It’s difficult to navigate the confusing world of workplace jargon, most of which feels completely meaningless.
After all, no hiring manager will tell you, “The hours are long and the boss is a jerk, but it’ll pay the bills.”
They always come at you with a more optimistic spin. Fortunately, one career coach is here to help us decode this stuff.
Career coach Boris Kiselev has seen all of this before.
Boris maintains an active TikTok presence, which you can find @careerwithboris . In it, he shares some good advice, insights into the world of career development, and some relatable observations that we can all empathize with.
What’s the dumbest thing you’ve heard from an HR manager?
Sometimes it feels like they’re never willing to give you an honest description of the job you’re interviewing for. Figuring out what they’re talking about entails navigating an ocean of buzzwords and euphemisms.
Here’s what they really mean?
Have you ever interviewed somewhere where they tell you that they work hard and they play hard, or that they’re like a big family?
As Boris explains, this basically means you’ll have no work-life balance, but you might get the occasional workplace pizza party.
Yeah, about being a family…
This video explains it well: if a company is trying to sell you on their start-up culture, or on being a family, it likely means that they’re going to expect you to work hard for your paycheck, and also to work hard for free.
Interviewing for a ‘hands-on’ manager?
If so, tell them your house is on fire and immediately leave the interview. If they tell you that they’re hands-on, it likely means that they’ll never leave you alone or trust you to do your job.
“We have a few other candidates, so we’ll be in touch.”
Ever hear this at the end of an interview? It’s disappointing, because you wanted them to enthusiastically hire you, but it kind of sounds like they’re not thrilled with you and would rather have anyone else.
Well, honestly, that’s exactly what it means.
A note about salary…
Some job postings are clear about salary, but most are not. Sometimes, a hiring manager will talk about how the salary and benefits are competitive for the right employee. What does this mean?
It means that, theoretically, they pay well, but they’re not going to pay you well.
“We’re constantly evolving as a company!”
This might sound the company sound unique and dynamic, but what it likely means is that the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing, and you’ll have a job description that changes every week.
Got any questions for the hiring manager?
If it’s the kind of question they can’t immediately answer, they’ll probably tell you that they’ll look into it and get back to you.
You might be waiting awhile, as they probably aren’t going to get back to you.
Navigating the job market is tough.
It’s easy to get despondent, and some of Boris’ videos reinforce this feeling. But on the other hand, resources like his TikTok page can help job seekers navigate these muddy waters.
Make sure to check out his TikTok page and then share your job search horror stories in the comments!
