Are You Saying "Just Enough" in Your Interviews?

Lately, I’ve been having some good discussions online, over e-mail, and on the phone with the participants of my 8 Weeks t0 August Career Coaching Program. It’s a small group but we are getting into the swing of things and hopefully having a program like this one, with 1-on-1 coaching, online activities and some dedicated times to have practice interviews, will help the participants find some clarity, focus their searches, and find great jobs by this September.

One of the topics we’re spending time with early on is obstacles. It’s hard to move ahead when you feel stuck, unless you can recognize the obstacles in your path, and clear them.

Since I’m not looking for work right now, I related something that I struggle with as a businessman, because it really isn’t that different from the things I struggled with in my job searches, and it’s this…

Saying just enough to answer the question.

Think about that for a minute.

Just enough.

In a job interview, your answers have to address the question, but beyond that, the issue that most of us struggle with is not coming up with a good answer. It is the “enough.” And more particularly, the “just enough.”

So when do you know when you’ve said enough?

• Is it when you describe your job and your tasks?
• Is it when you say something memorable?
• Or is when you do both of the above, in ways that the interviewer will connect with?

Are your answers “connecting?” If not, where can you find clues on how to connect?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, and how you might apply the idea of “just enough” in your interview strategy. Please comment below and share your thoughts on how to say “just enough,” or share some of the obstacles you find yourself up against, and maybe we can help you figure out ways to get over them around them, or to go right through and smash them to pieces.

Sean Cook is a Life and Career Coach from Athens, GA. He attended Clemson University, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science (with a minor in Administration) and his M.Ed. in Counseling and Guidance Services (Student Affairs in Higher Education concentration.) Before founding Cook Coaching & Consulting Ltd., Sean spent 15 1/2 years working in higher education, mostly in residence life. His interest in coaching was a natural outgrowth of his personal experiences as a job seeker and his professional experiences as an advisor to college students and student organizations, and as a supervisor to students and young professionals from a variety of backgrounds.