Jobseekers feel worried even when it’s a one-on-one interview. And when it’s a panel interview (group interview), it might cause more worry among applicants. One thing that you always need to remember is that employers don’t hold panel interviews to create a fearful situation. They adopt this approach so that you can meet all the important people (who you’ll actually work with) in a single seating. That’s why, it’s important to prepare yourself to achieve success in a panel interview, no matter how many people are there in the group.
Given below are some key tips and useful pieces of advice that you can use to win a panel interview and get hired quickly.
Don’t Stare at a Single Person
A panel interview is a group interview, where you won’t be talking to a single person specifically. Each of the professionals that attend the interview are equally important. If you stare at just one person, you’ll only lose the essence of a panel interview and leave a bad impression.
Be Ready for Further Explanation
Everyone has their own listening style. When you respond, it might be just possible that you won’t send the same signal to everyone. Those who don’t get you instantly may ask you to repeat a response or ask for further explanation. These things happen in group interviews. So, you should be ready for that.
Practice Answering a Range of Questions
Questions asked during a one-on-one interview may be very limited. However, panel interviews are different in that sense. Different interviewers in the group might throw different types of questions at you. Apart from practicing commonly asked questions, also prepare on how to answer tricky, critical and behavioral interview questions to achieve success.
Ask Intelligent Questions
Since it’s a panel interview, you will need to convince most of the people in the group. It may be a little easier to convince or impress when you face a one-on-one interview. That’s why you should never ask very general or common questions. Ask intelligent questions to impress many in the group.
Give Examples
If you want to leave a lasting impression on each of the interviewers in the panel, you need to talk with examples. While explaining a point, talk about your own personal experiences from the past. Also remember to use figures to support the claims that you make.
Write Thank You Notes to Each Panelist
End the interview on a positive note. In any case, don’t forget to send thank you notes to each of the professionals who participated as interviewer. You can also use this opportunity to highlight your most essential skills and build important connections in the industry.
James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills.
