Why You Should Never Use a Script for Your Interview

Memorizing a script for your interview undoubtedly hurts your performance a lot more than it helps. I'm Ellen and I have a decade of experience training top business leaders to ace interviews and earn spots at top MBA programs like Harvard and Stanford. It's really, really tempting to write out a script and memorize it to ensure that you have the perfect answer for your interview. I know the stakes are super high, but it's exactly because the stakes are high that this is a really bad idea. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to get nervous and this means that you might lose your place in your speech, which can be a little bit awkward. Or you might completely forget the rest and freestyle, which isn't always ideal. Or maybe you get lucky and you completely remember it. But this can mean that your answer ends up being robotic and you fail to build a connection with your interviewer. Do this instead. Go ahead and write out a script. Practice it a ton, but then condense it down into bullet points. These bullet points are going to serve as stepping stones that guide you through a perfect answer. This gives you space for a bit of spontaneity, but it also allows you to pick up your answer if you lose your place and continue going. By avoiding this pitfall, you can make sure that you land the perfect job or the spot at your dream school. For more tips on how to perform your best in even the toughest interview, follow me.