Horrible Phrases Job Applicants May Say To You: Be Aware + Beware of These Warning Flags

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) July 14, 2010 --

First, pre-employment tests can tell you if a job applicant has qualities similar to your best employees. If the applicant’s pre-employment test results look good, then you can feel comfortable spending time interviewing the applicant. When you evaluate job applicants, you can learn a lot about them . . . if you listen to how they talk. In my third book – “Hire the Best – and Avoid the Rest(tm)” – the most frequently quoted phrase I wrote goes something like this: “The behavior you see from a job applicant during your screening process is likely to be the very, very best behavior you ever will see from that person.” Isn’t that the truth?

For example, let’s say you want to hire a mannerly person. Well, if Applicant A is mannerly during your screening process, that person probably will act that mannerly or worse if you hire Applicant A. But, if Applicant B acts unmannerly during your screening process, then you may expect that person to act that unmannerly – or even worse – if you hire Applicant B.

7 PHRASES APPLICANTS USE – THAT ARE BIG WARNING FLAGS FOR YOU

Give pre-employment tests and job interviews and reference check job applicants. And also, carefully listen. Hear if they talk in the professional manner you want your company to display.
Here are several phrases applicants may say that can give you an awful lot of useful insights into the person you
might hire.

#1 & #2 & #3 = “KNOW” PHRASES
Examples include: “… you know?”, “I don’t know.” & “Do you know what I’m saying?”
When someone makes a totally clear statement, but ends it with the question, “… you know?,” I always wonder why they are asking me. Doesn’t the person realize s/he made a perfectly clear statement?

Next, resourceful people do not say, “I don’t know.” Instead, they say, “I’ll find out” or “I’ll ask someone who knows, and then I’ll tell you.” Beware of job applicants who fantasizes you feel impressed when they utter, “I don’t know.”
Important = You do not want to hire an someone who sounds dim, because they uncontrollably keep spouting “know” phrases, such as “…you know?” or “I don’t know” or “Do you know what I’m saying?” You crave to hire employees who are productive, dependable, and speak in a manner that represents your company well. Do you know what I’m saying?

4 = “NO PROBLEM”
Imagine a restaurant waitperson did something for you. You said, “Thank you.” Then, the waitperson said, “No problem.”

“No problem” is not a simple, innocent phrase. It clearly tells you the employee provided the service which was “no problem” to provide. You reasonably can wonder: If it was a “problem” for that employee to do, would the employee have done it?
When one of your customers pays for something, your customer expects your company to provide the service or product. But, if your employee says, “No problem” to the customer that implies the employee did his or her job only because it was “no problem” to do their job. Is that the impression you want to give your customers?

Or, if an employee helps a co-worker, and then says providing the help was “no problem,” that co-worker reasonably could wonder, “If I asked my colleague to do something he considered a ‘problem,’ would he have done it? It sounds like that employee may prefer work that is ‘no problem’ to do.” Result = Saying, “no problem” instantly makes the person seem lazy and uninterested in doing work s/he might consider a difficult or a “problem” to do.

5 = “MY PLEASURE”

This is one of the most bizarre statements your employees might say to a customer.” Reason: Your customers do not care if your employees get any “pleasure” from serving them. Important: Someone pointed out to me that when an employee does something for a customer and then says doing that deed was “My pleasure,” that could imply something highly inappropriate. [No, I will not explain this inappropriateness any further. Use your imagination. Do you know what I am saying?] Also, what if the employee did not take “pleasure” in serving your company’s customers? Would the employee do his job if s/he did not experience “pleasure”? Aspects of any job are not a “pleasure” to do. In fact, that often is why your customers pay your company to do it. Your customers do not care if your employees experience “pleasure” doing what they are paid to do. So, watch out if a job applicant gets carried away spouting “My pleasure.”

6 = “OH, REALLY?”
When you say something, and the person you talked to does not believe you, that person might feel like saying, “I don’t believe what you just said” or “I question the accuracy of what you said.” But, rather than appear rude, some people will listen to you, and then say, “Oh, really?” You need to hire job applicants who diplomatically respond to your customers and employees who say something the applicant does not believe is true or accurate.
Certain phrases uttered by job applicants speak volumes about them.

interviewing job applicants     job applicants     pre-employment tests