Group interviews can be a daunting prospect. As part of the growing amount of unorthodox interview techniques. The key fear arises from having to affirm yourself knowing your direct competition is in the room whilst you are doing it. This is a natural feeling to have and will be shared. Even the others, as confident as they may seem, will also have a sense of awkwardness, especially if its their first time group interviewing.
The goal for yourself during a group interview is to eventually get a one-on-one interview. Indeed, group interviews are often used as a screening process. But you will also need to pay attention to key attributes that recruiters are looking for in such an interview. That is why our article is ready for you to explore what is needed to excel in a group interview.
What is a group interview?
A group interview is an interview where several potential candidates are evaluated at once. This is not to be confused with a panel interview where there is one candidate and a panel of the company or recruitment evaluating them. Group interviews often take the form of a common task the candidates must fulfil, as a team. Indeed, group interviews are as much about showing how you interact with others, work as a teammate and show leadership, as they are about putting you outside your potential comfort zone. So do not panic.
Group interviews also act as an efficiency mechanism : Employers do this as a way of saving time as they get to evaluate several candidates in one go. So its often not even about the interviewee. With this you must approach the interview with a relaxed but determined attitude. You are likely to not have as much time as you usually would to distinguish yourself. Remember some of the key tips and tricks for interviews in general and start the group interview with a determination to hammer your point across.
What common questions are asked in a group interview
Group interview questions will seem eerily familiar to the standard interview questions you are likely to have in an individual interview. Your answers though may vary. Let us have a look at some examples of group based interview questions :
- “How would you describe the team dynamic you just experienced?” : for this you need to do some research on understanding management techniques, organisations and what makes teams run smoothly.
- “Who would you hire from the group and why?” Here they want to see if you acknowledge the qualities of others, if you have an ability to listen and take note of small details that they may have noticed too, and also display. They are also trying to see how you can answer questions in a diplomatic fashion.
- “Why are you interested in working for our company” : Here you actually can distinguish yourself far more than the competition, by doing adequate research on the company. Similarly, you could be exposed if another candidate manages to know more about the company than you do.
- “Why was this task successful/unsuccessful” : Do not blame others for the failure of the task. Instead focus on the team as a unit and what you did right or wrong. Look towards ways you could improve yourself and how the team dynamic (always referring to it as the team).
What are some tips for the interview process
We recommend the following tips to remember in the group interview process :
- Be polite and friendly with fellow interviewees : remember that despite being up against each other, what the employer is looking for is your ability to immediately integrate into a team and be personable. If its a customer service or sales interview you have to put the charm on rather than act as a competitor.
- Pay attention to your body language : This is already important in your standard one on one interview but here it is essential to convey how relaxed you are in a social environment. Even in remote interviews with a camera you should always display positive body language, displaying your interest in what is going on and what others have to say.
- Listen carefully to others : You may be asked how to allocate them to specific tasks based on their skills or which one of them you would hire and why. This is part of testing your listening skills and your ability to show leadership and management of human resources.
- Practice with other peers or colleagues : scenarios in group interviews can vary massively, so like any task, some simulation and preparation can really help. Get two or three people also looking for work and start role playing how you engage with certain characters or answer certain questions.