Frequently in this space you have been encouraged to be brief in your responses to interview questions, on resumes, etc. The encouragement continues! It is important to be clear and concise in your written and verbal communication with potential employers. You want to retain their interest, not whack them over the head with too much detail. Candidates all too frequently provide too much detail. It happens! While there are exceptions, on the whole it is a turn-off to interviewing staff who are mostly interested in learning as much about you as they can in the least amount of time. Professional interviewers or not, these folks want to determine if you are appropriate to move forward in the hiring process or to be dropped from further consideration as quickly as possible.
Maybe this little reminder will help clarify things: Ostensibly, everything in job search is about one thing: “How do your skills and experience meet the needs of the employer?” Your resumes, cover letters, online profiles, etc., must all focus on providing a succinct contextual response to that single question. Define what you know and how you do what you do that is of value to that particular employer. So, as you are formulating your responses to any job search related inquiry, think about what the employer needs to know about your skills and experience, focusing on how they specifically relate to the position being applied for.
And how do you find out what’s important to that employer? Basic research and reading about the company will usually reveal enough about their primary goals to craft into your responses. Always research the companies where you’re applying. Find their annual reports, look for their name in newspapers & magazine articles (digital or hard-copy versions), industry trade publications, etc. Try to learn as much as possible about the particular departments and projects where you hope to soon be employed. Spend whatever time it takes to uncover the details you need to address their questions with relevance and context, as well as with brevity and clarity.
Keep in mind that not all interviewers have the same experience conducting interviews – from HR or not – let alone as deep an understanding of your field as maybe you do. Try to “read the room.” Some inquisitors might be very technically oriented in their perspective of a prospective hire, while others may concentrate on the candidate’s sorting, communication or leadership skills – even for the same position. All the more reasons to be brief and concise.
Whether you’re interviewing with an individual or a committee, keep your content limited to the most relevant of what was asked. Avoid the fine details. If they want the minutia, they’ll ask for it! Think of it as ego management. It is imperative to try not to let your pride and satisfaction with your previous accomplishments overshadow the relatively limited and focused information the employer needs to hear and see.
And who are the biggest abusers of this practice? Technology and technically-oriented applicants are among the biggest offenders when it comes to providing too much information in their interviewers and in their portfolios. While striving to provide details about their past experiences, they frequently overdo it, with details that usually do not matter to their interviewer, even when their inquisitor is equally savvy. Regardless of the industry, this validates the reasons to prepare for your interviews by creating a few PAR statements (problem, action, resolution) that clearly illustrate situations that you made better. Almost anything you’ve done at work can be presented as a PAR if you take the time to play with the content to come up with something short and to the point and that keeps you from going too far.
So, when is too much, too much? Like I said, read the room. If your interviewer stops making eye contact with you, looks disinterested, yawns or is distracted by almost anything, you might be going on too long. If a half hour has gone by and you’ve only answered one question, you’ve gone on too long. If their expression is one of confusion, you’ve probably provided too much detail that has gone over their head.
Learning to self-edit to keep from offering too much information takes time and patience. Doing practice interviews with friends or trusted colleagues can help you recognize the areas where you go on too long, especially if you can record and review them.
Simply put: If you know what you want to say, can say it succinctly and provide the details needed by your interviewer because you’ve researched the company and their projects, you can avoid the pitfall of going on too long.
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