Complexity Is a Tell
For a long time, I thought talking plainly meant you couldn’t think deeply.
I would sit on video interviews with my camera on, secretly worrying about the other candidates. I wondered if they sounded sharper, or if their answers had better structure and bigger words. I don’t talk in layers. I just say what I mean and stop, which made me feel like I was missing something everyone else had.
Then the job offers started coming in.
The feedback was always the same - people said I was easy to talk to and a great fit for the team. I used to think that was just a polite consolation prize. Turns out, it was the whole point.
Hiring managers aren’t looking for someone to blow them away with fancy words. They just want a candidate who makes the job feel easier, someone who gets straight to the point and leaves them with a clear head. That’s the person who gets a callback.
Sure, some conversations need technical depth, but most don’t. Usually, people just want to feel understood. When a call ends, they want to feel good about the conversation, not just relieved that it’s finally over.
You can’t fake that by using big words. Either you’re actually connecting with the person, or you’re not. Speaking plainly isn’t a weakness - it’s just a lot harder than it looks.