11 Phrases That Kill Your Job Interview

Think about the kind of impression you want to convey to your interviewer or hiring manager in order to secure the position you want:  experience, ability, and confidence.  If you’ve been paying attention to me, you’ve got the experience and ability portions down:  a winning resume, a brag book, a 30/60/90-day plan, and high-quality references.  Having these elements in place certainly boosts your confidence, but it's important to remember that your confidence also comes out in intangible ways:  your physical presentation, your body language, and what you say and how you say it.

Good communication skills are essential.  Sounding even remotely uncertain of your ability to do the job you’re interviewing for (and do it well) is an interview killer.  There are several phrases that convey uncertainty, even if that's not what you intended.  You might not even realize what you're saying, because these phrases are common in everyday conversation.  However, they imply that you're not sure of yourself.  No employer is going to hire someone who isn’t even sure himself if he is capable, or who promises to bring inferior communication skills to the job–especially in any kind of sales. 

What phrases convey uncertainty?

I think

I hope

I would hope that…

Hopefully,

If

Try

Maybe

Sometime

With luck

If possible

Possibly

You don’t want to “hope” to handle this job, and you don’t want to “try” it.  You want to do it. 

There is no try, only do or do not.  – Yoda

Confident speaking is an interview skill that I coach candidates on all the time.  It's worth getting some help to train yourself not to use these phrases in a job interview.  They undermine your message and your credibilty, just as peppering your speech with "um," "uh," "like," or "you know" does.  These phrases often sneak into your everyday conversation, but you don’t want them in your job interview. 

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Posted Oct 11, 2009 to ArticleBase.com

Peggy McKee - About the Author:  Peggy McKee has been recruiting and placing top sales talent (in the medical industry) for over 10 years. Her firm, PHC Consulting, is one of the nations leading medical sales recruiting firms. Check out her blog at http://www.phcconsulting.com/WordPress and site at http://www.phcconsulting.com to learn powerful tips that will set you apart in the job search!