Managing Time in a Job Interview

By Marty Nemko

To try to dig themselves out of trouble, most job interviewees give long answers to hard questions. And they give short answers to easy questions. Mistake! That increases the proportion of the interview spent on weak points. Rule of thumb: short answers to hard questions, longer answers to easy ones. Another tip for managing time in a job interview: You want the employer to picture you in the position, so especially if your job history is weak, spend as much time as possible discussing what you'd do in the new job. The mantra: focus on future, not past.