Speaking clearly and concisely enables you to clearly articulate why you are the right candidate for the role, creating the best possible impression for recruiters. The less you say, and the more relevant this is to your audience, the easier it is to remember your key strengths and achievements.

This article provides interview skills help by explaining how to improve conciseness, so you can increase your chances of securing your chosen role.

What is conciseness?

Concise speech is clear and easy to understand as it focuses on the specific details the speaker wishes to convey without adding superfluous information. It keeps conversations relevant and productive, enabling an interviewee to share information quickly.

We’ve all met people who talk forever without saying anything useful. In an interview, someone who provides long-winded answers, or requires extensive prompting by the recruiter is unlikely to have time to answer the interview questions, resulting in an interview score substantially lower than other candidates. Many people find it difficult to speak and write concisely, and as an interview coach, this is one of the most common issues I help people to overcome.

Focus on the role requirements

Start by focussing on what is important to your audience, and maintain your focus on this throughout the interview. Preparing thoroughly for an interview involves aligning your expertise to each area of the job description. You may wish to read this article, which outlines how to prepare effectively for interviews.

Most people who struggle with conciseness benefit from preparing answers to common interview questions and condensing their answers into easily understandable points. It is helpful to consider what to include – and what not to include in your answers.

How to improve conciseness

Keep each answer focussed on specifically what you did rather than talking about what you did.

Explain everything in as few words as you can, using simple words such as begin and end, rather than commence, initiate or terminate. Pitch your answers at a level which can be understood by anyone, such as a random bloke in a pub. Avoid technical jargon or acronyms unless you are certain that the recruiter and hiring manager will understand them. Remember, most recruiters and HR managers do not have a technical background.

Explain exactly what you did as simply as possible, avoid using phrases like commercial awareness, customer service or analytical skills which leave the interviews unclear on your actions. Instead, outline actions such as delivering cost savings by negotiating contracts, analysing data to identify issues, building revenue by identifying new markets.

Don’t ramble! Stick to one specific example per answer and conclude each point before moving onto the next. Avoid providing another example or unnecessary detail in the middle of your answer. Ensure every point follows a logical progression, if it doesn’t then it is irrelevant to your answer. If you start to ramble, you stop directly answering the question and lose the recruiters interest.

Structure your answer from most important to the recruiter to least important to the recruiter. This means they are more likely to remember your key points.

Avoid

• Words/phrases which don’t add anything (but length) to your answer “on the field of play” “put myself front and centre” “it was absolutely about…” “planting a seed which…” “other than that…” “and finally”
• Filler words which often occur when the speaker is thinking about what to say next “er”, “um,” “so”, “like”, avoiding these can keep your message focused and reduce the length of time you speak for.
• Jargon such as industry or role specific words and phrases which are difficult to understand for outsiders, including recruiters.
• Over-explaining small details, which takes you off course and makes it difficult for your audience to understand your main points.
• Omit any information which is not essential for the audience to understand your message.
• Don’t try to explain every detail, focus on the main points and leave the recruiter to ask follow-up questions as necessary.
• Drawing conclusions on your own performance, let the recruiter do this for themselves, “I thought this was an excellent example because…”
• Unnecessary information about potential consequences. “this may affect…” Stick to the facts about what actually happened.
  

Practice your interview skills

Many people find it helpful to practice delivering their interview answers with an interview coach, friend, relative or in front of the mirror. It can be helpful to record yourself, so you can listen to yourself, paying attention to how long you speak for, how relevant your answer is, whether you over-explain or use too many filler words. Assessing your conciseness against the criteria above shows you where to improve. It also provides an opportunity for you to refine your answers and memorise them. The more you practice, the more confident you will feel in the interview.

Many people who struggle with conciseness in interviews also find it difficult to speak or write concisely in everyday life. The tips above can also help you to improve conciseness when explaining information to people in other settings, whether you are speaking to a customer, delivering a presentation or writing a report.

Improving your Interview Skills

Would you like professional assistance in improving conciseness and improving your interview skills? I offer interview skills help via interview coaching sessions, personally tailored to your needs. You may wish to visit the interview coaching section of my website, where you can find more information and prices. Or you are welcome to contact me, and I’ll be pleased to discuss how I can plan a session to help you.