Is your big ego tearing you down?

By Tracy Leung, Manager, Sales & Marketing Recruitment, Links International Hong Kong

Recently, the two Chinese swimmers at the Rio Olympic Games have raised a bit of awareness due to their different personalities.

It is a funny fact that the audience are all clinging to the humble, non-gold medalist instead of ‘The King’. So here comes the question: Is your big ego tearing you down?

In recruitment, we often meet with people who demonstrate a strong ego during the interview and can never pass to the next round, despite their experience and achievements. On the client side, clients also experience a high turnover rate with high-ego management and fail to attract high calibre candidates. Therefore, in short, a big ego could be deterring your career or affecting the business. You may take a look at the below as a reminder:

Take pride but lose the ego

It is very important that you are proud of what you do and that you show your achievements as a highlight to your personality, but there is a very fine line between pride and ego. The way you speak, your manner and your gestures can make a big difference as well.

Be humble and listen

Very often, we come across candidates who are too focused on what they have done in the past, but failed to listen to the needs of the job for which they are applying. Listening is one of the key points to show that you are aware of the company’s needs and willing to accept others’ ideas.

Be self-aware and find your blind spot

Finding a mentor is always a good idea to help you to find your blind spot in personality traits. Try to find someone who is more experienced than you, and who is able to be honest and tell you the truth.

If you take on board the above suggestions, this will help you to be confident, without displaying a huge ego, and therefore help you to land that dream job.

Links International specialises in recruiting top talent across Asia. For further career advice and to hear how we can help take your career to the next level, please do not hesitate to contact us.