The ‘But’ Is What Stops You From Getting Hired

Of all the words in the English language, none has a more negative influence than “but.”

When interviewing, the word “but” can be problematic because it:

• Weakens a statement. “But” often signals a contradiction or shifts away from a positive point, undermining your initial assertion.
• Implies a lack of confidence. Using “but” is likely to make you appear hesitant or uncertain about your qualifications or experience.
• Interferes with clarity. Adding “but” can complicate your responses and make them difficult to understand.
• Focuses on negativity. Instead of emphasizing your strengths and achievements, “but” inadvertently highlights potential weaknesses or shortcomings.

Alternatives:

• Utilize “and” to your advantage. When you want to add a point or elaboration, use ‘and’ instead of ‘but’ to maintain a positive flow. This simple change maintains your narrative’s positive trajectory.
• Use a transitional phrase. Choose a transitional phrase that’s related to the context of your response, such as “however,” “moreover,” “furthermore,” or “in addition.”
• Be direct and concise. Avoid unnecessary qualifiers or explanations. Focus on delivering a clear and impactful message.
• Practice your answers. Practicing common interview questions will boost your confidence and articulation while reducing the likelihood of unintentionally using “but.”

Examples:

• Rather than: “I’m excited about this opportunity, but I’ve never worked with Ozymandias accounting software.”
• Consider: “I’m very interested in your account clerk opportunity. It will challenge my more than 10 years of accounting experience as well as enhance my skill set.
• Rather than: “I have a strong work ethic, but I’m not always punctual.” (Yes, a candidate has said this to me. Interviews prove that job seekers are often their own worst enemy.)
• Consider: “During my seven years at Weyland-Yutani, I committed myself to meeting all deadlines and doing my job efficiently. I intend to make the same commitment here at Lacuna.”

The job seekers who are receiving offers in the current job market are those who are putting in a considerable amount of effort. I’m not about talking about job seekers who spend eight hours a day submitting applications to online job postings—the equivalent of playing the lottery—resulting in the accumulation of hundreds of “Thanks for your application” emails and then think it’s wise to post on LinkedIn, “In the past three months, I applied to 637 jobs and haven’t gotten one interview. The hiring system is broken!” as if boasting about your ad-hoc spray and pray job search strategy is a flex.

I’m talking about job seekers who:

• Have no sense of entitlement.
• Are intentionally strategic.
• Only apply to roles where their skills and experience match at least 95% of the employer’s ask according to the job posting. (The few and far between savvy job seekers acknowledge, and more importantly accept, that the 2025 job market is fiercely competitive and the probability of other applicants being a better match is high. Additionally, they acknowledge that employers aren’t in the “Give a chance business” to take a risk on a candidate who claims they’ll rapidly learn the skills so they’ll be able to meet the position’s expectations.)
• Thoroughly read the company site, connect with the company leaders, sift through online reviews, press releases, and media mentions, carefully analyze the job description, and prepare several “How I achieved” examples that incorporate numerical evidence—numbers are the language of business—mapping directly to the employer’s needs, wants and asks.
• Craft questions that demonstrate critical thinking instead of simply repeating questions suggested by some self-proclaiming career coach or ChatGPT. (Being original is a huge advantage when job searching.)
• Always include a compelling cover letter incorporating numbers to showcase why they’re the ideal candidate for the position, explaining why the recipient should read their resume.
• Optimize their LinkedIn profile and consistently strategically participate on LinkedIn to attract recruiters and employers.

This level of job search tactics is uncommon; thus, when I meet a job seeker who’s genuinely committed to achieving job search success rather than always seeking what is naively perceived as the easiest route to finding a job, they’re inspiring.

When a company seeks to hire someone to manage a team of 20, achieve an annual sales quota of $4M, support a product line that generates billions, or lead a global team supporting 100M+ users, employers understandably will do as much as possible to ensure they make the right hire. Therefore, when a hiring manager says to themselves, HR or their boss, “[Nick] could probably do the job, but…” that “but” is a killer.

“But can mean:

• Is [Nick] manageable/coachable?
• Is [Nick] reliable?
• Will [Nick] stay long enough to make a meaningful impact?
• Will [Nick] persevere when faced with a challenge?
• Will [Nick] take feedback well?
• Will the current team accept [Nick]?
• Will [Nick] person add to the team culture?
• Is [Nick] a team player or a walking ego?
• Will I have to hold [Nick’s] hand?

A job seeker can make all the right moves, “but…”

Employers don’t hand out jobs. It’s in their self-interest to question their gut feelings about a candidate to avoid making a misfire. If you’re having second, third, and fourth interviews without receiving an offer, consider whether your verbal and/or non-verbal communication is conveying a “but.” (read: creating doubts) 

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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.