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I am interviewing for a position and my first interview didn't go as expected. It was supposed to be an hour interview but it turned into 50 minutes of the interviewer's life, her past, etc... when she realized there was 10 minutes left, she quickly started asking random questions unrelated to the position. I basically started just answering basic questions she was supposed to ask. I felt I didn't get to showcase my skills and felt I was qualified for the position.

I have another interview with her scheduled for next week. What am I supposed to handle these types of situations?

UPDATE:

There were just too many red-flags and felt the recruiters and hiring managers were not being honest with me. I turned down their offer.

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  • In my experience, when that happens, you are sure of an offer. Whether you want to accept it is a whole nother question. When I get a talker, I like to prompt them slightly with things I would like to hear and let 'em rip; you might hear more about the job and corporate culture than you could otherwise hope for.
    – Mawg
    Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 8:08

3 Answers 3

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Go with the flow. You got invited back for another interview, so obviously she saw enough in you based on her own criteria.

The only thing I would ensure that is covered is for you to get all the questions you need answered about the company and position.

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    Agreed. Be prepared for even more when you actually get the job. If you can't stand anymore I'd try somewhere else. Sometimes they want people who listen.
    – Rob
    Commented Jul 21, 2017 at 2:45
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    Adding to this, everyone's favorite topic is themselves, so if you really got her to talk 50min about herself you did a pretty good job at making her like you. ;-)
    – Denis de Bernardy
    Commented Jul 21, 2017 at 5:48
  • @DenisdeBernardy I've run into people for whom talking about themselves is an attempt to make you like them.
    – Blrfl
    Commented Jul 21, 2017 at 11:30
  • I'm find with her talking about herself. But cutting me off and asking me how "healthy" I am when the position is for a software company? The company is great, I just can't get anything out of her!
    – Noah
    Commented Jul 21, 2017 at 19:06
  • @Blrfl Seems like a case where you know what the other person is looking for, which should make an interview with them easier.
    – Harris
    Commented Jul 21, 2017 at 20:04
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As an interviewee, I like nothing more than a talkative interviewer.

While it may seem at first glance that an interview is there for you to present yourself to the company, this is not precisely true. Your goal in an interview should be for the interviewer to leave the interview with a positive feeling about you as a prospective employee. It just so happens that people tend to feel better about a conversation when they got to say what they wanted, even if that means that the conversation technically didn't really achieve its goal of assessing whether or not you're suited to the role they have in mind. With some exceptions, as long as you were able to speak clearly and without delay when it was expected of you, the interviewer will feel like the interview 'went so well that they didn't even have time to ask everything' and will invite you in for a second interview.

The trick here is to use the few opportunities that you do get to showcase yourself and your knowledge and experience in a way that will make it clear that you're suited to the job opening.

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  • This: In my experience, those kinds of interviewers love to hear themselves talk. Agreeing and paying some attention to be able to chime in at times to keep them going will leave you with someone who only heard what they like to hear. If you need to know more about the position: There's some questions to ask. Otherwise, just let them talk and be happy for an easy interview!
    – bytepusher
    Commented Dec 9, 2017 at 17:55
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It may be that your over-talkative interviewer is feeling insecure or nervous - yes, they are humans as well. Next meeting, if you see things going in the same direction, insert a remark like this:

"This is all interesting, and I want to hear more - but you need to save some details for after you hire me, after all I'm a perfect match for the position! So let's talk about something less interesting: What do you want to know about me?"

This way you don't forcefully cut the interviewer, already sets the hiring perspective, get the focus back on you and and keep the tone light and cordial.

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