Can’t tell you the number of very educated candidates over the years that in their speaking, become fond of metaphors…which is OK…however…they mangle the metaphor.
They say things like “pass mustard“, instead of “pass muster”…”took off like haywire”…instead of “wildfire”…”preaching to the congregation“…instead of “choir”…I have had different candidates tell me they wanted to “hit the ball running,” “give their best foot forward,” or said, ”I’m living fat on the hog” and the “cream will rise to the crop”…”you are barking up the wrong dog”…”eats at my crawl”…”brightest block in the box ”…
I could go on, but you get the message. We have all heard folks do this at times…we are amused and kind of laugh. But in the interviewing situation, they can be disastrous. This is especially true if they are repeated. They are distracting and, in most cases, don’t reflect well on the person being interviewed. Soooo, practice interviewing. If you have a tendency to mangle your metaphors or misapply your analogies, have someone help you or get yourself some and google a few. If you are going to lose a deal, don’t let it be over something so simple to correct. So, keep your nose to the ground and your ear to the grindstone…practice interviewing…watch the pictures you describe…
As long as we are at it, here are some others:
“As long as that dog hunts, we’ll ride him,”
“It’s the best thing since sliced Spam.”
“Never judge a book by its title.”
“Never put all your eggs in one omelet.”
“The guy just couldn’t cut the custard.”
“That guy is a wolf in cheap clothing.”
Oh, brother…
