There’s always quite a lot being said about the importance of body language in interviews and interactions with potential employers. Things like: match their body language, stand up straight/don’t slouch, and smile constantly. These are all great bits of advice, and we should continue to put these into practice.
But …
We have lost focus on the importance of actual language in favor of body language cues. This would be all you need if you didn’t have to speak in an interview, but you do. And, what you say and how you say it in an interview can greatly impact your ability to land the job you’ve been searching for.
There are plenty of things you shouldn’t say in an interview from a language perspective, but here are three easy words to cut out of your job hunt vernacular. These are words you might not have thought of, but have can have a major impact on your success:
• Sorry – don’t say sorry … not unless you really did something that warrants an apology. If you did something wrong or screwed up then apologize, but if you can’t make it in for an interview on Monday morning because you have work – don’t say sorry. There is no need to apologize for having a job; the hiring manager will understand. Instead of saying you’re sorry, simply say your work schedule won’t allow it and suggest an alternate date and time. They'll understand, and if they don't, it's probably not a place you want to be working.
• Just – when you use this in both bad writing and speaking it makes you sound like you are lacking confidence, or you’re unsure of yourself. When you say, “I just wanted to ask you …” it has an implication, or acknowledges, your time or opinion is not as valuable as the person you are communicating with. You may think it comes off as being courteous, but it really “just” makes you sound like you’re operating from a position of weakness. It's better to leave this one out in the future.
• Honestly – you may have heard this one elsewhere, but I believe it bears repeating because it is that important. When you say “honestly” in an interview or correspondence with someone it has an underlying subconscious connotation that everything you said beforehand wasn’t true. It implies you're going to start being honest with the person you're talking to. Do you really want the person responsible for hiring you to think that what you said to them wasn’t true? Particularly because honesty and integrity are incredibly important attributes to have as an employee. Do your credibility a favor and strike this one from your vocabulary too.
You need to do yourself and your job prospects a favor and cut these words from your vocabulary. Anything you can do the make your job search a little easier, and make you stand out from the rest of the candidates is worth applying. Three simple words have never had such a large role to play in your future.
