Get Buzzed

There isn’t much more tiresome and annoying than the end-of-the-year Top 10 list. They are everywhere, especially this year, because it’s also the end of the decade. But they do have a way of sucking you in. Before you know it you’re flipping through the Top 10 iPhone Apps or the Top 10 Michael Jackson songs or my favorite list name “The Top 10 “Top 10” lists of 2010 predictions .

I admit, I check out the lists now and again. Like the other day for instance, I found these lists were good for a chuckle and very eye-opening to what’s happening in the workplace.

-10 dumbest things said at job interviews compiled by CareerBuilder.com

We’ve all put our foot in our mouth at one time or another, but you’d think job applicants would know better. Regardless of nerves or an outgoing personality, some lines just make you wonder how candidates made it this far. Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s best not to forget a healthful dose of tact:

1. Q: Why did you leave your last job?
A: “I have a problem with authority.”

2. Q: Do you have any questions?
A: “Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go.”
A: “If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?”

3. Q: Why should we hire you?
A: “I would be a great asset to the events team because I party all the time.”

4. Q: Why are you looking for a job?
A: “Cigarettes are getting more expensive, so I need another job.”

5. Q: What are your assets? (as in strengths)
A: “Well, I do own a bike.”

6. Q: What are your weaknesses?
A: “I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won’t get mad at you.”

7. Q: When have you demonstrated leadership skills?
A: “Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that.”

8. Q: Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it
A: “I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement.”

9. Q: Have you submitted your two weeks’ notice to your current employer?
A: “What is two weeks’ notice? I’ve never quit a job before, I’ve always been fired.”

10. Q: Random responses
A: “May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night.“

- Top 10 most irritating office phrases
Everyone’s got their verbal pet peeves, but odds are good you and your co-workers have more in common than you think when it comes to phrases that should never be spoken in the office. After performing extensive research, scholars at Oxford University and author Jeremy Butterfield have devised a list of the ten most irritating phrases uttered by humans. This top ten list appears in Butterfield’s latest book, “Damp Squid,” which was comprised from books, papers, magazines, journals, broadcast media and other sources:

1. At the end of the day
2. Fairly unique
3. I personally
4. At this moment in time
5. With all due respect
6. Absolutely
7. It’s a nightmare
8. Shouldn't of
9. 24/7
10. It’s not rocket science

In addition to these expressions, Butterfield also came up with a runners-up list of phrases. Although it’s populated by office lingo like “think-tank” and “synergy,” the words “literally” and “ironically” nabbed honorable mention for being used incorrectly, or out of context the most often.

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