When interviewing for a job or trying to sell your next big idea, you want to appear accomplished and competent. You also want to come across as likable, and that can feel at odds with strutting your biggest successes. But Nir Halevy, a professor at the Graduate School of Business who studies social influence, says a strategic pinch of humor can bring it all together. Enter humorbragging.
Make sure it’s actually a humorbrag.
The humblebrag (“Can’t believe I was voted the most productive person on the team. Thank goodness for coffee!”) can backfire, and self-deprecation (“People say I’m productive, but I think the caffeine in my body is compensating for my lack of actual motivation!”) undermines your skills. Neither improves your chances of landing a job, Halevy says. Humorbragging, however, conveys relatability and confidence. A study by Halevy compared reactions to two similar résumés, one of which used a lil’ HB to amplify a positive trait. “I have a proven track record of turning caffeine input into productivity output,” it said. “The more coffee you can provide, the more output I will produce.” Recruiters were nearly 1.5 times more likely to follow up with the humorbragger than with a staid counterpart.
Start small and practice.
Yes, yes, your friends say you’re a riot. But an interview for your dream job is not often the ideal time for untested attempts at humor. So start with a low-stakes situation, such as a networking event. (“I love working in groups. I figure by the end of this event, I’ll either have some job leads or a new team for trivia night.”) Or tell a friend that you’re trying to convey a particular skill in this cover letter and ask how they think your joke comes across. “If they’re smiling, that’s a pretty good indication, right?” says Halevy. Then practice till you’re ready to incorporate humorbragging into the goals section of your CV or résumé, an answer to a common interview question, or the kicker to your Shark Tank pitch.
Understand the context.
When Halevy’s study participants read interview transcripts for a baker position, they rated the applicant who used humor as more likable and more competent than one who was purely self-promotional. But humor is a risk, and there are situations where you won’t have enough knowledge to take it. (Think unfamiliar cross-cultural interactions.) Save your humorbragging for moments when you have a firm grip on the social norms—unless you find awkward silences useful in securing start-up funding. You do you.
Summer Batte, ’99, is the editor of Stanfordmag.org. Email her at summerm@stanford.edu.
