There are a lot of annoying things that happen when people are looking for a job, and there are a lot of equally annoying things that happen when people are hiring.

Here is a list of phrases to keep out of any type of job search conversation, be it a call to a company, a candidate or even a recruiter. People say it, and as much as actions may speak louder than words, words still do have voices.

1) “Just Call…”:

If I needed to “just call” someone and it was so easy, why wouldn’t I have done it in the first place.

The Alternative: You can’t say “just call” without meaning, “listen, I know that abc is this, and I will introduce you via email, LinkedIn or other means with pleasure.” Why? Because this “just call” becomes a validation that the person on the other side has something to offer, but you can’t help.

2) “To Be Honest”:

When you say “To be honest”, does this mean that you are lying to me throughout the rest of our conversation?? Unless you are a pathological liar there’s no reason state “to be honest” as technically you really should be honest all the time!!

The Alternative: Just keep this phrase out of the sentence and keep talking.

3) “Do Me A Favour”

Doing you a favour is really a non-issue if you work together, but, if you are not directly working in the same office this could be an issue. The other person does not need to “do you a favour!” They can: listen to your needs, see if they can help, and respond accordingly. People can only do so much for so many people. This includes companies. Remember a company really is a bunch of people working for the same brand with the same goal… They owe you nothing.

The Alternative: I am trying abc. Do you mind if…is it possible for…what do you think about…??

4) “Not A Problem”

Some things and requests are actually problems. So PLEASE do not say “not a problem” when the request could be a problem, as at the end of the day, if you don’t deliver, you will absolutely look like a problem.

The alternative: Let Me See What I Can Do…

5) It’s All Good:

You aren’t in high school anymore, it’s time to stop hiring those inner feelings. Saying “it’s all good” is like my husband asking me “what’s wrong?” and I say “nothing”. If something is missing, please do say so!

The Alternative: I was just wondering because you had mentioned abc, do you think it should really be xyz?. or I completely understand as I need to do abc and xyz. Great! Thank you! Or “You are missing this, so unfortunately it just won’t work, (for now, later, or ever), thank you.”

BONUS: Call Us Back:

Candidate: If you truly don’t want someone to call, email, text or contact you via any type of radar, say so!

Clients: There’s nothing worse for a candidate than being left with the hope that they have a 1 in a million chance in getting a job. Be honest.

The Alternative: Tell the truth.