Panel interviews help organisations streamline their recruitment process by giving key team members a chance to see how prospective candidates perform under pressure. If you’ve been invited to a panel interview and the idea of being grilled by an audience fills you with dread, this article will help you prepare for a successful performance.
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- What is a panel interview?
- What to expect in a panel interview
- How to prepare for a panel interview
- Additional Panel Interview Tips for Success
What is a panel interview?
A panel interview involves an applicant answering questions from a group of people (the panel) who then make the hiring decision. Hiring managers use these interviews to gain perspective from other people in the business and reach a consensus, ensuring successful hiring decisions are made.
Additionally, panel interviews may align better with a company’s values and culture than one-on-one interviews. They can give interviewees a sense of what to expect from the office atmosphere should they be successful.
What to expect in a panel interview
Members of the interview panel are often those who will work closely with the interviewee should they be successful, with the hiring manager typically leading alongside a member of human resources.
In terms of duration, a panel interview can last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes or longer. This is often down to efficiency since an entire workday can be blocked out with back-to-back panel interviews.
How to prepare for a panel interview
1. Ensure your CV is up to date
Before any interview, make sure your CV is up to date and bring along a copy for the interviewers. At a panel interview, not every interviewer might have been able to review it beforehand, so make sure the most important parts, like new job titles and responsibilities, are highlighted.
2. Research the company
Before you attend the interview, it’s a good idea to get to know what the organisation is about and why you want to join them. If you’re asked about it, your response should demonstrate an understanding of their core values, their mission statement and their target market.
Look for clues in the About section of their website or LinkedIn company page.
3. Understand the role and its wider function
Before a panel interview, go back and check the job description to find out who you’ll be working with and who you’ll report to. By researching associated roles, you’ll be able to anticipate their needs and communicate how you plan to support them, again showing you’ve done the required and expected research.
4. Pick out relevant qualities and skills for the role
Review the job spec again, but this time, highlight the qualities of their ideal candidate. Prepare four or five anecdotes illustrating your proficiency in each of the required skills.
If the job spec emphasises particular soft skills – like communication or team working – a story about how you used your negotiation skills to resolve an office conflict will definitely come in handy.
5. Anticipate potential questions and answers
Unlike a one-to-one interview, a panel involves several people with different interests, so expect your response to one person to provoke an additional – and possibly tangential – question from another.
It’s easy to get defensive in front of a crowd. But don’t let questions about gaps in your employment history, periods of unemployment or unplanned career moves throw you off. Prepare positive, straightforward responses to any tricky questions and practice until you can deliver them naturally.
6. Prepare to think on the spot
Even with all the planning in the world, you can’t have an answer prepared for every possible question. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t give great answers off the cuff. Take time to listen and understand the question before using the STARR method to answer each question fully.
Additional panel interview tips for success
1. Make your introductions count
If you’ve done your research, you’ll arrive at your interview armed with the names and job titles of each panellist. But remember, even if you’re at the second stage of interview, don’t assume that everyone has met you before! Take a moment to introduce yourself to each person – make eye contact, shake their hand and find out their name and their role (even if you already know). And don’t forget to thank each panellist for taking the time out of their day to interview you.
2. Adapt to the interview setting
Take a moment to assess your environment and your interviewers and adjust your approach accordingly. Depending on the size of the room and your distance from the interviewers, you might need to adjust your volume as you don’t want to be shouting down the place, but you also don’t want to spend the whole interview unheard.
3. Use active listening and review your body language
When the interviewees are speaking, you want to let them know that you’re paying attention. Practice active listening techniques so that you can show your interviewee that you’re engaged and eager to impress. It’ll also help you to answer the questions effectively.
4. Address the panel
In a panel interview setting, it can be tempting to concentrate all your attention on the most senior person in the room. But directing every response to just one of the panellists will quickly sour the atmosphere. Each person on the panel is there for a reason and their opinion counts, so try not to exclude anyone.
5. Take time to respond
Even in high-stress situations like a panel interview, take your time to consider the question and use the STARR method to give a complete answer. Don’t rush – if you need a moment to think about how to structure your answer, simply let the panel know. They’ll often be impressed at your composure and clarity.
6. End the panel interview professionally
Remember to acknowledge each person individually and thank them for their time before leaving. Take the opportunity to pick up a business card from each panellist if you can too.
It’s also a good idea to follow up with everyone individually later in the day. A brief email will be enough to reinforce those connections you made during the interview, without being overbearing.
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