As part of a recent interview process, I took part in a group task where we had to discuss a scenario and agree on an ordering process. I contributed actively, put forward my views, and my suggestions were often agreed upon and adopted by the team. The assessors watched our teamwork and communication skills during this task.
From my perspective, I was influencing the discussion, decisions and being heard by my peers, however, while I didn't lack confidence, my team heard my voice, I contributed well to the task and I also listened and gave my opinions on the teams viewpoints; to the assessors, my soft spoken nature came across as a lack of assertiveness and confidence, and this was their given feedback as to why I didn't get the role.
This is unfortunately where a lot of interviews for me are failing. While my voice in a situation that absolutely needs assertiveness, such as when a clear decision needs to be made, naturally, my voice will adjust to gain that authority in the tone. In a situation where it's not needed, such as a conversational group task in which my contributions are heard, I listen to the perspectives of my peers, considering and building upon them, and I contribute effectively without raising my voice unnecessarily; forcing a louder tone makes my voice sound abrupt, unnatural and risks sounding aggressive instead.
It's clear that in these interviews, it's less about the effectiveness of your communication and more about how visibly noticed you are from the outside perspective. As this is a theme across companies I have applied to, I need advice on how to become more assertive in tone and volume without it coming across as forced or aggressive.