What is the most common misconception people have of you?

How to Answer
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example
Community Answers

This can sometimes be a tricky question to answer. The interviewer is using your answer as a behavioral assessment. Rather than thinking of negatives versus positives, offer something neutral that will not negatively reflect on you.

"I can be vivacious at times and happy-go-lucky and bold. I make eye contact a lot, but in the past, I've had friends assume that I'm some sort of "player" in my personal life. Quite frankly, I'm the opposite. Even though I can be fun and sometimes flirty, in the most appropriate manner, of course, I am quite terminally shy. Invite me to a party and you'll discover that I'm a wallflower. Invite me out for a drink, and I might accept because at the moment it sounds like fun, but I'll likely bow out last minute. I'd rather be at home quietly reading a good book with a cat on my lap."

"I am super neat and tidy, and sometimes people interpret that as being uptight. But I consider myself to be a relaxed individual. I'm relaxed because I am a serial systems implementor. I believe in being organized. My systems help me with my efficiency, time management, and productivity. It's because of my systems that I am such a relaxed individual. I recognize I am unique and that my habit of ensuring everything is just so can come across as uptight. Truth be told, I see it as being habitually success-driven."

Anonymous Answer

"People tend to view me as constantly energized, and comfortable in group settings. The reality is, that although most of the time I'm happy to spark conversations in group settings, often I'm perhaps not as energized or confident as people realize. Like anybody, my energy levels and confidence levels vary from time to time, but I think this expectation people have of me as an extrovert leads me to always take on this role"

Jaymie's Feedback

Good choice! This won't send up any red flags or cause concern for the interviewer, so long as you reassure them you can maintain a healthy work-life balance and don't get worn out from the need to be extroverted and social in the role.