job & interview

5 Words to Avoid Saying During a Job Interview

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5 Words to Avoid Saying During a Job Interview</h1>
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Banish these five words or phrases from your vocabulary during a job search.</h2>
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Be careful. Uttering these five words or phrases will hurt the hiring manager's ears.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Picture it: You’re on a job interview meeting the hiring manager and upper management. It couldn’t go any better. You’re hitting the ball out of the park with specific anecdotes to illustrate your skills and relevant experience as a spot-on match for the position you’re pursuing. And then, suddenly out of nowhere, things take a turn. You blurt out one or two keywords that curtail the momentum and makes them wonder, and then you have to back track only to realize the best way to handle the situation is to not murmur another word relevant to that topic.</span></div>
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That’s right, we’re talking about several words to avoid at all costs during <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-interviewing" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-abcs-of-interviewing">any stage of interviews</a>.</div>
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<b>1. “Obsessed.”</b> Yes, obsessed can connote an intense, passionate emotion, but when you say it in a prospective job situation, hiring managers might immediately think about "Fatal Attraction." Considering the word technically means to talk or think about something too much, there’s another angle to it, too. Most hiring managers want to feel like they can hang out with the candidate in a job situation, that you fit well with the team and have something to shoot the breeze about aside from work. If you only live, breathe, eat and sleep work, you're not a very well-rounded individual.</div>
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<i></i><i>Words to use instead: </i>You can get the message across by saying you’re passionate, captivated by, immersed in or hooked by the industry.</div>
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<b>2. “And whatnot.”</b> Here’s the thing about fillers like “whatnot” and “you know” – <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/05/24/4-job-skills-to-leave-off-a-resume" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/05/24/4-job-skills-to-leave-off-a-resume">they’re just that</a>. They don’t explain anything further and don’t demonstrate anything of substance. They merely add empty words. Hiring managers want to see that you're articulate in a meaningful way, which sometimes means less is more. Think of some sentences as a tweet. Do you need to articulate what you’re saying in more than 140 characters aloud? Instead of saying, “I was responsible for leading a team of 10 people during year-end accruals and whatnot.” Simply delete the last two words and you’ll sound a lot more intelligent.</div>
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<i></i><i>Words to use instead</i>: Nothing. <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/04/15/3-ways-to-avoid-resume-buzzword-banality" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">Silence is your friend</a>. Try to visualize the sentence and simply cut out unnecessary words; this is particularly simple to do at the end of a sentence. Don’t stop there – try eliminating fillers when you’re immersed in casual conversations with family and friends. Ask yourself if those words help illustrate your point. Get into the habit of doing this casually and it will feel normal to no longer rely on fillers in interviews<strike></strike>.</div>
