Ace a Group or Panel Job Interview
Interviewing for a job is always a little nerve-wracking, and even the most confident applicant can become anxious. Interviewing with a group or a panel of interviewers can be difficult, because there are multiple people asking questions and evaluating you. Here are a few tips on how to ace a group or panel job interview.
Steps
- Know the facts about the company
- Learn what you can about the company and the position for which you're interviewing. This will give you a good idea about who will be on the panel and will help you field questions from panel members with confidence. Your panel will likely include members of the company's human resources department as well as members of the department where you'd be working, so understanding the structure of the company will make you more knowledgeable about your interviewers.
- Provide resumes for everyone
- Bring enough copies of your resume to provide one for each member of the interview panel. This will give each person interviewing you the opportunity to review your credentials. It will also help you appear prepared and organized.
- Before the interview, make a list of your top achievements at different jobs. Imagine and relive your successes for several days before the interview. This will help you to be positive, pleasant and to smile and speak with confidence. You will have so many positive responses to questions that they will just have to hire you.
- Make proper eye contact
- It's important to make the right eye contact at the right time during your panel interview. When answering questions from one panel member, look at that one member so it's clear that you're focusing on him. If you're elaborating on a point, making a longer statement or addressing a question from the group as a whole, make eye contact with each member of the panel to engage and include each of them.
- Learn the names of your interviewers
- Take note of each panel member's name when you meet them so you can address them personally during the group interview. Using their names will help you develop a rapport with each of them. This will also help you stay focused on members during the interview and let your interviewers know that you pay attention to detail.
- Consider panel members when answering questions
- Include specific examples pertaining to your personal experiences and the jobs of the panel members when you answer their questions. This will show the value of your skills and experience to the perspective of each individual on the interview panel.
- Stay calm
- It's easy to get flustered when a member of an interview panel asks you a difficult question, but the most important thing to remember is that they want to hear what you have to say. Take a deep breath, focus on that single panel member, and answer the question as completely as you can. Staying calm and focusing on that specific question will prevent you from getting overwhelmed by the number of interviewers and it will demonstrate that you know how to function under pressure.
- Thank each panel member
- Shake hands with each interview panel member and thank them at the end of the interview. Send thank-you notes to each member to convey your appreciation for the interview. This will keep your interview and resume in each of their minds.
