"Guru" and 15 other words to never use in an interview

Maybe you should never describe yourself as "dynamic" in an interview, but certainly not for the reason given here. The writer has committed a dictionary fallacy, assigning undue semantic authority to a particular dictionary definition. As Jesse Sheidlower, editor-at-large of the Oxford English Dictionary, put it, "dictionary definitions are written with a lot of things in mind, but rigorously circumscribing the exact meanings and connotations of terms is not usually one of them."

As for the word "dynamic", it may be bad form to use the word to describe oneself, but that doesn't mean it carries a negative connotation when applied to people. I'm willing to bet most employers would rather have dynamic employees than the alternative (lethargic ones?).

So let's all be dynamic, and not misuse our dictionaries.

Oh, please. Guru is fine if you can back it up. The problem is that *everyone* is using the same resume-building guides, so words get overused.

Here's a thought: as much as is prudent in a formal interview, be yourself. I've already seen several stories this year about do's and dont's for interviewing; most of them totally contradict one another. At some point, maybe after you're hired, who you really are will become apparent. And, who your employer really is will too. Hopefully you'll get along at that point. Obviously, if your natural inclination is to be woefully shy and avoid verbal details even though you are a fantastic web designer, well, you might have to get out of your shell for an interview a little bit. And on the other hand, I for one would be immediately skeptical of anyone who actually described themselves in person or on a resume as a "world class authority on results-oriented collaboration". But if that really is who you think you are and think that is the best way to say it, by all means don't hold back...

In the right context, every one of these words could effectively be used in a resume. The trick is to also provide a portfolio and interview that backs up those claims.

Unless and interview is skillfully put together half of these things cannot be shown in an interview. Showing, unless you have brought schematics, plans, samples, etc. will not take place until after the interview. Again it depends on how skillful the interviewer is and how imaginative the interviewee is.