Don’t Overshare in the First Interview

While employers want to get to know you before they offer you the job when the process involves more than one interview, you should ensure that the case for hiring you has solid foundations before you begin to bare your soul and overshare in the first interview.

Sure, you want them to like you and to make a hiring decision based on an understanding of who you are. Still, until you have ticked the basic boxes, you shouldn’t go into too much detail about your personal circumstances or the nuances of your application.

The following questions are central to you becoming a contender for the role, so until they have been answered, any time spent on deeper issues is wasted. You need to awaken their practical interest before they become curious about the depths of your character. Oversharing too early in an interview can seem presumptuous – ensure that they are happy with the direction of travel in the following questions first:

…. Can you do the job and make an impact?

…. Do your ambitions fit with the potential for growth?

…. What doubts are there about your suitability?

…. Are you someone that I would like to work with?

There are, of course, many more interview avenues to explore, but if you feel that these big four questions have been covered towards the end of the first interview, you can feel free to open up a little more. In a competency-based first interview, you may not even get the chance to explore more personal details until the second meeting anyway.

Tempted to overshare in the first interview?

Resisting oversharing will not be easy. Your thoughts will have been racing about the role for the days (and nights) before the meeting, but you need to be patient and build your case methodically. Asking about the number of interview stages is an excellent way of pacing your sales pitch. Getting too granular too early may mean you miss important aspects of your application. It is never bad to leave an employer wanting more, but it will be terminal if they feel that they haven’t had enough of something. 

Oversharing in certain areas during the first interview can lead to an incomplete picture.

One of the critical considerations for any candidate in a job interview is to let the employer lead the interview according to their agenda. You might have a long list of things you want to say, but include them within the interview flow as opportunities arise. Keep your answers relatively short – if interviewers want to find out more, they will undoubtedly ask.

Another helpful tip is to remind yourself that there is no such thing as a perfect interview, but it should be imperfect from your point of view rather than imperfect from the hiring manager’s perspective. They always have the opportunity to fill in the gaps.

If you feel that an interview is going well, feel free to share your stories in slightly more detail. If you are unsure, it is safer to stick to the basics.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).