One unfortunate communication pattern I frequently notice in interview coaching sessions is candidates overusing the phrase “I think”, even when they are highly experienced and capable. Phrases such as;
“I think I’m a strong communicator.”
“I think I’d be a good fit for this role.”
“I think I handled that situation well.”
At first glance, it sounds harmless, but the problem is that inserting “I think” before a statement can weaken your message and make you sound uncertain about your own expertise, even when you are highly capable and qualified.
I recently listened back to an ABC podcast interview where I was the guest, and was quite horrified by how often I said “I think” before providing expert advice. Even though I was speaking about a topic I knew extremely well, the language softened my message and made me sound less confident. In fact, it made me cringe every time I heard it 😬
Why do we do it?
For many people, particularly women, phrases such as “I think”, “maybe”, “just” and “probably” become unconscious habits. Often, this language is used to avoid appearing arrogant or overly self-promotional. Many of us were raised to be humble and not “talk ourselves up”. However, in an interview setting, this type of language can unintentionally weaken your message and diminish your impact.
The good news is that once you become aware of it, you can change it. Here are a few stronger alternatives to practise before your next interview:
👉Instead of “I think I’m a strong leader”, replace with, “One of my key strengths is leadership”
👉 Instead of “I think I handled that client well”, use “I handled that situation by…”
👉 Instead of “I think I’d be suitable for this role”, try using, “My experience aligns strongly with what you’re looking for.”
Some other strong sentence starters that I now have on my noticeboard include:
“My experience has taught me…”
“What I’ve found is…”
“A pattern/trend I keep seeing is……”
“I’m confident in my ability to…”
“The results show……..”
“I offer strong experience in……”
How do we avoid using this language?
1) Record yourself
One of the best things you can do when preparing for interviews is to record yourself answering interview questions. Most people are completely unaware of the language patterns, filler words and nervous habits they use until they hear themselves back. If you record yourself, you may notice filler words or poor habits such as:
👉 “Um”
👉 “Just”
👉 “Like”
👉 “You know”
👉 Speaking too quickly
👉 Rambling
👉 Downplaying achievements; or
👉 Apologising unnecessarily
2) Work with an interview coach
Awareness is the first step to improving your communication and interview presence, however, most candidates receive very little meaningful feedback from employers or talent acquisition teams after interviews (if they receive feedback at all). Generic comments like “we needed more depth” or “you didn’t sound confident” do little to help you improve.
If you really want honest, constructive feedback, I strongly recommend practising with an experienced recruiter or an interview coach. A coaching session or a mock interview can help you identify the subtle habits that may be undermining your performance, things that are often impossible to pick up on yourself.