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<b>3. Curse words.</b> What’s a little F-bomb here and there, right? Just say no! Even if the interviewer is casual and speaks with a dirty mouth, you shouldn't go there whatever you do. It may be tempting if you’re caught up in the moment and accustomed to dropping a less obscene word here and there – it may even seem innocent. But there are certainly enough words in the English language to get your point across without having to swear. Again, practice reducing your swearing, even if it sounds corny: “When travel schedules got rearranged at the last minute and it was incredibly stressful, I remember thinking, ‘Fudge, how is this going to get done?’ I came up with a plan overnight and implemented it with my team.”</div>
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<i>Words to use instead</i>: Sometimes you can simply eliminate the profane word altogether; in other instances, feel free to go with a squeaky-clean substitute since it still gets the point across. That’s right – the rated G-version. Ask yourself if you would feel comfortable with your seven-year-old niece hearing the words you're saying, or if you'd feel comfortable with a transcript of your interview being published on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Keep it clean, just like you wouldn’t necessarily swear in a work-related email.</div>
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<b>4. “No.”</b> Any form of this word just comes across as closed off. Even using a phrase like, “That wasn’t my job but it was hard to say no …” <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/09/20/the-proper-way-to-say-no-in-the-workplace" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/09/20/the-proper-way-to-say-no-in-the-workplace">can be dangerous</a>, as the hiring manager may lose sight of what you’re saying and just hear the word “no.” And sure, in some instances you may need to describe where you pushed back or had to stand up for yourself by using the word, but you always want to turn the situation into a positive.</div>
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<i>Words to use instead:</i> You can often turn negative situations and descriptions into more optimistic, positive ones. If you’re explaining how something couldn’t be done because you were inundated with work, or that it wasn’t your job yet it was difficult to say no, you can say, "I really wanted to take on the additional work and say yes to a colleague, but I had to remain fixated on my main priorities so I had a discussion with my manager. We decided the solution was to hire a temp to help out for the season so I could get the top priorities accomplished for the department while the temp was able to handle paperwork and answer phone calls.”</div>
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<b>5. Describing a victim mentality</b>. If you’re tempted to dwell on the recession or the tight job market or the abundance of competition or the temperature of the weather outside as a reason why you haven’t been working for a while or why you haven’t gotten ahead, think again. Employers don’t want to <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/04/02/the-5-feeblest-excuses-for-failing-to-job-search" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;">hear excuses</a> even though they may valid. Sure, you can say something like, “I graduated from college in the middle of the recession and as you can imagine, competition for few jobs was fierce.” You’re stating a fact and then coming up with a solution.</div>
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<i>Words to use instead</i>: “I decided that was the ideal time to pursue a graduate degree and now that I’ve completed it and worked in retail for two years just to make ends meet, I’m ready to put my knowledge to good use.” Don’t play victim to your circumstances; employers want to see how you thought outside the box and took initiative even when economic situations or external factors may have played a role in telling your employment story.</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/17/5-words-to-avoid-saying-during-a-job-interview" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

