The first objective in a job interview is to be able to stand out from the competition. Some key words can help, Barry Drexler a coach who has conducted over 100 thousand interviews.
With more than 30 years of experience in companies such as Lehman Brothers and Lloyds Bank Group, Drexler says there are 12 “powerful” words that should be used in a job interview.
1.Leadership
Even if the vacancy is not coordinating or leading, employers like to hear that the candidate has some leadership experience and that they can lead a team if necessary. If the place is to lead, this word is really inescapable.
The word leadership will have more effect than others as a supervisor. So it’s best to say, “I led a team or ran a team.”
2.Strategy and Plan
Employers also like candidates with strategic thinking. To prove that you have skills in this area bring to the interview all the strategic plans you led or any work that has encompassed this type of competence.
Interviewers also appreciate when people say they have outlined a plan because it shows the ability to analyze details and try to perform the tasks in the best way and in the best possible time.
Having a plan also shows that the candidate is a visionary person, says Dexler, and has the ability to develop a project that will deliver results.
3.Create
The word create is powerful. For example, “I created this strategy” sounds stronger than “I wrote this strategy”.
4.Results
The ears of the employers get excited when they hear that the candidate can get results and have the ability to achieve specific goals. The word results also allows you to print credibility to the speech.
Drexler suggests that instead of the candidate stating “I did it” should replace “My results were”.
5.Influence or persuade
The word persuade or influence shows that the candidate is able to have power over others, which for many functions, especially in the area of marketing, is crucial. Often people make the mistake of stating “I introduced this plan and the managers agreed.” To get more power with the words Drexler advises to state: “I persuaded managers to approve my plan” or “I influenced the approval of the plan”.
6.Recommend or Suggest
Instead of saying “I asked my boss to approve the plan,” the candidate must choose other words like “I recommended approval of this plan” or “I suggested that we approach the plan in the sense of …”
These last sentences show the capacity to develop own plans and to argue in their favor, without giving idea that one is asking for a simple permission.
7.To collaborate
We rarely work in isolation today. Having experience working with other shows flexibility and adaptability to new tasks. “I collaborated with another department” is much more powerful than “I worked with another department”.
