It has been found that the HR managers often say things that leave interviewees or employees confused. These tricky phrases actually help you decoding some of the most common “carefully crafted” phrases you may hear. Decoding the tricky phrases by HR managers can be a tough task and it’s quite common for you to come up with the conclusions that are way off. Today I’m going to interpret some of the most common statements by HR managers to help you spend less time overanalyzing. So without further ado, let’s jump into those tricky phrases and what they actually mean.
“This is a stretch role.”
This phrase means that you will be expected to do a lot more than what has been mentioned in the job description. It might also mean that they have eliminated or consolidated some other roles into this newly created role that you are being interviewed for. As said by Tiffany Murray – a well-known HR consultant:
Make sure that you understand what is expected, and what the ‘stretching’ gets you from a salary and career-development perspective.
“The company just went through a transformation phase.”
This statement usually means that the company has recently gone through, either a downsizing session or the things are in flux so people have left and the jobs have changed. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is through crisis; hierarchical restructuring could also be the reason behind new hiring. So during the interview session, try to tactfully find out the reasons behind transformation to interpret where you may (or may not) fit into the new world order. If you get an opportunity, do ask about the impact of current organizational transformation on the morale of current employees.
“Growth opportunities are fluid for this position.”
According to many professionals, this statement from the hiring manager often means that the position you have applied for doesn’t have a clearly defined career path and it would depend on the circumstances that cannot be predicted yet. At times the hiring managers want to fill a position but they are unsure about how that job will map out on the hierarchy chart. The ambiguity on the candidate’s end can vary depending on his or her nature. If you love to take up challenges, you may view this job as sky’s-the-limit opportunity whereas if you prefer a clear direction and a pre-defined list of responsibilities, you may step back.
“We aren’t considering salary revisions this year, but we are offering you a title promotion.”
This carefully crafted statement can be considered as a lollipop from the company’s management. It means that the company is cutting overhead and you will have to work more for the same paycheck. I’m afraid but you cannot do much in such a situation. However, you should negotiate for an impressive title that could add to your professional profile.
“You’re our ____ expert! No one knows this job better than you.”
This phrase is usually heard by employees, when they request their company to shift them to another department or to an open vacancy. This phrase usually means that nobody else would do this work in this salary better than you and we cannot afford to lose you. In such kind of situation, you should let your boss know that you are looking to grow and expand your expertise so that you can gain additional perspective and make a more impactful contribution to the company.
Also Check: Does My Organization Need HR Representative?
I hope these five most common phrases would help you better communicate with the hiring managers in future. If I missed any of them, do share in the comments.
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