What not to say at a job interview
By Joske Jansen
Finally! You are invited to do a job interview and unfortunately it is really easy to kill your chances of getting the job of your dreams.
Your clothes, hair and make-up are essential but the words that will come out of your mouth are the most important ones. I don’t
want you to screw up during the interview, so here are ten words you should try to avoid during the conversation.
“UHM”, You will be surprised how many times you say uhm “Dedicated”, In today’s job market, everyone is dediin one minute. Uming makes you less polished. A tip to practice:
practice in front of the mirror and record yourself, that is the
way to find out how many times you say uhm.
“Whatever”
, is usually used to communicate that
you’ve given up. It doesn’t sound professional and makes it
look like you don’t have an interest in what you’re saying. So
never use whatever in your answer instead use more positive,
passionate words to show that you are interested.
“I”, In today’s employment world, ‘’you’re only as good as
your ability to work as part of a team.’’ If you are only using the
word ‘I’ you will come across as a selfish person. Nobody likes
these people because they are willing to put their colleagues
down and in order to get to the top. Let the employer know
how good you will work in a team.
“Stuff”, Whoever is still using this word should think twi-
ce, It sounds overly casual in tone and it makes you indifferent.
It shows that you are struggling to add detail in your answer.
‘’You now, stuff like that.’’ Please do not use this word, it is for
your own good.
“Learn”, Don’t ever tell your interviewer that you’re ap-
plying for a job to “learn.” It sounds like you have just graduated from high school and cannot do things because you have
to learn first. It is true that you are expected to learn but you
should be able to prove you are already fit for that job.
cated. It’s no longer a differentiating feature. Being dedicated
is an overused cliché which shows that you are just using big
words and do not know what you are talking about. Demonstrate to the employer that you’re dedicated by talking about
your achievements.
“Sure”, It means almost a yes but it sounds a bit childish
and unprofessional. If people ask you if you are willing to go out
with them, than you can say sure. But not during a job interview.
Just use yes or no and the interview will go much better.
“Kinda”, If you use this word, what do you mean? Is it a
yes or a no? Not only does this word make you sound like a
teenager, it also introduces vagueness into your answers.
“Amazing”
, It just sounds too exaggerated when you
use this word as an answer. I immediately see an image in
my head of a big fat woman who’s looking at an ugly dress
and screams: ‘’AMAZING’’ sarcastically. So, before you want to
answer with amazing think about the fat woman and change
your word choice.
“Swearing words”, Swear words are common
for most of us and sometimes they just come right out without us
even realising. Even if you think the company culture might find
such words acceptable, don’t risk it during the interview. Every
time you want to say a swear word just take a deep breath
and try to formulate your words differently.
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