I have interviewed many people in my career, and I would like to share something with you. Your interviewer is not only looking at how you answer questions but is also looking at how well you listen.
I once interviewed someone who talked and talked and talked. This person expanded on details I was not interested in and started answering questions almost before I had finished asking them. I had about 30 minutes to interview the person, and I did not get the chance to ask all of my questions. As you can probably guess, the person didn’t get the job.
If you talk nonstop in an interview, you are demonstrating these three character traits:
1. You don’t know how to listen.
2. You have a hard time getting to the point.
3. You don’t respect the interviewer’s time.
These are not sought-after qualities in an employee.
As you practice for your interview, try to keep your answers brief but complete. Give a focused answer and support it with one clear example from your past experience. Most questions can be answered completely in 60-90 seconds.