5 Words to Avoid Saying During a Job Interview

5 Words to Avoid Saying During a Job Interview Banish these five words or phrases from your vocabulary during a job search. Be careful...

How to Quit Your Job in Style

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How to Quit Your Job in Style</h1>
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There's a right and a wrong way to leave your job.</h2>
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<img src="http://www.standard.co.uk/incoming/article9092855.ece/alternates/w620/29iquit2901a.jpg" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;" /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">There are many different approaches to quitting a job. Some people are so fed up and don’t care if they burn bridges, and may simply say “I quit!” and walk out. Others put a lot of thought and consideration into it before saying goodbye to ensure positive references in the future. Then there are people who are extremely loyal and</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> </span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/06/12/congrats-your-new-job-is-a-nightmare" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/06/12/congrats-your-new-job-is-a-nightmare">afraid to quit</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">, producing enough anxiety that they decide not to quit at all. Where do you fall?</span></div>
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The ideal spot is in between. It’s important to recognize that if you’ve gotten to the point of just high-tailing it out the door, you may have waited too long to go. One way to remedy this situation is to stay on the lookout for new opportunities. Yes, it’s time consuming and isn’t fun, but you don’t want to get so bitter that you cause yourself harm. There are professionally acceptable ways to behave, and you can damage your career by causing a hostile display at work, quitting or not. Post your résumé on major sites like Monster and CareerBuilder; if you're afraid your human resources department will see that you just posted your résumé, then you could sign up for daily or weekly <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs">job alerts</a> tailored to your interests instead. Most major job sites offer them.</div>
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You also don’t want to fall in the latter category, i.e., you don't want to stay to the end of your days to avoid the resigning process. While many employees feel a great sense of loyalty to their firm, it’s not reciprocal. In truth, all of us are replaceable in our jobs and companies will move on long after we’re gone. And when you’re really gone, do you want your gravestone to read “Sean was a loyal worker who did everything for his company?” Hopefully there are other things you’d rather be remembered for.</div>
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So, quit in style.</div>
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<b>1. </b><b>Timing.</b> People always ask, “Should I give <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/03/05/do-you-always-have-to-give-two-weeks-notice" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2013/03/05/do-you-always-have-to-give-two-weeks-notice">two weeks' notice</a> or longer before I leave?" Take a look at your contract and follow what it says; two weeks is the usual. While it may help your boss more to have a month or more notice, it’s not necessarily going to help you. You may find colleagues start treating you differently or excluding you from projects, and you’ll be ready to leave long before a month is up.</div>
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<b>2. </b><b>People.</b> While it can be very exciting to announce to friends and co-workers that you got into graduate school, you’re moving or you accepted your dream job, wait. Even among your closest colleagues, these things can slip out unintentionally in casual conversation. Your boss may find out long before you intended to tell her. That will make things – and you especially – very uncomfortable.</div>
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<b>3. </b><b>Paper.</b> Even if you're not required to submit a written notice of resignation, do it. Type up a simple note that states you're resigning from your position and request that your last day of work be whatever date you’ve chosen. You don't have to go into detail about where you’re headed or why <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/08/12/8-ways-to-graciously-quit-your-job" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/08/12/8-ways-to-graciously-quit-your-job">you’re leaving</a>.</div>
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<b>4. </b><b>Exit interview.</b> Your company may schedule an exit interview with HR. You're not obligated to tell them everything about why you’re leaving. In fact, if you really feel like trashing your boss, save that for close friends and family. HR may get a call from your future employers asking about your personal qualities.</div>
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<b>5. </b><b>Email.</b> Pay attention to the norm at your office. Have other people who’ve left the company blasted an “I’m leaving! See you at the beach!” message to all company employees, or only sent it to a select group? You should follow suit. If your boss or HR asks you specifically not to send something out, you should only send a note to your closest colleagues with your contact information, or do it in-person.</div>
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<b>6. </b><b>Old-fashioned notes.</b> A really nice touch is to compose handwritten notes for your close colleagues and boss. These should touch on why you’ve enjoyed working with them and include your contact information. This is something that people don’t easily forget.</div>
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Quitting is not easy, but it’s a given in life, and there is an appropriate and <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/10/25/9-frightful-ways-to-quit-your-job" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/10/25/9-frightful-ways-to-quit-your-job">inappropriate way</a> to do it at the office. While you will be moving on to a new adventure and out of sight, you won’t be out of mind if you follow these guidelines. Most companies ask for contact information for past employers and you want the feedback to be positive. You’re in control – don’t let their comments be otherwise.</div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/07/10/how-to-quit-your-job-in-style" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

How to Quit Your Job in Style

How to Quit Your Job in Style There's a right and a wrong way to leave your job. There are many different approaches to quitting ...

