How to Stop Using Filler Words in Interviews

The fastest way to sound more confident in an interview isn't better answers, it's fewer filler words. "Um," "like," "you know," and "so" fill the silence while your brain catches up, and the fix is to replace that reflex with a silent pause. A pause you're afraid of sounds thoughtful to the listener; a string of "ums" sounds nervous. Here's why it happens and how to train it out before your next interview.

Why we use filler words

Filler words aren't a character flaw, they're a reflex. When there's a gap between finishing one thought and starting the next, silence feels uncomfortable, so we plug it with a sound. We do it more when we're nervous, unprepared, or thinking on the fly, which is exactly the state an interview puts you in. That's why you might speak fluently with friends but "um" your way through an interview answer.

Why they cost you

A few fillers are human and no one notices. But a steady stream, several per sentence, quietly signals uncertainty. It makes strong content sound tentative and can make an interviewer trust your answer less, even when the answer is good. Since delivery colors how your words are received, cutting filler is one of the highest-return things you can polish.

The core fix: replace the filler with a pause

You can't just "stop saying um" by willpower in the moment. You replace it with a better habit: the silent pause. When you feel a filler coming, close your mouth and pause instead. It feels like an eternity to you and reads as composed and deliberate to them. Great speakers pause constantly, it's the sound of someone thinking, not floundering.

A practical training plan

1. Build awareness first

You can't fix what you can't hear. Record yourself answering a few common interview questions on your phone and play it back, counting the fillers. Most people have no idea how often they say "like" until they hear it. This awareness alone reduces it.

2. Slow down

Filler words spike when you rush. Deliberately slow your pace. Speaking a little slower gives your brain time to form the next thought without needing an "um" to buy time, and it sounds more authoritative.

3. Prepare your answers

A huge amount of filler comes from constructing answers from scratch under pressure. When you've rehearsed your STAR stories and your tell me about yourself, you're recalling, not inventing, and recall produces far less filler. Preparation is an anti-filler tool.

4. Practice the pause on purpose

In your solo practice, when you'd normally say "um," force a one-second silent beat instead. Do it deliberately and repeatedly until the pause becomes the new reflex. (Full method: how to practice for an interview by yourself.)

5. Get an accurate count

Self-counting is unreliable, it's hard to talk and tally at the same time. The best feedback is an objective measurement of how many fillers you use per minute, tracked over several practice sessions so you can see it dropping.

Don't over-correct

The goal isn't robotic, filler-free perfection, a natural "um" here and there is fine and human. You're aiming to cut the distracting volume, not to sound scripted. Trying to eliminate every single one can make you sound stiff. Progress, not perfection.

Let Impact Career measure it for you

Impact Career's spoken mock interviews include automatic filler-word and delivery analysis, it counts your "ums" and "likes" per minute, tracks your pacing, and shows the trend as you practice, so you get the objective feedback that self-counting can't. You'll see the number fall session over session and walk into the real interview sounding as confident as you actually are.

Measure your filler words in a mock interview free →