Interviews can be nerve-wracking, and one of the most dreaded moments is when you’re asked a question, and your mind goes completely blank. Sound familiar? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. It’s a common fear, but with the right approach, you can navigate this scenario with confidence and poise.

Here’s a simple yet effective strategy to handle those moments:

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What do you do if you're interviewing and you get asked a question and your mind goes completely blank? It's pretty much everyone's worst fear in the job search process, but I have a tool for you to keep in your back pocket. Now, part of what we can do to mitigate the risk of this happening is to prep as much as possible. So definitely check out my other tips and strategies for interview prep. But if the worst case happens, here's what you can do. Acknowledge the question. So look the person in the eye and say, thank you for that question. Let me think about that for just one moment. As you say that you can break eye contact and look away, which takes a little bit of the pressure off and then your brain is going to start to have some space to come up with your answer. So it's going to feel those three seconds or five seconds that you look away and think is going to feel like three hours to you, but it's much better than stumbling and mumbling your way through an incoherent answer.