How to say ‘I don’t know’

Don’t sound like a dunce just because you don’t have the answer. Try these tips for maintaining your professional demeanor, even when lacking a solution.

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How many of you have had a boss who expects you to know and remember everything? He calls demanding an immediate answer, yet he himself can’t remember that he asked you the same question two days ago. Saying “I don’t know” to such a boss is unwise. Doing so can make you seem unprofessional or uninterested in the question. You don’t want to end up looking like Jeff Spicoli from the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” (For those who haven’t seen it, here is the famous “I don’t know” clip from the movie.) Even more unwise is to give a wrong answer just to look good.

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