Can use of slang mar an interview?
Dictionary.com defines slang as a “very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid and ephemeral than ordinary language”. There is ordinarily nothing wrong in slang, as their usage eases tension and makes us get along well in informal discussions. The problem however is, since more of our daily interactions are informal, we tend to be so used to slang that we find it difficult to set a limit as they encroach formal discussions.
Yet, slang is still acceptable in formal settings to reasonable extent. For example, in corporate environments, people often use the slang ‘love letter’ to mean ‘tough email’. For instance, you send a mail to your colleague to get something done and, meeting him at the office corridor or canteen, you tell him ‘have you seen my love letter?’, of course, with a grinning face(facial expression is important in reading meaning to unusual statements, else it would be taken at face value or misinterpreted). Love letter is also sometimes used as euphemism for nasty emails, e.g ‘have you read MD’s love letter?’. And by nasty here, I mean strongly-worded. Apart from these general buzz words, some other slang are specific to some organizations or industry. For example, some banks use ‘monkey’ to mean ‘shifting blame’.
However, one formal forum you must avoid using slang is during interviews. We are so used to some slang that we can hardly shed them even during the most formal of discussions. I will narrate two person experiences.
1, Yes, not yeah: In 2008, after scaling all the recruitment stages of a company operating in Nigeria’s energy sector, I was to meet their Chief Operating Officer (COO), for what they called ‘chat’. I met her in her office and we continued to have our discussions. In the course of the discussion, I needed to answer a question in the affirmative. I said ‘yeah’. The COO, a no-nonsense, told me never to answer her with ‘yeah’ again. I apologized. The discussion continued. It didn’t take up to 2 minutes before I answered ‘yeah’ to a another question again. She obviously noted, but refused to correct me the second time. She must have been thinking, ‘this boy’s case is beyond redemption’. Lol. So funny. I was corrected, and within two minutes I committed same blunder again. Well, I got the job. But if not because it was just a final chat, more or less a formality, it could have cost me the job. Two lowpoints: one, using slang in formal job discussion; two, and costlier, repeating same error within the space of two minutes even after correction. I may not have been lucky.
2, Management, not guys: Although the use of the word ‘guys’ is so common that one would think it is acceptable in formal discussions. After all, Obama also uses guys, you may want to say. But we are talking about job interview here – that’s the most formal of forums you can think of. You are not making an extempore political speech. I fell into this trap once. Sometime early last year I was interviewing with an oil marketing company. I was then asked: why do you want to leave your current job? Keeping to one of the golden rules of interview that, don’t bad-mouth your current employer, I said something like this: no doubt my current company is doing a very good job. XXX and YYY are great guys, managing the company well and doing Nigeria proud in the sector………bla bla”. One of the interviewees, a woman, cut in and asked me who I was referring to as ‘guys’. I said management of my then company, especially XXX and YYY, the topshots. She then told me not to use guys for my management again and the interview continued. The point here is, in informal discussions, you can easily use guys for anybody. We often make statements like, “Jonathan is a good guy but…”, “I admire Mike Adenuga, the way the guy is blazing trail in every sector is phenomenal” etc. These are things we say in informal settings and are so used to them we find it difficult to adjust in strictly formal discussions, especially job interviews.
Although these may not matter at executive or top management level interviews or even interviews being conducted by foreigners, especially Americans and Britons. For instance, I don’t think an American interviewer will take exception to the use of ‘guys’ in formal interviews, but for low level positions, especially if Nigerian, the farther you stay away from slang and buzz words, the better for you.
One last thing : gender-sensitive? On the two occasions I was corrected for use of slang, it was done by a woman. For the first one, I can say it’s one-on-one chat and the lone interviewer was a woman, but on the second occasion, there were two other men in the interview panel. Did someone say women are more sensitive to little things in interviews? I leave that for you to conclude.
