Things you should never say in a job interview… & what you should say instead.

Are you looking to take the next step in your career? Do you need to brush up on your interview skills?

To help you, we have prepared a list of phrases you shouldn’t say during an interview and what to say instead.

“I’m really nervous” – This is like telling the interviewer “here is an excuse for a poor interview” there for their perception of you would be low hurting your chances of nailing the interview. What you can say is “I’m so excited for this interview”

“Could you give me an overview of the company?” – Although people think that asking this question shows interest, it actually says a lot about you. Interviewers expect you to know what their company does and what it offers so it’s better to say something along the lines of “I’ve read a lot about your company and how it started, would it be possible to tell me more?”

“I streamlined operations and optimized user experience by implementing…” – When describing your current or previous roles, avoid using jargon as this can confuse the interviewer, try opting for concrete words such as ‘designed’, ‘managed’ or ‘created’ as this is easier to remember and easier to understand.

“I would’ve thought you’d read it on my resume” – It’s very unprofessional to say this as you might come off as lazy, arrogant or not familiar with your own work experience, interviewers generally ask about what you listed on your CV to learn more about the description you gave, so the best response would be “Yes, of course, I’d be glad to explain further”.

“Are promotions given out quickly or do I have to wait a long time?” – Apart from sounding arrogant, this is something that puts off recruiters in a big way. This implies that the job you applied for is not what you actually want and will make the interviewer question your commitment to the role long –term. Instead, why not ask “Do you offer career plans for your employees? If so can you describe one for me?”

“I can do anything, whatever you give me I will do.” – Whilst this may seem like you are willing to learn and try out anything to you, it sounds like you don’t have a passion for anything therefor you don’t plan on excelling in one particular role. Why not say “This role is perfect for me as I am very confident in doing etc.…”

“I am a fast learner.” – Ok good, but to the interviewer, this is a burden that they need to carry since you are implying that you need to be taught, there is another way you can say that you grasp information quickly such as “At my previous company I was given the opportunity to learn new skills through a course that was provided, but I also took private courses to further my knowledge myself.”

“I can work both in a team and independently” – When Interviewers ask you what are your strengths telling them this is not showcasing the strengths you are mainly stating it, they would want concrete examples such as “Throughout my time at my previous company, I led a team of 7 people towards reaching our monthly targets, I was given an ‘excellent’ on my performance review.”

“I am able to work in any type of environment” – You may think you sound like the perfect candidate because you’re not limiting yourself in front of the interviewer but this can backfire easily on you. It’s better to say “I work best in large teams that have a fast-paced environment” that way the recruiter can have a better idea of where you would perform best in their company.

“The last company I worked for was an absolute nightmare.” – This is a big one, never under any circumstances speak negatively or try to belittle your previous company, you will be perceived as unprofessional and negative. Although the things you say may be true, it is always a better option to say positive or neutral things about your last employer such as “It was a great experience and I learned a lot from them but I realised that I wanted to find a company culture that fits me better.”

“I’d say my greatest weakness is that I am a perfectionist.” – This is the oldest trick in the book, you want to sound like you do such a great job that you fall behind on other tasks that needed to be done but you just want everything to be perfect therefore you’re excused. This is far from the truth, recruiters want to hear your actual weaknesses and the way you would like to remedy them. It shows maturity and self-awareness, if you know your weaknesses and admits them then you are ready to fix them.