Ask-A-Career Coach: Is It Possible To Over-Prepare For An Interview?
Contributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart™
In just this past week, several of my clients have sounded tired during our interview practice. I even got a very detailed response that was related to, but not quite exactly on point to what I had asked. These are hardworking jobseekers who I know are diligently working through the coaching assignments. Is it possible to over-prepare for interviews?
Most jobseekers don’t prepare enough. So don’t use this column as permission to slack off your search. You still need to research the company, industry and specific individuals you will be meeting. You still need to stay abreast of current events and be able to engage in timely discussions. You still need to have the 3-4 key message points that will present you in the best light and position you appropriately for the specific job at hand. So there is much work to do, and over-preparation is a rare problem.
Still, I’ve seen over-prepared candidates and other recruiters have seen them, so it’s worth discussing. Over-preparation is when your answers sound rehearsed. You lose the spontaneity and thoughtfulness in your responses. Your answers may be relevant but not exactly on point because you sidestep the exact question and instead jump to the points you’ve memorized in your head.
There is a better balance between under- and over-preparation, and the secret ingredient is listening. For all interviews, you need to research and prepare your overarching message. But with each interaction you need to listen to what is uniquely happening at that moment and adjust accordingly. This means that you laser focus when you have an anxious or tough interviewer. You let the story structure meander when you have a conversational interviewer. You are ready with details or you move on depending on your read of what the interviewer wants. In other words, you prepare in advance a wide range of responses but react to the moment at hand. Preparation and practice is not a substitute for listening in the moment. A good interview is a conversation to experience, not a monologue to prepare.
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is a career coach, writer, speaker, Gen Y expert and co-founder of SixFigureStart™, coaches jobseekers using a recruiter’s perspective of what employers really want and how the hiring process really works. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed University Relations for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others. Caroline is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Professional Development at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs and a life coach.
gosh i have a somehwat different slant here.
I interviewed for a healthcare CTO monday.i was asked back to do a deeper dive on specific areas they wanted covered. I researched and prepared a powerpoint preso with notes on these areas. I actually cut out some material as i had accumulated 20 pages. when i arrived the internal exec recruiter said the CIO and interim CTO were unavailable and i would interview with the exec director, interim CIO and a programming staffer.
I brought my laptop and opened the preso. the exec director had been the one to coach me on what was to be covered. he took the lead in the interview and proceeded to only cover one of five topics and wandered aimlessly through the interview…
the other two were equally at sea and covered competency based questions which i answered completely. I was a wee bit taken aback they were so underprepared and had not addressed the areas i was told they would as well as been on point with the subjects they had covered. in many cases they asked question whose answers would only be known to an existing employee!
i look forward to your thoughts
Kathy