How long should my responses be during an interview?

Question

I have an interview tomorrow, and I'm so nervous that I'm awake and rehearsing answers to questions I think might come up. I realized that some of them are short. How long is ideal for a response to an interview question? I don't want to ramble but I don't want to seem like I'm not open and friendly. Any information?

Answer 1

There are no hard and fast rules -it depends. This is where your skills at responding comes in. Try and remain cool and be just yourself. You should react as and when called for. Depending on the type of questions asked, you should satisfy the interviewer you are listening carefully to his/her question and answer relevantly and comprehensively. If in doubt, then ask for clarification. Is this what you want to know? However, do not ramble and provide irrelevant details that clearly 'escapes' answering the question directly. all the best

Answer 2

Most interviewers prefer brevity. Try for 2-3 sentences for each answer. If you feel uncertain, you can always ask if they'd like more detail.

Answer 3

Just answer honestly, not rehearsed answers, we can tell when they are rehearsed.  Don't be so nervous about an interview.  When I interview people that I can tell are really nervous I tell them not to be, I'm not gonna ask them something they can't answer because I'm gonna ask you questions about you and what your capable of. - and that's the truth, your gonna be asked question about you, your skills, your education, your goals, what your capable of, no one is gonna come out and say give me the square root for 426.  Your only nervous because you think your going to give the wrong answer, truth is there is no wrong answer, but your answers help us determine if you qualified, capable, a good fit, hard worker etc.  If you have the qualification, and are willing to work, and will work hard, you have a brain in your head (which you do cuz your worried about doing well) then you'll do fine.  I tell people that even if they aren't selected for a job doesn't mean they did or said anything wrong, you just may not be the right fit at this time.  The people who need to worry about what they say in an interview aren't the people who ask or seek ways to improve themselves.  My advice is to relax, remember to dress professionally, speak professionally, be polite, smile, look at the interviewer when they talk, don't chew gum or drink coffee in an interview, turn your cell phone off, take notes if you like, be prepared w/questions you think you might have for them (and it's ok not to have questions for them), answer your questions honestly, pause for a moment if you need to think, and when you're done w/your answer stop speaking, it's ok to have a moment when no one is taking, so don't feel like you have to fill the space, it's the interviewers responsibility to keep the flow of an interviewer going, some are friendly and great, others feel cold in a stale environment - but that's ok, just answer the best you can, and if your the best candidate you will get the job.  Relax, breath and you'll do fine.

HR Manager