quiet	Merciful
Modest	Wonderful	Lenient
Xenodochial	Good-Humored	Customer-Oriented
Fun-Loving	Social Consciousness	Self-Disciplined
Real	Well Organized	Kindhearted
Quick-Learner	Well adjust to changes	Efficient team player
Multi-Tasking	Self-Motivated	Self-Confident
Team player	Quick goal achiever	Self-Diligent
Self-Disciplined	Self-Starter	Participatory
Problem solver	Eager to learn	Easily adapt to changes
Self-Assured	Committed to hard-working	Silent achiever
Good thinker	Positive Ideas thinker	Creative thinker
Target driven	Action-Oriented	Self-Motivated
Well knowledgeable	Broad-minded	Highly intelligent
Self-reliant	Good listener	Great Team Player
Prompt	Customer-Focused	Team-Centered

Scroll to Continue

Positive Words to Use When Applying for a Leadership Position



Analytical	Enabler	Mediator
Ability to delegate	Energetic	Organized
Ability to teach	Engaged	Passionate
Assertive	Entrepreneurial	Patient
Businesslike	Fair	Proactive
Creative	Focused	Problem-Solver
Conscious	Honest	Professional
Courageous	Imaginative	Reasonable
Decisive	Initiator	Resourceful
Dedicated	Inspirational	Team-Oriented
Emotionally intelligent	Inventive	Team-Spirit
Self-Starter	Visionary	Well-Balanced
Self-Reliant	Vibrant	Results-Oriented
Innovative	Cost effective	Customer-Focused

Positive Descriptions to Use for an Entry-Level Position



Ability to learn quickly	Hard-Working	Reliable
Assiduous	Honest	Responsible
Attentive	Industrious	Respectful
Cheerful	Loyal	Sincere
Committed	Methodical	Team player
Confident	Productive	Trustworthy
Conscientious	Curious	Upright
Fast learner	Earnest	Upbeat
	Desire-to-Learn

30 Words You Should Never Use

Avoid these negative words in an interview to give yourself the chance of getting the job you’re hoping will get you employed.

Words to Avoid During a Job Interview



Belligerent	Forgetful	Quack
Benighted	Insensitive	Rambunctious
Brutal	Irregardless	Scornful
Careless	Irresponsible	Tense
Cowardly	Lazy	Try
Cruel	Mad	Uncivil
Deceitful	Meaningless	Vicious
Domineering	Naive	Wayward
Hate	Parsimonious	Weak
Heedless	Passive	Wicked

If you have any positive descriptive words which someone can use in a job interview, simply suggest by leaving a comment below. Also, don’t forget to bookmark this list because you might need them for future reference when you're invited for an interview.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is there any words to describe myself that start with the letter Y?

Answer: Here are few descriptive words you might find helpful: yearnful, youthful, yeomanly, yieldable, youngish, youngling.

Comments

John on January 27, 2016:

I was really amaze to those collections of words.It is really helpful,two thumbs up!

Frank Slovenec from San Francisco, CA on June 14, 2012:

I have hired 100's of people one the years in business. I wish they would have had this advice. An interviewee honestly presenting their strengths in good words is important and memorable. The other piece is knowing the interviewer and the culture of the company so the interviewee is using the right words to describe their strengths. Well done

Oyewole Folarin (author) from Lagos on June 11, 2012:

Hi Jpcmc, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your comment.

JP Carlos from Quezon CIty, Phlippines on June 10, 2012:

More than just knowing the words, it's really important to use them in the proper context. I've read resumes that have been drenched with too many adjectives that they lose their appeal. Also, I'm not a huge fan of too many fancy words to describe one's self. Of course these key words and adjectives provide an applicant with a host of alternative words to use. But in the end, using them properly is what counts.

Oyewole Folarin (author) from Lagos on May 18, 2012:

@rfmoran, thanks for stopping by.

Russ Moran - The Write Stuff from Long Island, New York on May 18, 2012:

Excellent Hub on an important issue for anyone planning an interview.

Guanta on June 13, 2011:

Thank you incomeguru, this is an excellent list. I am now retired but I can stil use these words to describe who I am when. Excellent work!

Sage Williams on May 31, 2011:

Most helpful hub, love the collection of words that you have chosen. You did an awesome job on this hub. Voted UP! Thanks for sharing.

Sage

Maria Jordan from Jeffersonville PA on May 31, 2011:

I find this to be overall very helpful and informative.

However, I must say that I have conducted quite a few interviews in my experience. They are for professional Nursing positions, just to give a background.

I would be extremely turned off if a candidate were to tell me that their strengths were: romantic,splendid, smiling, obedient,funny, nice, placid... I believe we need to determine the setting we are in before making a response. Using phrases like a good sense of humor, ability to get along with all personality styles, compassionate can say the same things in a more polished manner.

This is a great article to get us thinking about how to present ourselves in a more positive light, as we all have strengths.

Voted UP & USEFUL- thank you.

Sandy Mertens from Wisconsin, USA on May 30, 2011:

Very positive words to use in an interview.

Wesman Todd Shaw from Kaufman, Texas on May 29, 2011:

You know - words are very, very powerful. An observant person can often get TONS of information about someone from little things that they say online or in print.

I really wish I were a master body language interpreter - kinda like that character on the tv show "The Mentalist."

Excellent advice here - I know you are right. I'm pretty guilty of negativity describing myself. I tend to try to disarm people by being self deprecating, and giving whoever I'm talking to the "feel good" from it. I wonder how much I am affected by my own techniques though.

In the end, and I'm looking for the word, maybe "team mate" (two words) works well for me. I have the ability to like most everyone. If for instance, you are someone that most people don't like, then I'd be the guy that spoke well of you, and brought up your positive characteristics in conversation. I'm sort of an underdog supporter. I'm pretty certain that if I'd met Ted Bundy, then I'd have probably thought that he was a great guy - but lots of folks thought that.

Ruby Jean Richert from Southern Illinois on May 28, 2011:

Great hub, very helpful. Your lists of words is outstanding. Thank you.

Linda Bilyeu from Orlando, FL on May 28, 2011:

Outstanding collection of words! I'm impressed! Thank you for the hub!

Don A. Hoglund from Wisconsin Rapids on May 28, 2011:

Wish I had known when I was looking for work.

psychicdog.net on May 28, 2011:

Great positive - a lot of good words here. Thanks