Stop saying these words in your interview

Interviews are your opportunity to sell yourself and highlight your professional value. But you might be wondering how to build yourself up without sounding arrogant. For many, striking the right balance between necessary self-assertion and humility can be tough. 

This challenge is especially true in the Filipino job market, where cultural values often discourage direct self-praise. To help you master this balance, we spoke with Ms. Elizha Corpus, an HR Consultant specializing in learning and development, to pinpoint the common pitfalls she hears in Philippine interviews and what you should say instead.  

Downplaying the “I” vs the “We” 

Cutting out overused adjectives is just the first step.  In a culture that values modesty and collective success, many Filipino candidates instinctively use ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ or use words that downplay their achievements. 

Corpus notes that candidates often use ‘we’ to avoid sounding nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko (praising one's own achievements). However, an interviewer needs to assess your personal contribution. “Frame our ‘I’ statements around contribution and impact, not self-promotion,” advises Corpus. “Start with an ‘I’ statement and then talk about what the team did together as a ‘we.’ For example: ‘I collected and analyzed customer data trends, which we then presented as a team to senior management.’” 

Stop Saying "Just" 

Phrases like “I just got lucky” (sinwerte lang) or “I just helped out” immediately downplay your capabilities. “‘Just’ is something that we use a lot. This tends to sound like we are lacking in the skill that we are describing,” says Corpus. Instead of saying, “I just helped with gathering data,” say: “I conducted data gathering from 10 interviewees, which contributed to our team’s analysis of customer trends and preferences”. 

Speak with conviction 

Beyond filler words like "um," be mindful of unintentional speech patterns common in the local context that signal a lack of conviction. 

“These unintentional speech patterns make candidates sound unsure of themselves,” says Corpus. “Similarly, ending statements with ‘diba?’ (right?) or using hedges like ‘I think,’ or ‘Maybe’ can make answers sound tentative.”  

While the use of po/opo shows respect, overusing them can dilute the impression of confidence you need to convey in a high-stakes interview. Practice pausing before you answer to replace these verbal hedges with solid conviction. 

The solution: Use the STAR method 

The best way to eliminate vague words is to structure your answers using the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). This method provides a mental model for nervous interviewees and ensures every response is backed by a clear, measurable story.  

S (Situation): While working as a Senior Associate, our team’s Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores dropped for two consecutive months due to long call handling times. 

T (Task): I took on the task of identifying the cause and developing a solution to improve the speed and quality of our support. 

A (Action): I analyzed call logs and identified that newer hires struggled with complex cases. I then created a reference guide and sample responses, making it a team effort to populate the document with their best practices.

R (Result): Because of this action, our team’s response time improved by 25% within a month, and our satisfaction scores rose from 82% to 92%. 

Corpus reminds jobseekers to “focus on showing what you did and why it matters for your team or organization—that’s how you will deliver an impactful and memorable response.”