How to Answer Interview Questions Without Rambling

Introduction

Hello! It’s Kristine here with the Express to Impress podcast.

Each week, I share stories and tips to help you communicate clearly and confidently in your job search, interviews, and the workplace so you can achieve your career goals. I dedicate a fair amount of time in this podcast to helping you prepare for interviews. You’ve learned how to talk about your Salary Expectations in an interview, How to Answer Why Should We Hire You, and How to Answer Can You Tell Me About Yourself. This week, you will learn how to answer job interview questions without rambling.

 

I want to take a moment to give a special shout-out to raazcr from Canada. Here’s what they said in their review on Apple Podcasts:

 

Worth It. Whether you’re a professional looking for a job or you own your own business, this podcast really is practical and handy. I’m improving a lot in my interpersonal skills.

Thanks so much! It means a lot, and every review helps. If you’d like to receive a shout-out on a future episode, leave a review for the show in Apple Podcasts!

I recently discovered that it’s only possible to see reviews from listeners in your country,  (sigh) so don’t be surprised if you don’t see any reviews for the podcast yet. I found an app that allows me to see all the reviews for the Express to Impress Podcast, so that’s how I’m able to share this review from Canada with you.

If you listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or Podchaser, you can rate it and leave a review! Most listeners are on Apple, so I’ll walk you through the steps to leave a review on Apple. I’ll also include a link to some instructions with visual aids in the transcript for visual learners!

 

1. Open the Podcast App.
2. Navigate to the Express to Impress Podcast page.
3. Scroll down to find the subhead titled “Ratings & Reviews.”
4. Under one of the highlighted reviews, select “Write a Review.”
5. Next, select a star rating at the top — you can choose between one and five stars.
6. Using the text box at the top, write a title for your review. Then, in the lower text box, write your review.
7. Then, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
8. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, you will have to enter a nickname, which will be displayed next to any reviews you leave.
9. Finally, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible but will be posted as soon as someone verifies it’s not offensive or spam.

Alright, thank you for bearing with me. Those are the steps to leave a review! I promise it’s an easy process, and it means so much to me. I’m producing the podcast on a shoestring budget, and your review will help the podcast grow.

Now, let’s begin!

 

 

What Makes a Successful Interview?

Since this episode is about answering interview questions without rambling, let’s review your three goals in every job interview. With this knowledge, you can offer more focused and concise answers.

 

1. First, you need to communicate the value you offer. What do you bring to the table that other candidates don’t? Why are you capable of performing the job? What can you do for the company to make things better? The content of your answers, combined with your poise, delivery style, and communication skills, inform the interviewer of the value you offer.
2. Second, you have to convince the interviewer you are a good fit. Your interviewer has to be convinced you would fit well into the culture and share its values.
3. Third, you must come across as likable. Your interviewer has to feel good around you. They have to believe that they would get along with you, enjoy your company, and be productive alongside you.

Now that you know your goals for an interview, let’s look at why answering interview questions without rambling is valued in America.

 

National Cultures That Speak Precisely

American recruiters and employers want people to express themselves clearly and precisely. But why? Erin Meyer has some answers to this question. Erin is an American author and professor at INSEAD Business School, based in Paris. She is most known for writing the highly influential book, The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. In the book, she analyzes how national cultural differences impact business. It’s an incredible book, and anyone who works with people from different nationalities should read it!

Let’s look at what she has to say about the communication styles by nationality. She includes an interesting figure in her book that maps countries by their communication style. Countries are labeled “low context” if they define good communication as precise, simple, and clear. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Repetition is appreciated if it helps clarify the communication. Sound familiar? The U.S. is the most “low context” country on the figure! Other low context countries include Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Now, let’s look at what it means to be a “high context” country when it comes to communication. Countries are “high context” if they define communication as good if it is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed. Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, and Kenya are “high context countries.”

As for why Americans value straightforward language so much, it could be that we’re a relatively young country of immigrants, and speaking clearly and directly can create a common ground that allows non-native English speakers to understand each other.

I include the figure from Erin’s book in the transcript of this episode, so you can see where your country falls on the low and high context communication scale.

 

Source: The Culture Map

 

Keep in mind there are always exceptions to these communication trends. For example, I’ve worked with American clients who ramble while answering interview questions.

Now, I’ll tell you a story about a client I worked with that had a problem with rambling in interviews.

 

Story

I had a client who lived in a high context culture and then moved to a low context culture. As always, I will change identifying details to protect this person’s identity.

My client grew up in Malaysia, a high-context culture, and moved to Australia, a low-context culture. As a university student, he applied to many university societies and internships. As I helped him with his written applications and interviews, he communicated in a circuitous way. He would initially write triple or even quadruple the word limit for an essay, and I wouldn’t be sure he’d answered the question. In mock interviews, he would talk at length in circles and never seemed to arrive at the point. Since there was no structure, I needed to read between the lines to grasp his main points. As an American, that was challenging for me. I strained to catch specific, quantifiable results but often never heard them. At first, I couldn’t decode his messages, and I knew his interviewers would struggle with it, too.

Much like in the U.S., interviewers in Australia are direct and don’t shy away from asking interview questions about weaknesses and failure. Many Malaysians perceive these questions as impolite, and they made my client feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. After all, a core component of Malaysian communication is to save face. Yet, in more direct societies, we see weaknesses, failures, and mistakes as important growth opportunities, and we talk about them more freely. In these low-context cultures, employers want candidates who are willing to take risks and can cope with and learn from failure.

I shared tips and strategies with my client to help him answer interview questions more precisely and clearly for his audience. In the next section of the episode, I’ll share the tips with you.

