Speaking poorly can cost you a job

By Andrea Kay

One word blew it for Jason. In a split second, he lost his chance to get to a second interview — just because he said, "orientated."

There is no such word, I told him in our mock interview as I helped him prepare for an important job interview. If you don't sound articulate and you mispronounce words, you can forget about being hired by this company, I said.

I hated to burst his bubble. But if I didn't, the interviewer would, without explanation. That person probably wouldn't say, "The reason you didn't get the job, Jason, is because you can't talk worth a darn." They'd just never call him back.

I am always pained to hear such mispronunciations. And these are not stupid folks. Many have college degrees. But somewhere along the way, they never learned the correct pronunciation.

The mispronunciation of the word "oriented" is probably the one you hear most often. It's gotten to the point that as I sense the word coming on in someone's sentence, I start to cringe inside.

My remark about his poor pronunciation made Jason self-conscious. It's mortifying when someone makes an unflattering observation about you — that you slouch or chew with your mouth open — all of which I have been known to point out to clients. But the first step to change is awareness.

If making a good first and ongoing impression is important to you, be aware of other common mispronunciations — and see if you make them. You could save yourself from being eliminated as a candidate for a job you really want or even being held back from moving up in your company.

On my list of such words I've accumulated are:

• "Revelant." The correct word is "relevant."

• "Moot." People get this confused with "mute." If you are saying that a point has no practical significance, you mean "moot." If you mean to say that someone is unable to speak, you mean "mute."

• "Realtor." The member of the National Association of Realtors who helps you buy or sell your home is not a "realator."

• "I have seen," not "I seen." This is a grammatical error as opposed to a mispronunciation. But it's so common, I couldn't go without mentioning it.

Here's an example of how the phrase may be used incorrectly: "I seen the manager tell his staff to ignore customer complaints until they call 10 times." The correct sentence would be: "I have seen the manager tell his staff to ignore customer complaints until they call 10 times." Then perhaps this manager would be fired for giving his staff such hideous advice.

• "Supposedly," not "supposably."

• "Especially," not "expecially."

• "Advice," not advise. People write or ask me all the time for my "advise." "Advise" refers to an action. So I can advise you on your career. "Advice" is something I can give you, like career advice.

My advice is to ask someone with your best interest at heart and who knows proper English to listen to you speak for the next 30 days. Ask them to be brutal, telling you when you mispronounce a word, misuse a phrase or use improper grammar. Then don't get mad at them. It might just help you get your next job or promotion.

Reach Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.