Does this interviewing method actually hold ground?

I was told that during an interview, I should not share any technical knowledge unless I am asked a technical question, and when I am answering a technical question, I should not provide more info than is necessary. I was told that this technique is used to ensure that I will not pigeonhole myself or dig a hole for myself and inspire the interviewer to ask me tougher questions that I may not be able to answer. I was told that if I am not able to answer those tougher follow-up questions, I would end up looking foolish and not get the job. However, how much of this is actually true? Isn’t it completely normal for someone with little experience to have some understanding but not a complete understanding about a given subject? If it is normal to know some details but not every detail, then why is it a bad idea to share what I already know and then admit that I don’t know the answer to a more in-depth follow up question that may potentially be asked?

5 Comments
 

This makes a lot of sense, I have found that interviewers like to ask follow-up questions based on things I have said. So when you start talking too much or try to flex knowledge you don't really have, its really easy to get burnt.

 
Most Helpful

Personally this is not how I interviewed- an interview isn’t just about surviving without looking like an idiot. Coming across as decent will not be enough to land a job, you need to be super impressive.

If you know your technicals well, you shouldn’t be scared of any technical question and you should try to show how well you know your stuff. Lots of banks i interviewed at (especially BBs) ask really basic technicals, so I made sure to provide thorough explanations that show that, on top of knowing the answer to the question, I have a really strong understanding of the topic as a whole. I would sometimes get follow ups but they were never impossible, and I ended up advancing to the next round on nearly all of my interviews so this strategy worked for me.

 

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