AUSTIN, TX -- I'm referring to that awkward silence that often occurs in a job interview. Anyone who has endured a painful moment of unnerving nothingness in an interview can understand the dilemma at hand. How should you handle the situation? Fill the void with inane chatter or suffer silently? Silence, intentional or not, may happen in a job interview for a variety of reasons.

Lack of skill is one reason. Just because someone is interviewing you for a job doesn't mean that he is skilled in the process. Lack of obvious chemistry is another reason. Sometimes it's clear from the beginning that you and the employer aren't a match. And then of course there is your basic distraction action. A telephone rings. A co-worker interrupts. Who knows why those untimely hushed moments really happen. How you handle them can make a big difference. Here are two options to consider:

Option one: Do nothing. You can outlast the deafening silence and, as a result, come across as a confident individual not intimated by a little quiet. You are a bold, audacious risk-taking, silence-loving warrior. Option two: Open your mouth. The key, however, is not to insert your foot as a result. Instead, reiterate a recent and relevant point or ask an intelligent question to resuscitate the conversation.