Top Eight Word Mistakes Candidates Make in Job Interviews
1. Use language that is too informal
It is important to remember that you are interviewing for a job, not trying to make a new best friend. Too much familiarity can hurt your chances by making you look unprofessional.
Poor Phrase: “I’m sure you guys are aware
that the job market is in the dumps right now. It’s been one
heck of an uphill battle for me for the past year.”
Perfect Phrase: “Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, the job market is still tight, and there is a great deal of heavy competition for the same jobs.”
2.The use of words that are vaguePerfect Phrase: “Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, the job market is still tight, and there is a great deal of heavy competition for the same jobs.”
Words such as “a lot,” “various/multiple,” and “great deal of” are vague and don’t give the interviewer the needed information.
Poor Phrase: “I have had
a lot of experience with
various lines of multiple products. I
am proud of the results I’ve had in saving the company a
great deal of money.”
Perfect Phrase: “With over eight years experience working in the paper industry and primarily selling photo paper, I consider myself an expert on the subject and have saved my clients as much as 20 percent on orders over $5000.”
3. Misuse of pronounsPerfect Phrase: “With over eight years experience working in the paper industry and primarily selling photo paper, I consider myself an expert on the subject and have saved my clients as much as 20 percent on orders over $5000.”
It can be very confusing and words can be misinterpreted when pronouns are misused. Be especially alert to this when you are using the pronouns “we,” “I,” and “you.”
Poor Phrase: “we
were behind on our project, and
we decided that we
would stay and finish the job rather than miss
our deadline. we
pulled it together, and we were able
to meet our deadline.”
Perfect Phrase: “I worked with a team of designers to bring a project in on time. We each took responsibility for a particular area. We worked closely, but at the same time we were completely disconnected from one another. This seemed to work because my four counterparts and I managed to pull the project together on time.”
Perfect Phrase: “I worked with a team of designers to bring a project in on time. We each took responsibility for a particular area. We worked closely, but at the same time we were completely disconnected from one another. This seemed to work because my four counterparts and I managed to pull the project together on time.”