Interviews – Timing and Talking

Interviews start next week! We hope your preparations are going well and we look forward to seeing you soon. This week we would like to answer a couple of interview-related questions we have received about timing and talking.

1. Is there a clock or timer in the room? Can I wear a watch to time myself, or will the interviewer tell me when the time is almost up?There may be a clock, but there won’t be a timer, and the interviewer will not let you know how much time is left. You are allowed to wear a watch but we would discourage you from trying to time yourself – it’s a distraction and is not necessary. Try to keep your focus on responding to the scenario rather than the time. It is common to be in the in the middle of a thought or sentence when the bell rings, and this is ok. If you are worried about being thrown off by this during the interviews, you might want to practice wrapping up your thoughts in a few words so you can quickly leave the room and focus on the next scenario.
2. Am I supposed to talk for the entire 7 minutes?The interviews are more of a dialogue than a monologue. After your initial response to the scenario, the interviewer may ask some follow-up questions. This is normal and doesn’t indicate anything about the quality of your response. If you provide a particularly expansive response to a scenario and the interviewer doesn’t ask any follow-up questions, that is fine, too. Again, try to focus on responding to the scenario to the best of your ability rather than worrying about the ‘right’ number of minutes to talk.
3. Should I share my personal experiences or is that frowned on?It’s up to you. There is nothing wrong with sharing a personal experience if it is relevant to the scenario and if it supports the point you are making. However, if you prefer not to share a particular experience there is nothing wrong with that, either. It all depends on what you think is the best way to respond to the scenario at hand.