There is a fine line between confidence and cockiness but this morning I ask the question: who determines that line and where do you draw it?  I ask this after going through an experience yesterday unlike anything other in my 33 years here.

Kevin Williams and NJSIAA’s Sports Reporter Award
Kevin Williams and NJSIAA’s Sports Reporter Award (Ed Sarluca, Townsquare Media NJ)
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I was required to do a phone interview that lasted over 30 minutes and was designed to be a talent assessment in regards to a particular aspect of my job.  The woman doing the interview said that the goal was for them to share with my manager my strengths, interests and abilities.

More than anything it was me talking about myself and rating myself in comparison to others and my own standards.  The entire interview was recorded but I’m told it would only be used by the interviewer to prepare my assessment.

Several times during our session I asked to save a question for later because I just did not know how to answer.  Actually I did but was concerned about how it would come across because frankly I am very good at much of what I do.  The issue is how do you say that without coming across like a cocky self-absorbed snob?

On a couple of occasions I laughed and said something like “boy you most think I am some kind of egomaniac” and she replied with a slight laugh. In the beginning she made it clear there would be little talk between us except her asking questions and me answering them.

It turns out that most of the questions could have been used for any kind of individual assessment, not just what I do.  Some were job specific but most were designed to solicit a response about how I felt about myself.   Many of the questions called for me to rate myself on a 1-10 scale. On most I was anywhere from an 8-10 especially when it came to effort, productivity, leadership and dedication.

I’ll admit that I would have preferred to see the questions before they were asked but obviously the session was designed to be one in which you had to respond quickly and not give a lot of thought to your answers.  Since this was not a test there will be no grade but if you tune in one morning and they announce I’m no longer here I guess that will be a good indication of how I did.

With the Hometown View I’m a not-so-humble, award-winning and simply awesome Kevin Williams.

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