For most behavioural questions, about 90 seconds to two minutes. Long enough to set up the situation, say what you did and give the result. If the interviewer wants more, they will ask. That is a rule of thumb, not a law, and a technical walk-through can run longer.
Why about two minutes
Past two minutes, people start losing the thread, including the person talking. The interviewer is also listening for a point to follow up on. Give them one while they are still paying attention.
Where the time goes
Almost always into the setup. The company, the team, the org chart, the year, the project before the project. By the time you get to what you did, a minute and a half is gone.
| Part | About |
|---|---|
| The situation, in one or two sentences | 15 seconds |
| What you did (the most of it) | 60 to 75 seconds |
| The result, with a number if there is one | 20 seconds |
| What you would do differently (optional) | 10 seconds |
Cutting context without losing the story
- Say the stakes, not the history. "We had six weeks before a regulatory deadline" beats four sentences of background.
- Cut names the interviewer does not need. Your manager's manager can stay offstage.
- Start with the result, then tell the story that got you there. It keeps you honest about length.
Practising with a timer
Record one answer and time it. Then cut it to 90 seconds and record it again. The second one is almost always better. Not because short is good, but because cutting forces you to decide what the point was.
HUNT's interview practice scores every answer on concision as well as relevance, structure and specificity, and measures your pace and filler words from the recording. See interview prep.
Related: Your filler words are probably not the real problem, Why "Tell me about yourself" keeps going wrong and STAR method without sounding like you memorized STAR.
Published
Sources
- How To Use the STAR Interview Response Technique, Indeed Career Guide.Aim for about one and a half to two minutes per answer.
- STAR Technique: Answering Behavioral Questions, UMBC Career Center.One to two minutes, descriptive but concise.
- STAR Method: How to Use This Technique to Ace Your Next Job Interview, The Muse.Long answers usually carry too much detail: a sentence or two per step.