I am trying to find a position as an Interior Design Assistant and although I have gotten several calls in to be interviewed, I always seem to blow it with how fast I talk. Has anybody else ever had this issue in their careers and if so, how did you overcome it?
I would suggest practicing talking slower with a friend. I come from a family of fast talking ADHDERS and issues with it were most often regional. Out west, no issues… south, major issues (we moved a lot). Make sure you are making good eye contact and breathing! Interviews are stressful and lend themselves to shallow breathing which causes you to try to finish sentences in a rush…
Hang in there!
You can also rehearse a bit beforehand, building in pauses. You can preset limits on the number of sentences you say before pausing to allow the interviewer to ask the next question. Interviewers are looking for responsiveness, and a big part of responsiveness is listening. You can also ask a few questions yourself, which allows the interviewer to talk. Practice on a supportive friend, and take the friend’s feedback. Best of luck!
These are great suggestions! My son is interviewing now and listening is important skill for understanding what kind of a response the interviewer is looking for.
In one case he got a written list of questions to respond to and the interviewers didn't say much at all. In that case he had to slow down and consider if he'd answered each question sufficiently and clearly. That was an unusual interview (he thought there was something wrong with the process) but we found out it's one style of many. When you practice, you might give your friend a written list of a few questions you've been asked in real interviews. Good luck!