Listening vs. Asking Questions in an Interview

   A large percentage of interviews are lost because the job seeker talks too much. Ears are for listening: use them in the interview. At Challenger, Gray and Christmas the rule of thumb was 75% of the talking should be done by the interviewer and 25% by the candidate. That's a good rule of thumb. Often the candidate talks on and on and never gets to the point. Sometimes they lose the interviewer's attention by not answering the question in a short concise manner. Someone wise once said, "The good Lord gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!" Listening to the interviewer will tell the job seeker a lot about the needs of the boss and the requirements of the team. Carole Martin of InterviewCoach.com discusses this whole idea on her website from a slightly different direction. 

"You've been missing a major point if you thought job interviewing was just about answering questions. You've also been missing a huge opportunity to gather valuable information. Listening is one of the most underutilized skills by candidates. The majority of people go into the interview thinking and worrying about how they will answer the interviewer's questions. They forget that they are there to also find out about the job and the company and whether this is the right place for them.


"The bonus of listening is that you impress the interviewer by the fact that you have heard what was said, and sometimes what was not said. The best questions you can ask come as a result of listening. Turn up your listening and intuitive skills. Read between the lines!"  - Carole Martin, President of InterviewCoach.com 

   The interviewer's job is to pick one out of several candidates who have similar skills and abilities. They are looking for the person that will best fit into their team. People like people who listen to them and know what they said. This is important in making a positive impression on the interviewer. The job seeker then has the opportunity to communicate success stories to the hiring manager that addressed the organization's specific need. The job seeker is telling the hiring manager what they could do for them and not what they did for someone else. This is a good "one, two punch" in an interview and increases the likelihood of getting the job offer.