^{This article originally appeared on Business Insider.}

I've been in recruiting for almost 10 years and a hiring manager for more, working in education, nonprofits, and technology.

When interviewing a hiring manager as a candidate, my advice is to always be very careful about what you share. As with any conversation, you want to consider what matters to the person you're talking to when thinking about what information will be most relevant or compelling to them.

There are some things you should never say. Here are three things I would never mention in an interview:

1. Challenges in previous jobs or with your job search

In an interview, the hiring manager asks someone who makes them safe they can deliver strong results for the company. Some things I've heard job seekers share before — like challenges at previous jobs or how tough the market is — can distract the hiring manager from seeing them as the strongest candidates.

It may even leave them thinking the problem is the candidate.

They may ask:

• Is this candidate struggling to land a job because of the market, or are other companies noticing something troubling?

• it was theirs The previous manager is really difficult to work, or are they the hardest?

• Was the culture really toxic or high pressure, or were they underperforming?

There is no reason to raise being interrupted or leaving under adverse circumstances. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong in the past, focus on what excites you about the future. Here are some things you can say instead:

• “I'm pushing for the right opportunity and I really see that with this role, especially because I've planned over 30 virtual events over the last few years and I really see that playing to my strengths.”

• “I'm really looking forward to working under a manager I can learn from – having seen some of the initiatives you've led here, I know I can add value and continue to grow in my role under your leadership.”

• “One of the things that stood out to me when I read reviews about working here is the trust and autonomy. I've worked in some environments that were more rigid – I think this will really allow me to bring my creativity and thinking skills strategic in my role”.

2. Future parental leave, medical needs, planned vacations, etc.

Employers are it is not legally allowed to discriminate against jobseekers who are pregnant or who may need accommodation, but it is very difficult to prove that these are the reasons a jobseeker was not considered for a role. Employers may not realize they are doing this because of implicit bias.

They are not allowed to ask and you are under no obligation to disclose this information during an interview process.

If you bring up one of these topics in your first conversation and you're one of the five strong candidates, they might just decide to move on with other people. At that point, they're not invested enough in you yet to discuss possible accommodations.

When you bring parental leave, accommodation needs or vacation plans later in the process, such as at the offer stage, the hiring team is now really excited about you and may be more eager to find out how to find accommodation as needed. You've shown them that you can have a bigger impact than any other candidate, so they're now more likely to be motivated to find a solution that works for everyone.

3. Being overly enthusiastic about compensation, benefits, and perks rather than work and opportunity for influence

Companies that offer great compensation and benefits they do this because they want to attract great talent. However, they want to hire people who are passionate about the work and can move the needle. Your job is not to convince them that they are a great employer; it's about convincing them that you can deliver great results.

Focus on what you can give and not what you can get.

Why do you love this job? Talk about why you want the current position and the company's product or service, not that the high compensation piqued your interest.

What makes you suitable for the role? Emphasize the skills you bring that will make you a good fit and how they will translate into influence, not that you prefer to work remotely.

What excites you most about this opportunity? Discuss a specific initiative or workflow that excites you, not that you really want a more flexible culture.

In a competitive job market, employers have plenty of exceptional talent to choose from. They want to hire people with low risk and high reward. The more you can do to demonstrate the impact you can have and minimize any concerns about your ability to contribute, the better your chances of being hired.

Bonnie Dilber is the Business Recruiting team lead at Zapier. Before moving into technology, she spent years in education and nonprofit organizations as a teacher, program manager, and recruiting executive.