 

 

How to Answer Interview Questions Without Rambling

 

Prepare to Answer Interview Questions

Preparation is vital, especially when you are making some big changes to your typical communication style. Once you identify possible interview questions, make a bulleted list of the points you can share if you are asked the question. While writing a script is tempting for many people, I urge you to stick to a bulleted list. Interviewers want to have an authentic conversation with you, and they will be able to sense if you are reciting from a script. If you’re a non-native English speaker, they may doubt your English skills. It’s better to prepare points and adapt based on the conversation and actual question, even if you make a few grammar or pronunciation mistakes.

If you want more tips for a job interview, visit my website at express-to-impress.com to download my free, five-step Job Interview Preparation Checklist or email me at hello@express-to-impress.com to request it.

 

Place Limits on Yourself

Don’t allow yourself to share everything you could talk about when asked an interview question. After all, the hiring manager can ask you follow up questions if you spark their interest. You should answer most interview questions in 30 to 90 seconds. For more complex questions, you can talk up to three minutes maximum. To learn how to answer interview questions within this time frame, you need to time yourself. Even people who don’t think they talk too much often speak for more than 90 seconds. Your interviewer will grow bored or impatient with long answers, so maintain their attention by consistently giving brief answers.

 

Pause Before Answering Interview Questions

One of the most common reasons people ramble when answering interview questions is they don’t know what to say. If the hiring manager asks a question you haven’t prepared for or if you forget the bullets you prepared, pause and think. It’s that simple. You’re allowed to have some time to think before you answer. My advice is to tell the hiring manager you plan to take some time to think before answering the question. American interviewers can grow impatient during pauses and jump in to say something and interrupt your train of thought. So, buy yourself some time by saying:

Sure! I just need a few moments to gather my thoughts.

 

Format Your Answers

When asked a behavioral interview question, that is, a question about your past work experience, you should follow a tried and true, easy-to-follow answer format. You may have heard about the STAR method, where S = Situation, T = Task, A = Action, and R = Result. If you’re comfortable using this method and it works for you, keep it up! Suppose you haven’t been using a format for your answers to behavioral questions. In that case, I recommend using the PAR method, where P = Problem, situation, or issue, A = Action, and R = Result or outcome. I suggest using PAR because distinguishing between the situation and task can be challenging, and it’s easier to remember to talk about three things than four.

If you’re asked a situational question, your interviewer will present a hypothetical situation that could happen on the job and will ask you to describe how you would respond. Be sure to show off your problem-solving skills and clearly explain how you would handle the situation. To answer situational questions, I recommend you cover the following three points. First, summarize your answer. Second, provide necessary details and background information. Finally, wrap up with a focus on the future. Here’s an example of how you could answer an interview question using this format.

What would you do if you knew your boss was wrong about something? 

Summary:

I would share my concerns in a polite way.

Details:

 

First, I would prepare for a conversation with my boss by gathering any supporting information or evidence. Then, I would meet with my boss in a private space to bring it up. I would introduce the topic by reassuring my boss that I care about our team and goals and want what’s best for everyone. Then, I would tell him or her how I believe on the matter and why. Finally, I would reassure my boss that I would support whatever decision they made.

Wrap-Up:

 

Ultimately, I want my boss to trust me and see me as a real asset to the team; and sometimes that may require speaking up if I think he or she is wrong about something.

I timed myself, and my answer was just under 40 seconds. Not too bad!

 

Participate in a Mock Interview 

Once you’ve prepared your answers to interview questions, it’s time to try saying the answers aloud. You can do this on your own, with a friend, or with a professional interview coach. For the best results, time and record your answers. Just be sure to get permission before recording if you’re practicing with a friend or professional.

Then, watch the recording and listen for signs of rambling. Do you go off-topic, share too many details, or talk around the point? Then, you’ll know which questions need more preparation.

 

Pay Attention to Your Interviewer

The final tip I have for you is to pay attention to your interviewer – whether it’s a mock interview or an actual interview. Do they interrupt you, lose eye contact, or seem bored and uninterested in what you’re saying? Those are all signs that you could be rambling or talking too long.

However, if you’re doing everything you can to give to-the-point answers, try not to get discouraged if your interviewer is impersonal. They could be having a bad day or worse; they may not like their job. Or, they could be exhausted from performing so many interviews. Ultimately, if this is the case, then they are making a bad impression on you. Keep in mind that interviews are a two-way street. While the hiring manager is assessing if you’re the best candidate for the position, you’re observing the company employees and culture and deciding whether the role is the best fit for your career goals.

Alright, now you know how to answer interview questions without rambling!

 

 

How to Succeed in a Job Interview Online Course

If you have an interview coming up, it’s time to kick it into high gear. My online video course, “How to Succeed in a Job Interview,” will walk you through four steps to fully prepare for a job interview. In the course, you will learn everything from body language to etiquette to answering questions confidently. You’ll get two in-depth handouts, including 14-pages of common interview questions and tips on how to answer them.

The course is entirely on-demand, which means that you can learn at your own pace. To learn more about my 90-minute course and watch free previews on my website, visit express-to-impress.com/courses/. You can get it for $50 when you enter the coupon code podcast15 at the checkout. If you live in the EU, you may be required to pay some additional EU taxes at the checkout.

 

Tune in Next Week

Alright, I invite you to tune in next time to improve your English skills. You’ll learn definitions of phrases and idioms from this episode.

Thank you so much for listening to the Express to Impress podcast. If you found this episode useful, please remember to share it with a friend! See you next time. Bye!

 

Music By Lucas Knutter