Arrogance or Ambition
No matter how good your intentions are, what matters is how you are perceived. Here are a few key indicators you might want to avoid so you don’t step over from ambitious to arrogant and alienate your potential employer.
There’s a fine line between ambition and arrogance. This is especially true given both entail a strong belief in one’s own abilities. When it comes to the responses they provoke, however, that’s where the similarities end.
Ambition gets hired; arrogance gets fired!
Being ambitious takes work; arrogance is simple. In fact, it’s easy to come off as arrogant. Avoid these 10 behaviours so you don’t leave the impression of being a Class-A jerk people would rather avoid.
Drop names out of context.
The name-dropper is a character who frequents many local Chamber of Commerce mixers. Name-droppers are common in these scenarios. Completely unsolicited, they will jabber endlessly about who they know, who they met and who they pal around with and where they are going next week.
Avoid eye contact.
Arrogant people couldn’t care less about others. They’re only interested in themselves. The arrogant person will constantly be looking past you for someone else to talk to — someone they think will benefit them more than you.
Arrive late to meetings
Arrogant people think their time is more important than anybody else’s. Being late means nothing to them. Confident people are timely and quick to apologise when they’re off schedule.
Use condescending phrases and put-downs.
Some well-known business leaders have been known to put down others publicly. These particular leaders are supremely confident, but of course, they’ve crossed the line into arrogance. Arrogance can turn so many people off including a potential employer.
Strut or swagger when you walk into a room.
The best way to describe arrogant body language is “dominating.” Examples include pointing a finger at someone’s chest, hands on hips or waving someone off with a flick of the finger. Confidence is open and less intimidating.
Interrupt conversations
Since arrogant people are only concerned about themselves, they’re not really listening to you. Not only are they always on the lookout for someone else to talk to, they interrupt the conversation frequently.
Have an answer for everything.
Psychologists say that arrogance is a compensation for insecurities and weaknesses. An arrogant person will rarely say, “I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find out.” Confident people admit mistakes and learn something from those experiences.
Always one-up the other person.
When a person always tried to one-up everything that is said in the conversation this can get really very annoying. Ambitious and confident people don’t feel the need to brag. Their accomplishments do it for them.
Blast competitors.
Arrogant people can’t see the strengths in their competitors, and if they do, they seek to minimise those competitors by bad-mouthing them. This simply makes the arrogant person look rather small minded and stupid.
Blame someone else.
Arrogant people can’t ‘fess up to their own mistakes. They are too busy pointing the finger at others to realise they are the ones at fault.