How to Respond to Overused Job Interview Phrases

Have you ever heard a job interviewee tell you that he's not a "people person" or a "self-starter"? Unfortunately, these and other phrases favored by applicants are repeated so often that they've become empty clichés. As the hiring manager, however, your job is to push candidates beyond routine rhetoric and press for details that convey whether they're likely to add value to your IT department. With this in mind, OfficeTeam has come up with the following "top seven" list of overused phrases from job seekers. Better yet, the list is accompanied by follow-up suggestions for hiring managers to encourage these would-be future staffers to go beyond the trite and obvious and offer revelations that actually say something. Ultimately, it's a matter of getting job applicants to "show, don't tell" in providing concrete specifics about their strengths. More than 1,300 senior managers in the U.S. and Canada took part in the research.