Silence is a powerful thing. Here’s how it can help you conduct more effective job interviews:
You know the scene. A recruiter asks a candidate a question, maybe an especially difficult one, and the only answer is silence while the candidate thinks of an answer.
Silence is tough. It’s natural for one party in the conversation to try and end it. But too often it’s the interviewer who breaks the silence by helping the candidate too much or letting him or her off the hook by moving on to something else.
But, according to HR consultant Mel Kleiman, there is one line interviewers can use to take the pressure off themselves and put it back on the candidate to deliver an honest and well thought-out answer:
“I realize it’s a difficult question, so take all the time you need to think about it.”
Not only does that give the interviewer the right to sit comfortably without speaking, but it also helps candidates by discouraging them from opening their mouths before they know what to say.
