03.01.2025

THE TABOO PHRASES OF A JOB INTERVIEW

There are several tactics you can use to impress a prospective employer during a job interview.

You can say what excites you about the job, which will show that you have passion and are genuinely interested in the opportunity to fill the position. You might ask what problem you can solve for the company to set yourself up for future success if you get the job. You can nod and smile while the interviewer is talking to show that you are confident and capable.

There are, of course, a few types of behavior that you should avoid, such as using phrases that could turn the interviewer off. Some are "big red flags," says Nolan Church, a former Google recruiter and CEO of salary data company FairComp. Here are a few phrases Church advises to avoid:

"I work too hard" or "I'm a perfectionist"

For starters, when the interviewer asks about your weaknesses, don't use phrases that make it sound like you don't have anything left to learn. These can be phrases like 'I work too hard' or 'I'm a perfectionist,' says Church. They are framed as character flaws when they are actually used as compliments.

According to him, this will make the interviewer think that you are either not being sincere about who you are as a person, or you really don't think there is any room for you to grow as a professional.

 “I'm not hiring you to be perfect. I'm hiring you to grow with us,” says Church. Instead of these empty phrases, Church recommends giving an example of a mistake you made, what you learned from it, and how you moved on.

All phrases that shift blame

Don't say anything negative about people you've worked with. Whether it's a former colleague, a manager or the company, "anything that shifts the blame from you to someone else" sounds bad, Church insists.

"The people you want to work with take full responsibility for what they've done in the past, even if they've done something wrong," he adds.

In his words, taking responsibility shows that you are humble enough to admit that you are not perfect and that you are willing to learn from your mistakes and become better.

"You want to work with people who have the self-awareness to realize when they've gone wrong and update their own mental models to correct things," he says.

"I do not know"

Finally, avoid answering questions with "I don't know."

When Church hears this, she thinks, “Okay, so the conversation is over? You won't be able to solve these problems?” he says.

If you're just starting out in your professional career, it's quite possible that you don't have a lot of experience or anecdotes to draw inspiration from and give concrete examples of what you've been able to achieve. "In these scenarios, it's okay to say, 'I don't know, but I'd do the following to find out,'" Church explains. Give some examples of how you would hypothetically handle the problem to show that you will be proactive in moving forward.

After all, if you get the job, you get paid to solve problems the company has. Even at the interview you'll have to prove you can do it, he says.