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Interview Tips: Words to Avoid at Your Next Job Interview.

There are tons of questions that an interviewer can ask you and hundreds of questions that you ask the interviewer. It is a two-way street. But there are a few words that can raise a "red flag" right away. Here are some Important Interview tips for you.

Below are some ordinary words that you must avoid at your next job interview


No.

A closed-ended question may always lead you to give a Yes or No answer. Either way, it is important that you elaborate. When you know the answer is negative a plain No will not suffice. e.g Have you worked on JD Edwards? and if you haven't, I would rather say " I have not worked on JD Edwards, but I have worked on Microsoft Dynamics which is very similar to JDE and I will practice and work on it well during my notice period with my current employer so I can join with hands-on knowledge JD Edwards"

Er… Um…

If you do not have anything to say, do not say a word. You can rather think silently for something positive to share regarding your experience, knowledge, skills, or planned education.

OMG, groovy....?

Do not use slang at an interview. You want to come across as professional and not urban.

Sure, cool...

These words can be too casual for a professional workplace and interview. Remember this is not Facebook chat. You could be interviewing at a top multinational where presentation, professionalism, and delivery are more important than work experience. You should be presenting the best side of yourself, not a casual version.

We

We mean a "team" or a group of people. It is not your team that is interviewing for this role, but you are. You deserve it. Use “I” as much as possible.

Dedicated, motivated, team player...

Empty talk means nothing. If you want to convey your dedication or motivation, share an example from your past work experience to make your claims believable. What challenged you and how did you handle it? You will not believe how many millions of CVs say and interviewers hear "I am a very dedicated, loyal, and motivated individual looking for a good company to work, where I can contribute my experience and skills for my own growth and the development of the company."

Leverage, synergy, ideation…

Do not use too much jargon. A sentence flooded with jargon may sound very pretentious or fake. Besides, you do not want the interviewer to feel that he/she needs to look up the dictionary to understand what you just said. You may be just too complicated for the company.

“Hit the ground running,” “Circle back…”

These words are just too much "fluff" and hold little meaning. Best to leave them out.

Hate

"Hate" is a very strong word. Hating something speaks strongly about your views, so you must be very careful about how you use it. Worst, if you use the "hate" word against your boss or former colleagues, you may have just nailed the "coffin for a job prospect".

Perfectionist

No human can be perfect. It is see-through for most interviewers, knowing that the answer is untrue. I have interviewed thousands of candidates and I remember asking some of them to share one weakness. I very often receive a reply "I am a perfectionist". I would rather prefer an honest answer and most importantly what steps you are taking to improve.


Not using the above 10 words will help portrait you as a genuine candidate, a genuine person.

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