Handling Interview Silence

Imagine this scenario: You’ve just answered a difficult question or made an important point and are met with an unmovable silence. You wait, growing a bit uneasy, but the room remains deafeningly still What would you do? A newly fresh graduate would likely to remain silence and than the interviewer will try to make the fresh graduate talk.

A way to overcome this is to knowing what to say. Knowing when to stop is vital. To keep from talking yourself out of a job remember some of these Do’s and Don’ts.

Don’t spend time talking about dates, chronology or other information readily available on your resume unless you were asked to do so.
 

Don't waste the interviewer's time by mentioning irrelevant facts or stories that would likely annoyed them. Think before you talk.

Do your homework before you attend the interview. Anticipate questions that are likely to be asked and prepare brief convincing answers to each.

Do pause briefly before answering a difficult question to gather your thoughts. It not only helps you organize what you want to say, but will make you appear more sincere. Remember to take too much time would be annoying.

Do pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues from the interviewers in the room to gauge their reaction and adjust your responses accordingly.

Do bring along a portfolio of successful projects such as final year projects (if applicable to your line of work) so that the interviewer can see and get a feel for the breadth of what you can do and ask about the projects which interest him or her. By doing so, the interviewer will more confident on you.

 

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