Certain characteristics of a job candidate are hard to measure. Enthusiasm and charisma top the list. They both matter a lot, especially for a manager, since enthusiasm is like a flu, and when you are pumped-up for your mission in the company, people in your team will often follow suite. And charisma–well, when you have charisma people enjoy being around you, and it will be much easier for them to follow your instructions. Summarized and underlined, it is definitely better hiring an enthusiastic and charismatic manager or team leader, than hiring someone who lacks these qualities….
In my opinion, a skilled interviewer or HR manager does not need to inquire about these things. They can tell the level of your enthusiasm, and whether you have any charisma, by simply talking to you in an interview. For me personally five minutes is enough to know. However, we should not forget that not all interviewers are skilled, and not every interview question makes sense. What’s more, sometimes their primary intention with this question is not to evaluate your enthusiasm and charisma–they can do that on their own, but to assess your level of honesty and self-reflection. Does what you say reflect the reality they perceive while talking to you? Or do you simply try to build some image in an interview, trying to hide your weaknesses and areas for improvement?
Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to this question. I tried to include on my list answers for both experienced and inexperienced people, some answers for students, and also one or two rather unconventional philosophical answers, which a question like this one offers a room for. I hope you will find at least one of them fitting for your personal situation, and for the message you try to convey in the interviews. Enjoy!
7 sample answers to “How would you rate yourself in terms of enthusiasm and charisma?” interview question
- I would rate myself as very enthusiastic, as long as things matter to me. And I can assure you that’s the case with this job, your company, and what I would like to achieve here. Based on my experience, I have an ability to “infect” my colleagues with my enthusiasm, to make them believe in my vision, in things we try to achieve in the company. When it comes to charisma, I do not think I can judge it realistically. Sometimes people enjoy being in my company, but at times I can be quite strict as a manager, and then maybe they do not perceive me as someone with charisma. Anyway, I am aware of these things and try my best to find the right balance in being the manager others like, and at the same time one they respect, and obey.
- Sometimes I feel like having a magnet within, since wherever I come people seem to be attracted to me. Is it my look, is it charisma, or a sheer power of my personality? I cannot really tell, but I can assure you it works. And I definitely hope to benefit from it in my professional career, since at the end the end of the day relationships are important in every field, and having such charisma helps a lot to build a great network. On the other hand, I definitely see some room for improvement when it comes to my enthusiasm at work. Not that I lack it, but sometimes I have bad days and on such days it is hard for me to find motivation. I am aware of it, and try to make changes to my diet and routines to minimize the number of such days. I honestly think I made quite a progress over the last few years, and do not plan to stop working on this anytime soon.
- If 1 is lowest and 10 is highest, I would give myself 7 for charisma and 9 for enthusiasm. I also believe there is a correlation in between the two, because when you are enthusiastic about work and life the people around you can feel the positive energy, and will be attracted to you. Of course, I realize that physical appearance also plays a role here, and that’s why I gave myself only 7 of 10 for charisma. Definitely there is a lot I can work on. But I can assure you that I understand the importance of these two for every team leader, and will try to improve on my weaknesses.
- To be completely honest with you, I find myself in quite a low period right now. Do not want to complain, but the pandemics and the recession have been extremely hard on me, and I lost the wind from my sails. No doubt I do not appear like the most enthusiastic person to you right now. Having said that, I believe things can change quickly. I find this job I try to get with you extremely interesting, and getting it will no doubt pour new life into my veins. I believe it can help me regain my enthusiasm, and the rest will naturally follow…
- I do not want to sound too philosophical, but in my opinion, one cannot really judge their own charisma. Because, whether we admit it or not, our ego controls us, and we have a tendency to see ourselves much better than we really are. I am aware of this weakness, and do not want to tell you fairy-tales here. We’ve been talking together for a while, and will talk for another. I believe that you have the capacity to tell whether or not I am a charismatic person at the end of this interview, without me giving you some biased ego-centered self rating. And when it comes to enthusiasm, I believe you can feel from my presence here that I am super excited about this job, and cannot wait to get a chance to work for your company.
- In my opinion, charisma is a very personal matter. We all have our preferences when it comes to other people. Someone who is highly charismatic for me may not be charismatic at all for you. Of course, there are certain types of people almost nobody likes, and you will find people almost everyone does like, perhaps because they care, perhaps because they know how to communicate with others, perhaps because of their presence, hard to say. In any case, I try to control what I can control, being attentive to the needs and feelings of my colleagues, trying to help whenever I can. This may help with something we call “charisma”, but at the same time I know it won’t do the trick with everyone. This is something each manager has to accept. Not everyone in the office will like us, regardless of how hard we try to be nice.
- Right now I am probably the most enthusiastic person in the world. I have dreamed of interviewing here for the last three years. Did what I could, worked on my resume, gained new skills. Finally the big day is here. I am nervous, but I would rather call it excited. Because this experience means a lot to me…. And you can be 100% sure that my enthusiasm won’t get unnoticed in the workplace. People feel when someone genuinely loves their job. When it is genuine and powerful, one almost cannot resists to feel some sort of admiration to that person, some sort of attraction. Hence it helps also with your charisma… With the respect for my own limitations and imperfections, I will rate my enthusiasm and charisma as excellent. And I am ready to prove it in the job.
Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also sample answers to other tricky interview questions:
- How would your teachers describe you?
- Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn’t want me to know?
- Tell us about a time when you had to meet a tight deadline.
