1. No.
First of all, if asked even a simple question, you
don’t want to give a single word answer (yes or no). But when the answer
is no, definitely don’t leave it there! For example, if asked if you
know a particular computer program, and you don’t, you could say, “I
haven't yet had a chance to learn it but would be interested to do so,”
rather than simply saying “No.”
2. Er… Um…
That old
saying, “If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything at all,”
applies here a big. Rather than hemming and hawing while you try to
think up an answer, just be silent and think. Saying er or um too much
could make you seem unprepared or as though you’re not paying attention.
3. Whatever, OMG, bae… groovy?
Lose
the slang when talking to an interviewer. You want to come across as
polished and professional, and you don’t want them to have to dig out
their urban dictionary to understand you.
4. Sure, cool, kinda…
These
kinds of words are just too casual, even in a casual workplace. You
should be presenting the best version of yourself, not the sloppy,
casual version.
5. We
This one seems innocuous at first,
but if you use it a lot when discussing job duties and accomplishments,
the interviewer might start to wonder if it was you or your team that
was responsible. Try to use “I” as much as possible.
6. Dedicated, motivated, team player...
Lose
the resume speech and jargon. Besides the fact that these words are
incredibly overused in interview situations, they’re also better
demonstrated than just stated. If you want to convey your dedication or
motivation, share an example from your past work experience; examples
will go much further to making your claims believable.
7. Leverage, synergy, ideation…
I’d
avoid using too much business jargon. The chances that you’ll come off
sounding like an idiot are just too high. Too much business buzzwords or
jargon tends to make people sound pretentious, or worse, downright
stupid.
8. 'Hit the ground running,' 'Circle back…'
These
kinds of cliches have little to no meaning, they’re just verbal fluff,
and they don’t add anything to what you’re saying. So leave them out.
9. Hate
I
can’t think of a single instance when saying you “hate” something in a
job interview is appropriate, but it’s exceptionally inappropriate to
say anything about hating your former job, co-workers, boss, etc.
10. Perfectionist
It’s
become almost a cliche in and of itself to answer a question like,
“What’s your biggest flaw?” with a positive flaw like, “I’m a
perfectionist.” Any good interviewer will see right through that, so
just don’t do it.