What do you find most distracting when you’re talking with someone or watching an interview or a presentation? People’s voices? What they're talking about? Or what they’re wearing?
Hiring managers tell us, the top three distractions when they’re interviewing job applicants are:
In 3rd place, people who play with their hair. And it’s not just women. There are plenty of post, post pandemic beards around. One of my clients said, “This is new for me, so I find myself playing with it a lot.” I told him, "This is your sphere of influence. Don’t give people anything to be distracted by.”
The 2nd biggest distraction? Adjusting our glasses.
When we get nervous or anxious we tend to slip into those unconscious habits, such as clearing our throats, cracking knuckles, or adjusting our glasses.
And #1? Using the word “like.”
If you or someone you know uses the inflammatory Filler, “like”---beware of the “Like-O-Meter.” It’s a simple device invented by Tevi Troy, a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, DC.
In a Wall St Journal Op-Ed, Mr. Troy describes how the “Like-O-Meter” works. He says,
"Before interviews with a prospective hire, I put a blank sheet of paper in front of me. I then make a hash mark every time the applicant uses the word, “like.” Too many, and I’m already thinking about the next candidate. If the interviewee keeps their “likes” to an acceptable number, they remain in the pool. When two finalists emerge, the person with the fewest “likes” gets the edge in a tiebreaker.”
Mr. Troy said he got the idea in the 1990’s, in an airplane magazine about McKinsey's interviewing process. Evidently, at one time, the international consulting company based its hiring on oral presentation skills. Naturally, most of the candidates had impressive academic credentials, so their oral skills were the determining factor.
All these years later, Mr. Troy does not tell the over-likers why they didn’t get hired. But he does tell the people who he has hired, that their low Like-o-Meter scores, helped them get the nod.
Mr. Troy said, “One woman was pleased that I had noticed her absence of “likes” and proudly told me that her background in theater had forced her to drop the verbal crutch.”
How can you use the “Like-O-Meter” yourself and/or encourage your direct reports to notice their filler words... such as, uhh, umm, you know, and like? For anyone, record yourself. If you’re preparing for a presentation or an important meeting. or a difficult conversation, put your cell phone on a bookshelf and press record. I call this a “Shelfie!”
Then take out that blank sheet of paper, listen-up, and tally your "likes" or whatever Fillers you want to lose. Finally, practice the Power of Pause. Every time you catch yourself starting to use THAT word, pause, then carry on.
With intention and practice, you can get rid of those "Words to LOSE" and get the job,
or the promotion, or the respect of ppl around you. And that builds confidence.
Thanks for reading.
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