How to stop saying um in an interview
Filler words fill the gap while your brain looks for the next idea. You cannot remove them by trying harder in the moment. You reduce them by knowing your next point, and by getting comfortable with a short silent pause.
A few fillers are normal and nobody minds. They become a problem when they appear in every sentence and hide your point.
Why do we say um?
Speech runs a little ahead of thinking. When you reach the end of an idea and the next one is not ready, you make a sound to keep your turn. In normal conversation that works. In an interview, nerves make the gaps longer, so the sounds come more often.
The common ones are um, uh, like, basically, actually, you know and so. Many people also repeat the first words of a sentence while they think.
Count yours first
Most people do not know which filler they use. Record yourself answering three interview questions out loud, then listen back and make a tally for each filler word. Write down the one you use most. That is the only one to work on this week.
On Just One Interview, the report after each practice round counts your filler words for you, so you can see the number go down across rounds.
A ten-minute drill
- Pick one question you know well.
- Answer it out loud slowly. Each time you feel a filler coming, close your mouth and pause instead.
- Accept that the pause feels long. To the listener it lasts about a second.
- Answer the same question again at normal speed.
- Answer a new question, and keep the pause habit.
A silent pause sounds like thinking. A filler sounds like searching.
Fix the cause, not the sound
| Cause | What to do |
|---|---|
| You do not know your next point | Give every answer the same shape. Say the point, then one example, then the result. |
| You start talking before you are ready | Take one breath after the question before you speak. |
| Your sentences are long | Use shorter sentences. Each full stop is a natural place to think. |
| You are rushing | Slow down a little. Fillers drop when the pace drops. |
| You are nervous | Practise out loud more often, so the situation feels familiar. |
Do fillers count in an AI interview?
Many first rounds are now run by an AI interviewer, which turns your speech into a transcript before your answers are scored. Fillers appear in that transcript. A few will not change much, but a page full of them makes your point harder to find for whoever reads it later.
The fix is the same as for a person. Know the shape of your answer before you start, and pause instead of filling the gap. Our guide to common mistakes in AI interviews covers the other habits that cost marks.
What not to do
Do not try to remove every filler on the day. Watching yourself for fillers during an interview takes your attention away from the question. Do the work in practice, then trust it. One or two fillers in an answer will not cost you anything.
For a full practice plan, see how to practise for an interview by yourself.