How to Stop Saying "Um" and "Like" in Interviews

"Um," "like," "uh," "you know," "basically"—filler words make you sound uncertain and unprepared. They undermine otherwise great answers. The good news: you can eliminate them with the right techniques. This guide shows you exactly how.

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Why We Say "Um" and Filler Words

Filler words serve a purpose—they're verbal placeholders while your brain searches for what to say next. Your mouth moves faster than your thoughts, so you fill the silence with "um" instead of pausing.

Common triggers:

Nervousness: Anxiety speeds up speech and increases fillers
Lack of preparation: You don't know your answer well enough
Habit: You say "um" in daily conversation without noticing
Fear of silence: You think pauses make you look dumb (they don't)

The Core Solution: Embrace the Pause

The single most effective technique is learning to pause silently instead of saying "um."

Replace "Um" with Silence

When you feel an "um" coming:

Close your mouth
Take a breath through your nose
Think for 2-3 seconds
Then speak

Why it works: Brief pauses (1-3 seconds) make you appear thoughtful, not uncertain. Interviewers don't notice short silences—but they notice every "um."

Proven Techniques to Eliminate Filler Words

1. Slow Down Your Speech

Most filler words happen when you rush. Deliberately speak 20% slower than feels natural.

Take a breath between sentences
Pause after finishing a thought
Give yourself time to think before answering

Practice: Read something out loud at half your normal speed. It feels weird, but that's your target pace.

2. Know Your Answers Cold

Filler words multiply when you're searching for what to say.

Practice your core answers 20+ times out loud
Know your STAR stories so well you can tell them half-asleep
The more automatic your answers, the fewer fillers

3. Record Yourself and Count

You don't notice your own filler words. Recording forces awareness.

Record a 2-minute answer on your phone
Listen back and count every filler word
Write down when they happen (beginning of sentences? When thinking?)
Practice again, trying to reduce the count

Goal: Get from 15-20 fillers per 2 minutes down to 0-2.

4. Use Strategic Phrases Instead

Replace fillers with professional thinking phrases:

"That's a great question..."
"Let me think about the best example..."
"To answer that..."
"What I mean is..."

These buy you thinking time without sounding uncertain.

5. Breathe Deliberately

Fillers often happen when you run out of breath mid-sentence.

Take a full breath before starting each answer
Breathe between sentences, not mid-sentence
If you need to think, breathe—don't fill

6. Practice with Penalties

Train yourself to catch fillers in real-time:

Practice answers with a friend who raises their hand every time you say a filler
Start your answer over each time you use a filler word
Put a dollar in a jar for every "um" during practice

The immediate feedback builds awareness faster than anything else.

Advanced Techniques

The Mouth-Closed Technique

When you finish a sentence, close your mouth completely. This physically prevents "um" from escaping while you think about your next point.

The Period Pause

Treat periods like stop signs. After finishing a sentence, pause for 1-2 seconds before starting the next one. This prevents run-on sentences and fillers.

What About "You Know," "Right?", "Basically"?

These are verbal crutches too. Apply the same techniques:

"You know" → Delete it entirely. Your sentence works fine without it.
"Right?" at the end of sentences → Shows insecurity. Remove it.
"Basically" or "Essentially" → Usually unnecessary. Just state your point.
"Like" for comparisons → Replace with "such as" or "for example"

How Long Does It Take to Fix?

Week 1: You'll become painfully aware of every filler
Week 2: You'll start catching yourself mid-"um"
Week 3: You'll catch yourself before the "um" happens
Week 4: Filler words reduce by 70-80%

Most people see dramatic improvement in 2-3 weeks of daily practice.

The Practice Routine

Daily (15 minutes):

Record yourself answering 3 interview questions
Listen back and count filler words
Practice the same questions again, focusing on pausing instead of filling
Compare your counts—are you improving?

Don't Aim for Perfection

Even professional speakers use occasional filler words. The goal isn't zero—it's going from distracting to barely noticeable.

Acceptable levels:

0-2 fillers per 2-minute answer = Excellent
3-5 fillers per 2-minute answer = Good
6-10 fillers = Noticeable but not terrible
15+ fillers = Distracting and hurts your credibility

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