Last night, I saw Wicked on Broadway. I have two updates:

#1: Best musical I've ever seen. Yes, even after the movie has been shoved down our throats for what feels like a decade. Truly incredible. If you get the chance, SEE IT.

#2: While Elphaba was literally defying gravity, I was sitting in the dark thinking about job interviews. Which, if you ask me, is a little wicked and twisted. You’ll see why below…

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Here's real feedback one of my clients got after an interview the other week:

Translation: you rambled.

And look, I get it. You can prep and memorize and rehearse all you damn well want. You can have your STAR stories polished to a high shine. You are still going to get a question you didn't see coming.

If you're anything like me, that's when things go sideways. The unprepped question turns into a full-blown BS fest where I start talking with no goal in mind other than showing the interviewer how absolutely loquacious and charming I am.

Spoiler: the interviewer is not charmed. The interviewer is lost. And somewhere in minute four, they stopped taking notes.

So today we're fixing it. You're getting a formula for answering the questions you didn't prepare for.

I saw Wicked on Broadway last night, and I can’t help but think about the flying monkeys.

Because that's exactly what happens in your brain when an interviewer throws you a curveball. Thoughts start swooping in from every direction. Some are useful. Most are not. All of them are screeching.

Here’s how to deal with them in four steps:

Don't open with "ummm." Don't open with "Wow, what a great question." (They know it's a good question. They wrote it.)

Instead, just repeat the question back to them.

"How would I handle a stakeholder who keeps missing deadlines..."

It sounds natural. It sounds thoughtful. And it buys you a few precious seconds to figure out what's going on upstairs. Which brings us to Step 2.

While you're repeating the question, pay attention to what's happening in your brain. You're in one of three situations.

Zero monkeys. You're scrambling for even ONE answer and coming up empty. Don't invent a story, and don't talk in circles hoping one appears. Bridge to the closest thing you've got: "I haven't run into that exact situation, but the closest I've come is..." If there's truly nothing, walk them through how you'd approach it. Interviewers are often testing how you think, which is sometimes even more important than whether you've done it before.

One monkey. One great answer just landed. Say that. Lead with the headline, then give the quick context. Don't go hunting for a second monkey to make it sound more impressive.

500 monkeys. Every answer you've ever had is flying around your head, and they could all technically work. This is the danger zone. This is where the BS fest happens. Go directly to Step 3.

When the 500 monkeys show up, you make it a rule: grab three and let the rest fly away.

Start your answer with one of these:

Then give each one a sentence or two. That's it.

You don't need to cover everything you know. You need to show you can think clearly and prioritize. If the interviewer wants to dive deeper into any of the three, they'll ask, and you'll go from there.

This is the step that would have saved my client.

Read that feedback again. The problem wasn't just length. Her answers weren't "directly tied back" to the question, and the team couldn't see "the impact of your experience."

So whatever monkey situation you're in, finish with one sentence that names the result and connects it back to what they asked:

"...and that's how I'd get a stakeholder who keeps missing deadlines back on track."

Then stop talking. Seriously. Stop.

Most rambling doesn't happen because people don't know how to start an answer. It happens because they don't know how to end one. This sentence is your exit.

Here's what's happening on the other side of the table. Your interviewer is listening, taking notes, and usually scoring you against a list of things they need to hear. They can't score what they can't follow.

When you say, "the three things I'd do," you've handed them an outline before you've said a word of substance. They know where you're going and when you'll be done. That alone makes you sound more organized than half the candidates they'll meet this week.

It also makes you easier to interview. Three short points give them three easy follow-up questions, which turns your answer into a conversation instead of a monologue.

And landing the plane does the work my client's interviewers had to do for her: it tells them exactly why your answer matters.

The monkeys are going to show up. They always do. Your job isn't to make them disappear. It's to make them fly in formation.

Your turn: "Be more concise" is some of the most common interview feedback I hear. What's a piece of feedback you've gotten recently that stumped you? Hit reply and tell me. I'll answer it anonymously in an upcoming issue.

Stuck in your job search? Not sure how to handle a tricky interview question or navigate the hiring process? Submit your question anonymously, and I’ll answer it in an upcoming newsletter.

Was any of this helpful?! Hit reply and let me know :)