Your interview answers are too short if they’re under 30 seconds for a factual question (“Do you know Java?”), under 30-90 seconds for an introductory question (“Why do you want to work here?”), or under 2 minutes for a behavioral question (“Give me an example of a risk you took.”)
During your interview, you shouldn’t give too-short answers - you should hit the right length for your answers so you give your interviewer the right amount of information, show your strengths, and prove you have good communication skills.
I’m going to explain how long interview answers should be, show you examples of answers that are the right length, and give you tips to make your answers longer.
Is it hard for you to add enough details to your answers?
Do you give your answer…and the interviewer looks at you like they’re waiting for more?
And you just don’t have anything else to say?
If this sounds familiar, this article should help.
The problem with too-short answers
Too-short answers keep the interviewer from hearing your skills and strengths.
When you don’t talk enough, it seems like you aren’t smart or don’t have any ideas. Which doesn’t make sense, because I’ve noticed that answers that are too short usually come from technical people, like engineers and scientists. Smart people.
Why do smart people give answers that make them seem not smart?
Well, not everyone likes to talk. Or talk about themselves. And it’s hard to remember the details of what happened years ago.
But in interviews we have to give the right amount of info.
Is it ever okay to have short answers in an interview?
You can give answers that are on the shorter side of the time limits, but if you go shorter than that - too short - you’ll make a bad impression.
Why? Well, two reasons:
You’ll sound abrupt or rude - or even angry - if you give very short answers.
You don’t want to seem angry.
When someone doesn’t respond to you in a conversation, you think they don’t like you or don’t want to talk to you.
It leaves a negative impression in your mind.
2. You’re probably not showing how competent you are if you’re not talking much.
The time should be used for details that build a case for you doing the job.
How long should interview answers be?
30 seconds for a factual question (“Do you know Java?”)
30-90 seconds for an introductory question (“Why do you want to work here?” or “Tell me about yourself.”)
3 minutes for a behavioral question (“Give me an example of a risk you took”).
If you’re thinking, “How long should I spend answering interview answers?” use these guidelines.
How long should Amazon interview answers be?
30 seconds for a factual question (“Do you know Java?”)
30-90 seconds for an introductory question (“Why do you want to work here?”)
3 minutes for a behavioral question (“Give me an example of a risk you took”).
Proper answer length doesn’t vary from company to company. The guidelines for Amazon answer length is the same as for any other company.
Examples of interview answers that are the correct length
Sample answer for the factual question “What was the last book you read?“
Product Manager
“The last book I read was Stand Out by Dorie Clark, which came out last year. She’s a personal branding expert and I heard her on a webinar on LinkedIn. I read a lot of books about product but she talks about personal branding for your career so I thought it might be interesting. The book gave me some new things to think about, like bringing together ideas from different niches to create something that’s new and different from what everyone else is doing.”
Sample answer for the introductory question “Why do you want this job?”
QA Manager
“I want this job because I know I can use my skills to make your products better. I know how important quality is to you and your customers, and that’s what I bring with me. I’m a QA Manager now at X, and I manage a team of 24. We’re working on projects very similar to what you do here, and I’ll be able to bring my experience to your team. I’ve been in QA for 10 years, working on some of the most demanding software projects in the world. I’ve had to use every trick in the QA book to make sure we were shipping products that were bug-free, performant, and useable. I’ve done everything from basic regression testing to overseeing the creation of a suite of QA automation tools. On the development side, I pride myself on 100% unit test coverage, and demand the same from my reports. On the front end, I wrote selenium tests for a massive web application that had several different user types and a distinct UI for each them. The more complex the system, the more rigorous the QA.”
Sample answer for behavioral interview question “Tell me about a time you had a difficult situation with an employee."
Senior Product Manager
P – At the beginning of this year I got feedback that one of my employees, a junior Product Manager, wasn’t performing as well as she had before. Her peers were complaining about her poor attitude and her stakeholders were complaining about the quality of her work and missed deadlines. I needed to decide how to approach this with her and get her projects back on track.
A – I talked to HR and my manager. HR advised me to do some research about the problem. I collected evidence about her performance, and it seemed her work habits had actually changed for the worse, and wrote it up in a document. I set up a meeting with her. During the review meeting, I explained what I’d learned about her recent performance. She didn’t take my comments well. She acted very angry and blamed her problems on me, and also on the company structure. I tried to listen to her, and see if I could dive deeper and find the real root cause of her change, but she didn’t want to discuss anything. In the end, I told her that I would have to put her on an improvement plan, and we would work closely together for 60 days to improve her performance.
R – I monitored her performance and gave her daily and weekly mentoring. Her performance and attitude improved. I'm not happy with the amount of time I had to spend with her, but I hope that by spending the time now I will end up with a good Product Manager who can work independently of me.
Prepare ahead of time
Before your interview, research the company and the job description and make a list of your relevant experiences, skills, and accomplishments. Knowing your strengths and preparing what to say about them can help you provide more detailed answers during the interview.
Practice pausing
It is OK to pause in an interview? Yes, it is. Don’t be afraid of pausing. Learn to use pauses strategically.
As you practice, pause and think before responding. Make sure you understand the question before answering, and take a moment to organize your thoughts and determine the most important points you want to make.
Give more detailed responses
Instead of answering a question with a simple one-word or one-sentence answer, try to give more detailed responses that give more context and information. For example, if asked about your previous work experience, don't just say where you worked, but also explain what you did and how it was relevant to the job you’re applying for.
If this is hard for you, try this technique that helps with small talk - force yourself to say three sentences when you just want to say one.
For the behavioral questions, add every step of the PAR structure - don’t forget the Results.
Try thinking about the topic and brainstorming on it. Think of a few more details. Go through your old emails about the project. Talk to someone who worked with you on it.
Ask yourself if you can think of more details around who/what/when/why/your reactions.
Use examples or personal stories
This is similar to the previous suggestion. In addition to giving more context and basic information, whenever possible, use specific examples to illustrate your points. This makes your answers longer, and also helps the interviewer understand your qualifications.
Explain jargon
Explain technical terms or other jargon specific to your role if you aren’t sure the interviewer will understand it.
Explaining makes your answers longer by providing additional context. When you explain, you’re giving background information that can help the interviewer better understand your experiences and qualifications. This can help to make your answers more comprehensive, which also means longer.
Practice your answers
Practicing builds your confidence. This can help you speak more freely and provide more detailed answers.
It also helps you identify areas you may need more details or where your answers may be too short.
I’ve tried all these tips and my answers are still too short
If your interview answers are too short, it could be your emotions.
You have to understand the factors affecting your interview performance. If you don’t, you won’t be ready to give longer answers during the interview.
Common emotions before interviews:
Nervousness: Can cause you to rush through your answers or provide short, incomplete responses.
No confidence: If you aren’t confident in your qualifications or experience, you may not want to provide detailed answers or may not know what to say.
Not enough preparation: You may not have thought through the types of questions you'll be asked or the information you want to give. This can lead to short, incomplete answers.
Lack of interest: If you're not fully invested in the job or company, you may not be motivated to provide detailed answers or may not have much to say.
Lack of experience: If you're a beginner interviewee, you may not be familiar with the types of questions you'll be asked or how to provide detailed and comprehensive answers.
First recognize which emotions you have, then address them.
If you're struggling to perform your best in interviews because you’re nervous, lacking in confidence, or don’t know how to prepare, consider working with an interview coach. An interview coach can help you prepare thoroughly, build your confidence, and effectively present your qualifications. With the right support, you can improve your interview performance and get the job.
