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I was prepping someone for an interview recently. Great background. Bilingual, international experience, had been connecting consulting clients at top firms with Fortune 500 executives in procurement and supply chain. This person had real, relevant experience.
I asked him to run through his intro like he would in the actual interview. And he brought the energy. He was detailed, thoughtful, clearly passionate about his background. The content was strong.
But here's what I told him: it was too long. And that's something I see with a lot of sharp candidates. They have so much good experience that they want to make sure the interviewer hears all of it. But when your introduction runs 10 or 15 minutes, there's no room left for the interviewer to ask follow-up questions. And those follow-up questions are where you really get to shine.
Your intro should be two minutes. Who you are, why you're excited to be there, and how you're going to bring value. Then stop and let them lead.
The other thing that came up in that same session was how to ask smart questions. He had done his homework on the company and wanted to ask the CEO about some geopolitical factors affecting their business. That kind of research is impressive. But the way the question was framed leaned a little negative. Questions about risk and uncertainty can leave the interviewer in a defensive spot, even if that's not your intention.
So we reframed it. Instead of asking about risk, ask about growth. "What does the longer-term strategy look like for the business?" "What are the use cases you're most excited about?" You get the same information. If they're talking about expansion and new initiatives, you know the business is healthy. But now you've positioned yourself as someone who thinks about opportunity, not problems.
How you ask a question in an interview reveals how you think. Hiring managers notice that.
Here's what I want you to take into your next interview.
First, keep your introduction tight. Two minutes. Your background, your interest in the role, and the value you bring. Practice it out loud until it feels natural, not rehearsed.
Second, have three or four flexible stories ready. Real situations from your experience that you can adapt depending on the question. Frame them using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. I know it sounds like something from a school counselor's office, but this is how companies like Amazon structure their entire interview process. If you don't answer in that format, you don't move forward.
Third, ask questions that make the interviewer want you on their team. Show curiosity. Show that you've done your homework. Ask about their growth, their team, their biggest challenges. Get them talking about themselves. They'll walk away thinking you were the best conversation they had all day.
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