In my practice Ive come across all sorts of interview feedback from my clients, but this one stands out as being worthy of bringing to your attention.

This is an account of Johns interview and the interviewer who wouldnt stop talking.

With all of my clients we cover the importance of interview preparation; knowing what you have to offer and being able to discuss why you want the job and are the most suitable candidate. In addition having the confidence to conduct the interview on an equal footing with the interviewer so you can make your decision about whether the job is right for you.

All of this depends on actually taking part in the interview of course and if the interviewer through incompetence or other reason doesnt allow that, what can you do?

John came back from his interview appointment totally perplexed.

I arrived 10 minutes early and was shown in to meet Mr Lowden, the Office Manager, exactly on time. I thought everything would go the way we discussed in our pre-interview talks and I knew I was fully prepared; the job sounded absolutely right for me.

But it wasnt exactly the interview he expected because once the introductions were made, the interviewer Mr Lowden started talking and didnt stop until he said:

Thank you for coming, Ive enjoyed our meeting, Ill let you know the outcome as soon as possible.

So John arrived to talk it through with me. What could he have done?

Many hiring managers simply do not know how to conduct an interview, and it would be wrong to write off the job because of this managers ineptitude. Although quite unusual this was an extreme example of the manager who talks because they dont know what questions to ask.

John had done his preparation very carefully and knew what the requirements were for the job and the successful candidate, so he had the keys to this dilemma in his hands.

To break into the interviewers monologue you have to ask a question and this can be difficult without appearing too rude.

What you do first is break the eye contact look away then while you are looking away, you say may I ask you a question? and on the last syllable of question you re-engage firm eye contact which will elicit a positive response. The eye contact is crucial for you to seize control at that moment.

You then use your knowledge to ask a relevant question such as:

Is it true that the most important area of this role is meeting monthly deadlines?

When you have your response you then immediately say:

May I tell you how I am able to meet this most important aspect of the job?

You shouldnt have to repeat this ploy as the interview will now open up; but you know what to do if this ever happens to you.