Interviews are really just conversations, chats, with the purpose of getting to know you much better than what the paperwork presents.   Whatever stage you are at with your interviews (school to work) the more you are able to open up and give detail to your answers,  the greater the depth of the picture you are building about yourself with the interviewer.  This will result in a much more impactful interview.  Furthermore, you are likely to have given enough detail so that your interviewer will remember you at the end of the day!

By specifics, I mean ‘examples’.  Specifics are the ‘details’ that are so interesting for others to know about and they add depth to you.  Specifics help with forming the ‘why’ and ‘who’  of you and are intriguing and so relevant to your personal story.

As humans, we like stories and the more vivid a story is around somebody the more we remember and can connect with them.  It is the details that enriches the conversation.

For example:

At a prep school level, you might respond to the question: “what subject do you most enjoy” – with a quick ‘English’.  However, it is the actual and real reasons as to what you particularly enjoy that becomes memorable.  It might be the book that you are currently studying and it’s genre; or the topical discussions that are stimulating for you; or just the beauty of words and the structure of language.  Being able to be specific, using real examples, enriches the story about yourself.

I really enjoy maths.  It is grappling with the getting to the correct answer that I find fun.  This week we were dealing with ‘problems’ that needed solving – working out time and distance.  After a bit I found a way of breaking the problems down and getting to answer.  It was really satisfying! – be specific.

Sales is something that I do just naturally.  Last year I was involved in a friends business selling earring.  The strategy that we took was ….. we set ourselves a monthly target ….. I approached customers by …. And sales increased by ….. – again, be specific.  Add the interesting details to your story.

Finance – is there a particular area that intrigues you?  What companies do you follow on the stock exchange; what stories are you following at the moment in regards to the economy; why does this matter to you?.

As you go about your day, start asking yourself the questions ‘why’ … why are you enjoying this or that?  Why is this m