The tone of an interview can be changed with the mere usage of one word. Unfortunately, using the wrong vocabulary can make the difference between you getting the job or being cut from the application process all together.
Here are 7 words we think young people would be better off without…at least in a job interview.
1. “Like…”
One of the most annoying habits the millennials generation needs to be rid of is the excessive use of the word like. The word like has become a filler word just like its counterparts um,hmm, urh. All of which are really big no noes. The biggest problem with this word is that we’re probably unaware of how much we use it.
Even though we all have problems with inserting the word into our everyday speech, peppering our every other word with like has implications we may not even be aware of. It can make us appear like we’re second guessing ourselves, not confident in what we’re saying, or even of a lower intelligence level than we actually are.
2. “Literally”
We all need to literally stop using this in literally every sentence we say. There is literally no reason to use the word literally all the time. We literally no longer even notice that we’re abusing the literal meaning of the word. I’m literally begging you to remove this word from your vocabularies.
Do you see how annoying that got? Can you imagine how much more annoying it must be for someone to hear you say in in every sentence you speak? Literally, STOP!
3. “Man, dude, bro…”
One of the most common habits among millennials is the habit of addressing just about anyone by calling them man or dude or bro or homie and the works. In everyday life this is acceptable. You might even address your boss with these terms, but that is after you have already gotten the job.
In a job interview this just sound unprofessional. Your interviewer is a Sir/Madam a Mr. /Ms. or maybe even a Tuan/Puan but they are never your man or dude or really whatever other term you may use to address a friend.. or stranger.
4. “Whatever”
If you use it in the “whatever project was put in front of me, I approached it with vigor” kind of way, you’ll probably be OK. It’s the dismissive whatever that should be removed from your vocabulary. In fact, whatever tops the most annoying words in 2016.
Interviewers are always on the lookout for people who are extremely passionate about the job they are interviewing for and the role they may play at the organization. When you utter whatever in your respond during the interview, it reflects your bad attitude (withdrawn, don’t care). If you want to say it was no problem, say it and justify it. But don’t sound like a petulant teenager.
5. “You know”
Want to know why you need to stop using it? Because it’s a real pain to have to sit through an hour’s interview and keep hearing you repeating you know after every four or five words! We know, it’s to help you fill up that awkward silent moment (while you are thinking for the next point to say), replacing ‘er…’, ‘um…’, ‘ah…’ but it got to stop.
Try a simple ‘pause’ in between sentences instead. As how Harvard Extension School puts it “It is important that you don’t begin speaking until you are ready. Remember: Pause, think, answer.” You can however use filler words occasionally but not in all sentences, it’s just annoying!
6. “Acronyms”
TBH (to be honest) our acronyms are sometimes not understood by members of other generations. It is in our best interest to stay clear of these words during a job interview. We understand that sometimes it may seems natural to say things like OMG to express surprise or disbelieve or to say LOL instead of actually laughing when something funny is said.
But really it is not natural and people may not understand what you are saying and you will have to explain yourself to the interviewer. This makes you appear immature and lacking proper communication skills.
7. “Swear words”
We drop F-bomb in almost every situation in life. Everything from the most beautiful to the most horrifying can be described with the f-word. The one place though to not use it is in a job interview even if the interview is in a casual environment and everyone else is throwing it around. Even if you think the company culture might find such words acceptable, don’t risk it at the interview stage.
You’re risking coming across as unprofessional and crass. Not only are they inappropriate, but they will also cost you a job. There are certainly enough words in the English language to get your point across without having to swear.
This applies to every swear word out there, not just the one that starts with an F! And those pesky little acronyms AF and WTF (read point 6)
These words have the ability to negatively reflect your personality. As much as these words are becoming a norm for us, the job market may not have necessarily caught up yet. So for now, let’s just keep these words to our fam and our text messages!
No comments:
Post a Comment