From time to time, local companies and nonprofits ask me to serve on their interview committees, and when my schedule permits I am always happy to do that. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in the community, and I’m a pretty good judge of character, so the experience is usually a “win-win” for everyone. I use the phrase “win-win” in a most tongue-in-cheek manner because I cannot stand the phrase “win-win.” When a recent interviewee used that phrase and “synergy,” “best of breed,” “new normal,” “next generation,” and “game changer,” all within his introductory remarks, I wanted to interrupt with, “Sir, we will be together for another 50 minutes or so. Could we ask you to talk like a real person for the remainder of the hour?” When the candidate concluded his interview by stressing that he was a “people-oriented team player” -- a relief because all the slots for cut-throat introverts had already been taken -- I had to practice extreme facial-expression management not to sigh or do what my husband calls “that eyebrow thing.”
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