Proceed With "Like" Caution
It’s our self righteous, hypocritical rant. We all do it and we love to judge others for it! It’s the big, fat, white elephant in the job interview room. This elephant has been around long enough that it can now legally drink. We can sometimes ignore it, but this big, fat, white elephant just sits there waving its big ole’ trunk back and forth daring us to address it.
“Like yeah, Mr. Hiring Manager, like, I’ve had a really, really great job, like, at a bank like, helping people open like, accounts and in general working with their, like loans. I like, love it!”
Yes, the white elephant is the chronic, excessive, and incorrect usage of the word "like". This word is now the seemingly socially acceptable filler word for everyday conversation. It is used in the same way as “um” and is now the “little black dress” of filler words - always available in our vocabulary closet ready to comfortably wear!
Filler words are used to delay expressing an actual idea. It’s a verbal pause and adds no content to the actual discourse. At times, the word "like" is used as a filler for emphasis by the speaker or to allow the speaker a second to think before continuing.
The word "like" is a very useful word in the English language. Referring back to your English 101 class, this word can function as a verb, preposition, adverb, noun, and adjective. As you can see this word already has a full time job, so why have it work overtime as a filler word too?
I dare say that most people today who regularly misuse this word actually know the origin of the "like" trend. It was the early 1980’s when a group of teenagers and young women from the San Fernando Valley in California began hanging out at the trendy, new Galleria Mall. They became known as Valley Girls and their stereotypical speech was known as “Valspeak”. The misuse of the word "like" became the hallmark of this unique dialect. Then, in 1982, Frank Zappa, who hated Valspeak, recorded “Valley Girl” with his daughter, Moon Zappa. To his surprise, the song became a hit and the "like" epidemic was born.
The incorrect usage of this word crosses all socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic barriers. No longer just for young women and girls, the nytimes.com reported that in 2011, Dr. Mark Liberman conducted an analysis of 12,000 recorded phone conversations. He found that young people did indeed use "like" more than older people and “men used it more frequently than women.” So we are all equal opportunity offenders!
Most of us do it and probably don’t even realize our oral sin! In order to remedy the issue, you need to be aware of it. You may want to ask a really honest friend to tell you if you do indeed say "like" constantly. SankinSpeechimprovement.com recommends an exercise for those who are serious about exorcising this annoying habit from their vocabulary. It involves recording a story that you may tell a friend and then counting the number of times you say like. Afterward, repeat a few sentences at a time omitting the word "like" until you can tell the story without using the word.
It will take practice to change the "like" habit but you can do it! The effort will be rewarded when you are able to train yourself to scan your speech for the overuse of this word. Your conversational speech will be much more articulate, clear, and concise.
It is highly distracting when a person continually uses "like" in conversation. It can prevent the listener from truly focusing on what is being said, causing the intended message to lose its emphasis. Continued, repetitive use can cause the speaker to appear immature, uneducated, and unprofessional. The listener may question the speakers confidence in themselves.
In a job interview, should a candidate repeatedly say "like", a hiring manager may wonder whether the candidate will use it repeatedly with clients or team members and how this will be negatively interpreted. After all, the candidate will be representing the organization and clear, precise communication is paramount especially during professional presentations or at event gatherings. Habitual usage may seriously hinder your chances of being hired!
Now, to be real, it is a fact that candidates will indeed say "like" during a job interview. No one is perfect and it slips out. It is not recommended but the term is used so much now that as long as it is not too repetitive and offensive to the listener it is generally accepted and won’t drop the candidate’s IQ too much!
Recently, I was working with a young woman who did not use the word "like" in her speech pattern! It was quite a surprise and very refreshing. Her speech was straightforward and articulate. Her conversation flowed without interruption. The simple difference of omitting the word "like" gave her a gravitas as she solidly communicated her points, setting her apart from other young people I’ve worked with.
The "like" epidemic has been with us for over 35 years and probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. We all do it and we all don’t like it! It is best if it is curbed from vocabularies and especially during job interviews, but before we judge someone too harshly for this verbal faux pas, let us look in our own verbal mirror!
I offer a free ½ hour introductory job interview coaching session. Contact me today to prepare for your tomorrow!