When we are passionate about work and experienced in our career (with plenty of years’ track record to draw on) it can sometimes be a challenge to keep concise at interview. People can give too much information in relation to the questions they are asked. At Executive Leader and Senior Management level, an interview isn’t about demonstrating everything you know. It’s about demonstrating your suitability for that position through impactful and tailored communication. It’s also about projecting gravitas; a blend of confidence, credibility and calm authority.
So how do you ensure you make every word count?
1. Prepare ahead of your interview. My earlier blog has got you covered on the six things you won’t regret preparing in advance.
2. Practice saying your answers out loud. Time them. Shorten them as needed. You wouldn’t speak at a conference without practising, so don’t try and wing it at interview.
3. Listen to the question being asked and use your judgement in the moment to consider what they really want to hear. If they ask for one example, give one, not several. If they ask for something you did, don’t give your general thoughts on the topic, give them a specific example.
4. Summarise your career journey into a brief career statement, rather than a full chronological overview, unless you have specifically been asked for it. Here’s what to include when someone asks you to tell them a bit about you.
5. Lead with impact. Share the most impactful piece of information as a starting statement to your answer. My take on the classic STAR model R-STAR helps you lead with the result.
6. Give less context in your answers. Briefly set the scene then focus on the actions that you took and most importantly your quantifiable results. The interviewer can ask follow-up questions if they need to, but you can’t get the time back when you’ve given a long back story to a situation that didn’t demonstrate your results.
7. Ask for help. Find a professional friend (or Career Coach) who can help you. An exercise I do with coachees who are preparing for an interview is to send them a question on WhatsApp and they have to send a short reply (under 2 minutes for a ‘tell me about a time’ competency question) by voice note within an agreed period of time. (I only do this when they have asked me to!)
8. Stop talking. After you have answered a question succinctly, stop talking. In her book Gravitas, communication expert Caroline Goyder explains that people with gravitas speak don’t fill silence with unnecessary words. Instead, they deliver clear, well-chosen messages that land with impact. If helpful, write the acronym WAIT which stands for ‘Why Am I Talking’ as a reminder on your notebook.
9. Use nonverbal communication as well as verbal. Use your body language to show you are comfortable with silence. Make eye contact, have good posture, and don’t shy away from taking up space. Imagine you are speaking to a senior leader you know where there is two-way mutual respect.
By following these tips, you will demonstrate your credibility and impact. You will respect the interviewers time and leave more time for two way conversation and to ask questions about the opportunity.
If you’d like to invest in one-to-one support, have a look at my career coaching.