The short answer
Most interview answers work best at one to two minutes. Quick questions such as “Why this job?” need 30 to 60 seconds. “Tell me about yourself” needs 60 to 90. A STAR example (“Tell me about a time when…”) needs about two minutes, most of it on what you did. If they want more, they’ll ask.
Most people walk out of an interview worried about one of two things: that they went on too long, or that they said too little. Both are easy to fix once you know roughly how long each kind of answer should take and you’ve heard yourself say it out loud.
There’s no stopwatch on the panel’s desk, and no rule that a good answer lasts exactly two minutes. But there is a range that works for most questions, and answers that fall well outside it are harder for an interviewer to follow or to score.
Five steps to the right length
Length isn’t really about the clock. It comes from knowing what the question needs and saying that, in order, then stopping.
- 1
Spot the kind of question
A quick question, “Tell me about yourself” or a “Tell me about a time” example: each has its own length.
- 2
Answer in your first sentence
Say your answer straight away, then back it up. The interviewer knows where you are going, and so do you.
- 3
Spend the time on what you did
In an example, keep the set-up short and give most of your time to your actions and the result.
- 4
Time yourself out loud
Answer with a timer running. First tries often run long, and only speaking shows you that.
- 5
Finish cleanly and stop
Land on your result or your point in one sentence, then stop. Silence after a good answer is fine.
Timings for each kind of question
These are working targets, not rules. If the interviewer asks you to keep it brief, or to go into detail, do what they ask.
- Quick questions, 30 to 60 seconds: “Why do you want this job?”, “What motivates you?”, “Why are you leaving?” Answer, give one reason with a detail, stop.
- “Tell me about yourself”, 60 to 90 seconds: what you do now, how you got here, why this job is the next step.
- Competency and behaviour questions, about two minutes: anything that starts “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give an example of…”. Use STAR (situation, task, action, result).
- Strengths questions, 30 to 60 seconds: “What do you enjoy?”, “What does a good day look like?” These are often asked quickly, one after another. Answer honestly and directly.
- Simple facts, a sentence or two: notice period, start date, whether you hold a licence. Answer and add one useful line if there is one.
- Your questions at the end, a sentence each: ask one or two clear questions and let the interviewer do the talking.
How to split a two-minute STAR answer
Most STAR answers that run long do so at the start. The situation takes a minute, the task another thirty seconds, and the part the panel is actually scoring, what you did, gets squeezed. Try this split instead:
- Situation and task, about 20 seconds: one or two sentences each. Only what the panel needs to understand your actions.
- Action, about a minute: three or four things you did, in order, and why. Say “I”, not “we”.
- Result, about 20 seconds: what changed, with a number if you have an honest one, and what you learnt.
The Civil Service suggests the STAR method for behaviour examples in its Success Profiles guidance for candidates, and many other employers expect the same shape.
Sample answer“Tell me about a time you had to meet a tight deadline.”
- Situation“Two days before a client presentation, our analyst went off sick with the figures half finished.”
- Task“I was asked to finish the analysis and still deliver my own part on time.”
- Action“First I listed what was left and what the client actually needed to see, and dropped two nice-to-have charts. I asked a colleague to check my numbers the next morning, so I wasn’t marking my own work. Then I moved my other meetings and told my manager which deadline would slip by a day.”
- Result“The presentation went out on time and the client signed off the proposal. I’ve used that same list-then-cut approach on every tight deadline since.”
Read it aloud with a timer running and you’ll see how much a two-minute answer can hold. It’s an example of the shape, not a script: your own story, told in your own words, will always sound better.
Try it now
Set a timer for two minutes, answer this question out loud, and see where the time goes.
Try this oneTell me about a time you negotiated an outcome that worked for both sides.
Answer it out loudHow to tell you’ve said enough
An interview is a conversation, and the interviewer will usually show you when you’ve given them what they need. Look out for:
- They stop writing, or look down at the next question.
- They start to nod quickly or say “great” or “OK” while you’re still going.
- They interrupt with a follow-up. That’s not a bad sign; it means they’re interested in one part.
If you see these, finish your sentence, give your result in one line and stop. If you’re not sure you’ve said enough, it’s fine to ask: “I can say more about how I handled the client, if that would help.”
When your answers are too short
Short answers can be a problem too, especially if you’re nervous or used to being brief. A panel scoring a competency question needs a full example, with your actions in it. If you answer in one sentence, they can only score what you said.
If you tend to go short, use the STAR letters as a checklist as you speak, and give each one at least a sentence. “Point, reason, example, point” does the same job for quick questions.
Mistakes to avoid
- A long run-up
Two minutes of background before you get to the point. Give the situation in a sentence or two.
- Saying “we” all the way through
The panel is hiring you. Say what you did, even when it was a team effort.
- Two examples when one was asked for
Pick your best one and tell it well. Offer another if they want it.
- Answers that are too short
A one-line answer to a competency question leaves the panel nothing to score. Give the whole example.
- No ending
Trailing off with “so, yeah” makes a good answer sound unsure. Finish on the result and stop.
Practise with a timer, out loud
Reading your notes is not the same as saying them. Answers usually grow when spoken, because you add the little bridges and asides that never make it onto paper. The only way to know how long yours run is to say them with a timer going.
Try a few questions in our free interview practice tool, with the timer set to two minutes, and listen for where the time goes. For questions you can’t plan for, how to answer questions on the spot gives you a four-step shape that keeps answers short and clear.
From Ash
Learn to Speak Easy started after my wife had an interview that knocked her confidence. What I’ve noticed since, in our own practice, is that length is the hardest thing to judge while you’re nervous: two minutes of your own voice can feel like ten. A timer settles it. Hear what two minutes sounds like a few times and you stop guessing.
FAQs
How long should “Tell me about yourself” be?
Aim for 60 to 90 seconds. That is enough for what you do now, how you got here and why this job is the next step, in that order.
It is an opening, not your life story, so leave out anything the interviewer can’t use to judge you for this role. If it runs past two minutes when you time it out loud, cut the middle, not the end: the “why this job” part is the bit they remember.
How long should a STAR answer be?
About two minutes is a good target for a STAR answer. Spend around 20 seconds on the situation and task, about a minute on your actions, and 20 seconds on the result.
A big example from a senior role can run a little longer, but much past three minutes it gets hard for a panel to follow. If your story needs more time than that, the set-up is usually too long. Keep the background to what the panel needs to understand your actions.
Can an interview answer be too short?
Yes. A one-line answer to a competency question gives the panel nothing to score, and it can sound as if you have no example.
Under about 30 seconds is fine for a simple factual question, such as when you could start. For anything that asks how you work or what you did, give the whole shape: a point, a reason and an example, or a full STAR answer. If you worry you were too brief, ask: “Would it help if I said more about how I did that?”
How long should answers be in a video interview?
In a live video interview, use the same timings as in person. In a recorded one-way interview, the platform usually shows a time limit for each answer, so check it before you start.
Don’t try to fill the whole limit. A clear one-minute answer beats a rambling three-minute one. Recording platform RecRight, for example, says one minute should be enough when the employer gives no length. Practise with a timer and a camera on, so the clock on screen doesn’t throw you on the day.
How long should Civil Service interview answers be?
There is no official length, so check your candidate pack, which may give the timings. About two minutes for a behaviour example is a sensible target.
The Civil Service Success Profiles candidate overview suggests the STAR method for behaviour examples and says your example must clearly meet the behaviour being assessed. Strengths questions, about what you enjoy and how you like to work, are usually shorter: answer directly, give a reason, and stop.