Botched a phone interview with a Toronto startup after practicing my answers too much

I spent three days memorizing answers for common behavioral questions from a list I found online. When they asked about a time I failed, my answer sounded so robotic the recruiter actually laughed and asked if I was reading a script. Has anyone else found that over-preparing for interviews makes you sound worse, not better?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles72012d ago

I had the same problem after my third mock interview with a friend. What worked for me was writing down just three bullet points per story and saying it out loud naturally, not memorizing every word. A little bit of stumble or pause actually makes you sound human and the conversation flows better.

david_reed2212d ago

This applies to way more than just interviews honestly.

phoenix_grant12d agoTop Commenter

Read somewhere that over-rehearsing kills your natural rhythm.