The “Pause” — An Effective Interview Technique

A simple and effective tool every interviewer can use is the pause.

A pause may not sound like a technique. In fact, to many interviewers, silence feels uncomfortable. The moment a subject stops talking, the interviewer often feels the urge to immediately fill the space with another question, a comment, or an explanation. That instinct is understandable, but it can also interrupt the very information the interviewer is trying to recover.

In an interview, silence can serve two very different purposes. When a subject pauses during an answer, the pause may draw the interviewer’s attention. It may reflect memory search, uncertainty, emotional discomfort, cognitive strain, or an attempt to decide how much information to reveal. A pause, by itself, does not prove deception. Truthful and deceptive subjects may both pause during an interview. The meaning of the pause depends on the surrounding context, the content of the statement, and what happens when the interviewer allows the subject room to continue.

For the interviewer, however, the pause can be an excellent and very passive tool for eliciting more information.

After a subject answers a question or finishes describing a sequence of events, try waiting a few seconds before responding. Do not rush to the next question. Do not immediately rescue the subject from the silence. Instead, maintain a calm facial expression and professional demeanor that subtly communicates the expectation that there may be more to say.

That brief pause gives the subject time to think, remember, reconsider, clarify, or continue. It may encourage the subject to add details that would never have surfaced if the interviewer had interrupted too quickly. It may also communicate, without pressure or accusation, that the interviewer is listening carefully and expects a complete account.

The pause can also have a psychological effect. It may cause the subject to wonder what the interviewer knows, what the interviewer noticed, or whether the answer was incomplete. Used properly, the pause does not require intimidation, confrontation, or manipulation. It simply creates space.

That space can be powerful.

Interviewers often believe their skill is demonstrated by the next great question they ask. Sometimes the better skill is knowing when not to ask one. If the interviewer talks too soon, the subject may stop searching memory, stop expanding the narrative, or simply shift into answering the interviewer’s next prompt. When that happens, the interviewer may unknowingly reduce the amount and quality of information available for later assessment.

Don’t be in a hurry. You do not have to talk all the time. You do not have to fire off a question the split second the subject finishes speaking.

Ask the question. Listen to the answer. Then pause.

You may be surprised by the bonus information that follows.