It’s important to prepare for job interviews, including thinking about how you’ll answer certain questions. But you don’t want to just stick to your talking points. If you answer too quickly and your response is too smooth, you risk looking like you’re delivering a rehearsed answer, rather than engaging in a genuine conversation. So after the interviewer asks a question, pause — even if you’ve practiced a response. Listen for and reuse a few key words from the interviewer’s question to signal that you’re building on what the interviewer said. This will make the conversation flow more organically. You could also say something like, “Let me tell you what’s not on my résumé.” This will get your interviewer’s attention and steer them away from mindlessly looking at your application.
Adapted from "Why You Should Always Go Off-Script in a Job Interview," by Tanya Menon and Leigh Thompson
