“I’m not sure” is a perfectly valid answer

Here is some advice for people going for interviews: “I’m not sure” is a perfectly valid answer.

Bonus points for “I used to think the answer is ABC but after reading this book or that podcast, and based on what I saw in such and such a project, I’m beginning to think the answer could be XYZ”.

Earlier this year I interviewed someone for a team leader position and I was blown away by the way they answered some of the questions.

One of their answers was “Well the answer is yes and no. In this situation it would be yes, but in that situation it would be no”.

It’s okay to say “it depends”. It’s okay to ask clarifying questions to make sure you are answering the question the interviewer is actually asking.

It’s even okay to say “I really don’t know enough about that to give you a solid answer, I would need to go look into it.”

No one interview is going to make or break your career. And no hiring manager goes into an interview hoping they’ll find a way to disqualify you.

It’s quite the opposite, they are rooting for you. Why? Because if you’re “the one” then they can stop looking and get on with their life!e!