YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

WHAT IS THE MOST OVERUSED BUZZWORD YOU HEAR FROM CANDIDATES IN INTERVIEWS?

DARREN BUCHANAN MANAGING DIRECTOR, HAYS QUEENSLAND

There are a few. “I’m a hard worker” is one overused phrase. If you genuinely do work hard, share an example that demonstrates how you go the extra mile to get work done. “I work well under pressure” and “I’m a team player” are other overused phrases. Again, use examples to demonstrate your skills. For example, “I worked with our international and local marketing teams to implement a global rebrand across 12 countries”. Also avoid the word “we” unless you have specifically been asked about team successes. Your interviewer wants to hear about your results, not those made by others.

SINEAD HOURIGAN BRISBANE DIRECTOR, ROBERT WALTERS

Every year a few words seem to creep into the vernacular and get overused by everyone so we can’t just blame candidates for that. Many years ago, I really got tired of people describing themselves as “dynamic” when through their responses and actions, it was abundantly clear they were not. Most recently, I’m hearing a lot of people refer to themselves as “agile” which is primarily a reference to the rise of the agile project management methodology (where people need to be quick, responsive and collaborative). If that’s not genuinely what you are, then probably best not to use this descriptor.

JULIE FORD SENIOR EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT, McARTHUR

There are so many! “Passionate” or “passion” are probably the most overused words and are often used in the incorrect context. I love a person with passion but you need to be able to back it up with some specific achievements gained through using your passion and demonstrating how it will be a benefit to the employer. Another is “think outside the box” – I prefer the words creative or innovative. Again, back it up with examples of how you can demonstrate this thinking behaviour to achieve results. Any type of slang is also not advisable, along with “basically” – my pet hate.

DR NERIDA HILLBERG DIRECTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, FERRIS MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

My recent interviewing has seen the strong overuse of “cascade” and “reach out”. Candidates say they “cascaded” out a process but this tells me nothing. There is no detail about the candidate’s impact, involvement nor the outcome. I am equally frustrated by “reach out” which candidates use to describe how they interacted with internal or external stakeholders. It tells me nothing of their intention nor their process. I’m not looking for jargon or rhetoric in an interview. I seek concrete data on how your knowledge, skills and experience make you the best candidate.