Recently, I had the intense pleasure of taking part in a group interview. I feel like the general consensus around this format of an interview is just "Ew, no."
A friend I talked to put it perfectly: "Oh God, group interviews are cancer, but you'll be fine."
When I first heard that I would be doing a group interview as part of the application process for this job I was vying for, I was entirely confused. Like, what? What in the world is a group interview? How do you do one of those?
(I love college, simply because it teaches you all these fun things that you never thought you'd need to know.)
Naturally, I Googled the crap out of them and looked up what it was, how to prepare, and how to do well in one. Combine that with my personal experience of the interview, and here's your complete guide to the Group Interview.
Okay, so a group interview is simply a type of interview in which companies take a bunch of candidates and interview them at the same time in a kind of a group conversation style. Everyone gets asked questions, either individualized or directed to the entire group, and then everyone in the group takes turns answering the questions.
The purpose of a group interview is for companies to be more efficient, especially when they’re interviewing A LOT of candidates to fill many positions of the same kind. It also makes it easier to compare candidates against one another. That being said, it’s a high-stress environment, so it tests whether or not you’re able to handle pressure. And it’s based on discussion and conversation, so these interviews are used often for positions with high customer interaction and face-time.
Yup! They suck. But unfortunately, recruiters are really starting to pick these up and love them. So, as recruiting season comes around yet again, it might be a useful skill to know how to conduct yourself in these types of situations.
Listen
Tip number one is to be attentive and LISTEN all the time. You get HUGE bonus points if, during your turn to speak, you reference something that someone else just said. You want to show the interviewers that you're engaged and listening and friendly with other candidates. Always listen.
It helps a lot to be directly engaged with the speaker. Look at them, laugh when they make a joke. It encourages them, but it also shows that you’re a team-player and supportive, a very important piece of the puzzle that recruiters want to see in these group interviews.
Speak slowly and completely
At these group interviews, you want to make sure that you’re listening to everyone and giving everyone equal time to speak. It shows maturity, comradery and generally makes you a more likable candidate (within reason, of course). But often times, when it’s your turn to speak, you’ll feel rushed, like you’re talking for too long or like you don’t want to seem like you’re dominating the conversation.
Don’t feel that way. This is your time to shine. You only get a few turns in the interview to show who you are and make your case; don’t give up any of that time.
Take your time and make sure you’re saying everything you want to say about the topic, even if those around you look impatient. (That’s also a good skill to have, even if someone is going over their “acceptable” time-limit, you should still be receptive and friendly. That shows how you’ll deal with difficult teammates or colleagues, and interviewers want to see someone who will be friendly and supportive).
Be confident
The biggest thing about group interviews is that it can really be intimating to be right up against your competition. You're hearing them talk about themselves, and you start to feel a little insecure, whether or not you have the qualifications they do, and whether your answer was as articulate as theirs.
It's much easier in one-on-one interviews because you don't have that direct comparison, that direct reminder of your competition, while you're doing the interview.
And that loss of confidence is what bites you. But never fear. Be confident and project it, just as you would in a regular interview. The thing is, they may sound qualified, but you probably do too! And you are qualified, that's why you got the interview, that's why you're there. You have to maintain your cool and just be strong and confident.
Believe in yourself, regardless of anyone around you. My karate sensei always taught us that the attitude you should have when you walk up to any sort of competition is, "I've already won first place, now let me show you why that's true," and then you demonstrate to them why you're the winner.
That's the steady confidence you need. Just be confident, and stay calm. Focus on the answers you are giving and in presenting your best self. Even if you feel like you don't measure up, don't sell yourself short. Let the interviewers decide that. You just keep doing you.
All in all, group interviews are not as daunting as they sound. They're a different kind of challenge, but they're very doable. If you get the opportunity to do one, embrace the experience!