This morning, I was interviewing a candidate for an open position on my team. While this candidate was unquestionably prepared, I will most likely not be moving him forward in the interview process. Why? Because he took too long to get to the point.

In an interview for a marketing job, it's important to realize that how you answer the question is as important as what your answer actually is. For all intents and purposes, you are marketing yourself in an interview for a marketing role. Yes, you may know every last detail about the market and industry, and you may even understand the products really well. But if you can't put it all together in a succinct package, you're never going to get the job.

When you go into a marketing interview, realize that you are the product. As such, you should know your features and benefits, and also your weaknesses against the competition. Most importantly, you should know the three things you want me to take away about your qualifications for the job, and then you need to weave those themes back into your interview. Don't beat me over the head with them, but certainly make sure that I walk away clearly with three best attributes in mind.

Equally important is the need to be succinct. In interviews, I purposely ask open-ended, unstructured questions to see how you are going to answer. Are you going to create a structure where there is none, and provide me a well-organized answer that drives your agenda? Or are you just going to ramble for six-minutes? If you don't know what you want to say and you can't say it in 60 seconds, how can I trust you to be an effective advocate for the product or solution that you are going to be marketing?

In one of my favorite quotes, Mark Twain once said, “I would have written you a shorter letter, if only I had the time.” Truer words have never been spoken.