“You Summed Up In 30 Seconds What Took Me…”

So I was doing some recruiting yesterday – you know, my job.  I am interviewing this guy, great guy – very personable, forthright – telling it like it is.  Exactly what I am looking for – someone that just opens up and allows me to understand their point of view.  (Note to the elusive moving target candidate: If you are not like this guy – you pretty much suck – if employers have to guess and if recruiters are left to guess – than I guess you won’t be getting that job.)  Back to this call though.

Although I enjoyed the conversation with this gentleman, Man was he a fan of words.  The more the merrier and while he was engaging – my ears were somewhat exhausted.  But that is alright, that is what I do – listen.

When I am in an interview, or any conversation for that matter, I frequently confirm with the person that I am on the same page.  You know – kind of summarize what they just said – it is a good skill so they know you are listening and if you are off track it helps you get back on.  Good communication type stuff.  You should try it.  Use it.

So we are talking about why he wants to make a change and what he is looking for and I go to summarizing.  He says to me, "You know, Andy – I think you did in 30 seconds what took me 30 minutes to tell you."  And I thought, "I know – why couldn’t you be me?"  Not really but..ok..maybe I did.

My point, Mr. Candidate – is you need to be the one to do that.  You are the one that is on the hot seat – the one interviewing.  Brevity is your friend. 

Can you answer the "Tell me about yourself question" without the interviewer yawning or rolling their eyes?  Can you describe what you do and what you have done succinctly?  Can you articulate your skills quickly?  Are you capable of getting to the point?  Can you strip away all the meaningless details and share the heart of the matter with clarity?

If you can’t, you better learn.  If you can’t, you better prepare.  If you answer the tell me about yourself question by starting – "When I was a child, no let’s back up – at the point of conception I proceeded to spend 40 weeks or so in my mother’s womb…" this is not good.  I think the saying is – being aware is more important than being smart.  I am sure someone who was strong on awareness said that but an interview is a time to be aware.  We can help you do this.  Let’s identify the tough questions and brainstorm on the answers together.

What you say matters.  Your words matter.   You need to be aware of your words, how you say them, and how long it takes you to say them.  Do you know when you are talking too much?  Do you have that internal voice that says, "Shut up, (insert your name)"?  Your spouse or significant other can assist you in acquiring this.  Getting to the point gets you the job.