Free. In your browser. No score.

Say this, not that: the phrases interviewers dislike

Paste an answer you plan to give. The page marks the phrases that lose points, like "I'm a perfectionist", "to be honest", blame for an old boss or money as your first reason, and gives you a better line for each, with the reason in one sentence.

Your answer

Load this example:
Nothing leaves your browser. The check runs on this page; nothing is saved.

What to change

Paste an answer on the left, or load an example. Marked phrases show up here with what to say instead.

How this is checked

The page has a fixed list of about thirty kinds of phrases, written by the ClapAssist team. It looks for those exact words in what you pasted, marks each match, and shows the swap and the reason we wrote for it. That is all it does.

It does not understand meaning. It can mark a phrase that is fine where you used it ("honestly" inside a quote), and it can miss a weak answer that uses none of these words. So there is no score. Read each mark and decide; then say the answer out loud, because the ear catches what a list cannot.

See every phrase on the list, with the reason

Three swaps, side by side

What is your biggest weakness?
"I'm a perfectionist. I care too much."
Say: "I used to spend too long polishing small details. Now I set a time limit for each task and ask for a review early, so the details stop holding up the work."
Why are you leaving your job?
"My manager was toxic and the pay is bad."
Say: "I have learned a lot there. I now want to own a whole piece of work, and this role gives me that. I expect the pay to match the bigger role."
A question you cannot answer
"I don't know."
Say: "I haven't used that yet. Here is how I would work it out: first I would check..., then I would..."
Do you have any questions for us?
"No, I think you covered everything."
Say: "Yes. What would a good first ninety days look like for the person in this role?"

How to use it

1

Write it as you speak

Type the answer the way it comes out of your mouth, fillers and all. A polished written answer hides the words you actually say.

2

Fix the red ones first

Red marks are dodges and blame: they change what the interviewer thinks of you. Yellow ones are hedges and labels. Grey ones are filler and casual words; cut a few, not all.

3

Say the new version

Read the swaps, rewrite the answer in your own words, then say it once under a clock. It is not ready until it sounds like you.

Questions people ask

What should you not say in a job interview?

The usual ones: a fake weakness such as "I'm a perfectionist", anything bad about an old boss or company, money or leave as your first reason, "I don't know" with nothing after it, empty labels like "hard-working" with no proof, and filler words said every few seconds. Each has a better swap; this page lists them all.

Does this page give my answer a score?

No. It only looks for the phrases on its list and shows each one with a swap and a reason. A clean result means none of those phrases are in your answer; it does not mean the answer is good. Say it out loud next and judge it by ear.

Is my answer sent anywhere?

No. The check runs inside your browser. Nothing you paste is sent to a server or saved. Reload the page and it is gone.

Next on this path

For the call itself

This page checks words you wrote down. On the call, they come out before you can check them.

ClapAssist is a Mac and Windows app. It hears the question in your video interview and shows a first sentence to say, in short lines you can read while you talk. It stays out of screen share on every plan; only you can see it. Your resume and notes are never stored on our servers.

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