Clarity and Conciseness vs. Effective Communication

While clarity and conciseness are important, the ultimate goal of your communication in an interview is to be effective: to make sure your message gets across, is understood, and leaves a positive and memorable impression.

Sometimes being too brief can be counterproductive.

Avoid excessive jargon or overly formal/robotic language.

Although it is a professional situation, avoid using overly formal, technical (jargon) or memorized-sounding language.

Don't try to impress with fancy words; use simple, straightforward language, as you would in a normal conversation.

Overly formal or cliché-filled language can make you sound inauthentic, robotic or like you're reading from a script, which makes it difficult to connect.

Be conversational and natural

Strive for a conversational and natural tone. Speak like a real person, not a written text. Use contractions ("I'm not going to" instead of "I'm not going to") and short sentences.

Don't obsess over finding the "perfect" word; use the simple word that comes to mind.

Focus on conveying your ideas in a clear and relaxed manner.

The goal is to communicate, not just to be brief (avoid monosyllabic answers).

Often, candidates, especially if they are nervous, tend to give answers that are too short for fear of making a mistake or rambling.

However, the goal is not simply to answer the question as quickly as possible.

Your goal is to communicate your value and leave a memorable impression.

Very brief answers (monosyllables or 5-10 second sentences) rarely accomplish this; they can seem evasive or superficial.

Finding the balance: Give enough detail without rambling.

The key is to find balance.

Don't be afraid to expand your answers to give context, include concrete examples (STAR stories) and connect your expertise to the company's needs.

A well-structured 40-second response is often more effective than a 10-second one.