How to Get Your References in Tiptop Shape

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How to Get Your References in Tiptop Shape</h1>
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Pointers for first-time job seekers on picking the best professional ambassadors possible.</h2>
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<a href="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/b98989f/2147483647/thumbnail/418x278/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2Fd5%2Fb3%2F0f6a66b84616a5660d46a7c4cf84%2Fresizes%2F500%2F140219-jobinterview-stock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/b98989f/2147483647/thumbnail/418x278/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2Fd5%2Fb3%2F0f6a66b84616a5660d46a7c4cf84%2Fresizes%2F500%2F140219-jobinterview-stock.jpg" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.234001159668px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Excited about your first job interview? You should be! It’s your first step toward getting a “</span><a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs">real adult job</a><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">” after college. And while you’ve polished up your résumé and practiced interview questions, you may not have given much thought to references. After all, if you’ve had little to no experience in your industry, they can be a challenge to gather.</span></div>
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<b>Leveraging References With Little Work Experience</b></div>
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Employers know you just graduated and don’t expect you to have pages full of professional references. In fact, they might not expect you to have any references at all, so wow them by providing a list of quality people who can vouch for your skills, enthusiasm and passion.</div>
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If you haven’t worked much, consider your professors or career counselors <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/10/04/10-common-and-corrosive-job-reference-mistakes" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/10/04/10-common-and-corrosive-job-reference-mistakes">viable reference options</a>. Ray Bixler, CEO at SkillSurvey, a company that uses confidential, science-based reference assessments to help employers make better hiring decisions, says how you conduct yourself in class can be a good indicator of your potential at a company as an employee. “We know based on thousands of reference reports that some key behaviors that spell success in the workplace – such as showing up on time, completing assigned projects, working and communicating well with others, and paying attention to detail – will be evident to your professors and can convince hiring managers that you’ll be successful.” he says.</div>
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If your references aren’t sure what to put in a letter about you, guide them. If you ran your biology club for four years, encourage your biology professor to talk about your leadership skills there.</div>
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<b>Matching Up With What Employers Seek</b></div>
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Ultimately, an employer wants to get a sense that you will be <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/04/29/avoid-accepting-a-job-thats-a-bad-fit" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/04/29/avoid-accepting-a-job-thats-a-bad-fit">a good culture fit</a> and succeed at the role. That means your references should vouch for you coming to class/work on time, taking initiative and going the extra mile.</div>
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But Bixler says employers are also looking for red flags – indications that a candidate will not succeed. “We’ve found that when references mention that a candidate has a temper or is moody, or something along those lines, those candidates typically do not succeed on the job,” he says.</div>
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If you know you didn’t show up to class on time frequently, don’t ask that professor to be a reference. If you didn’t put your all into a volunteer position, hesitate before using your supervisor as a contact.</div>
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So before jotting down personal references, consider what that person would say. Would she first remember your hard work on a project, or that time you stormed out of class?</div>
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<b>Creating Your Reference Page</b></div>
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This should be a separate file with three to five references (the potential employer may specify a number, so go with that if they do). It should include the person’s name, job title, company, email, phone number and a brief note on your relationship.</div>
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Don’t include your reference sheet with your résumé when first applying. You can save your references until you're asked to provide them.</div>
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<b>Choose the Best References for the Job</b></div>
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As you get more work experience your reference list may change. As you develop more contacts, you may be able to zero in on ones that speak best to the job for which you’re applying. <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/05/31/mastering-the-art-of-giving-a-job-reference" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2013/05/31/mastering-the-art-of-giving-a-job-reference">Professional references</a> trump personal references.</div>
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You'll want to provide references who have worked with you recently and who can provide specific insight into how you work. Most employers will want to speak with a manager or two and a colleague who has worked directly with you. If your position will entail managing people, the company will most likely value speaking with a previous direct report.</div>
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Keep your reference list updated to better reflect the right contacts who can help you get <a class="" href="http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-best-times-to-switch-jobs" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/the-10-best-times-to-switch-jobs">your next job</a>.</div>
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<b>Managing Relationships With Your References</b></div>
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Before you mention a reference to a potential employer, ask the reference if it’s OK. There’s nothing worse than being blindsided by a call from a potential employer and your reference isn't prepared. If you get the sense that the person is uncomfortable being asked, find someone else. You want people who will gush about you and help you get the job.</div>
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Stay in touch with those contacts, as you may need them down the road for future jobs. Keep them in the loop on what’s happening in your career, and be sure to thank them for helping you get there. An easy way to stay in touch is through LinkedIn. That way, your reference contacts can see where you are professionally with a glance at your profile.</div>
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<b>Lindsay Olson</b> is a founding partner and public relations recruiter with Paradigm Staffing and Hoojobs, <a class="" href="http://hoojobs.com/" style="color: #005ea6; text-decoration: none;" title="Link: http://hoojobs.com/">a niche job board</a> for public relations, communications and social media jobs. Hoojobs was voted as a Top Career website by Forbes. She blogs at LindsayOlson.com, where she discusses recruiting and job search issues and is chief editor of the HooHireWire – The Hoojobs Guide to Hiring & Getting Hired.  </div>
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<a href="http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/06/26/how-to-get-your-references-in-tiptop-shape" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a></div>

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