What Is A Panel Interview For A Job
For applicants, a panel interview is a bit like playing ping-pong with six opponents at once. It is very important to share attention equally around the room while speaking or responding. Many experts suggest making eye contact with everyone, and being sure to address answers to the person who has asked the question. When the interview is over, shake hands or exchange equal farewells with all panelists. One person feeling slighted or ignored may make the difference between a job and a missed opportunity.
What is a Panel Interview? (with pictures)
Use people's names when answering—this allows you to honor the person who asked the question. Remember to make your answer relevant to the different organizational roles. It is critical to personalize your answer to the panelist's area of interest. Consider the perspective of the panelist asking you the question. Cross-reference a question with another one asked previously by a different panelist. An example – "I am glad to expand on my earlier response to Ruth's concern on…" This strategy allows you to reinforce strong elements from a previous answer, showcases active listening skills and pulls all members into the conversation to listen to you with attention. Sometimes, panelists might work off a list of common or standardized questions –the key is to pull the common threads from your answers together so that you are showing consistency across your answers. Much of the Preparation is the Same as One-to-One: Research – always critical Stellar story telling – engages people and makes them curious about you Active listening – encourages dialogue Asking meaningful questions – showcases interest and high level preparation Asking for the job – helps you leave with the opportunity to address concerns—ask that question—do they have concerns at this point in the conversation?
There is a significant difference between a panel interview process and a group interview process. Specifically, group interviews might be conducted by your potential subordinates to look for supervisory style fit. So, how will you prepare? Who is on the Panel? Research job functions as it relates to the overall organizational mission and specifically your role. Use LinkedIn, the organizational chart, networks and even the HR contact to ask questions about your panel members. Understand clearly how your role will make the individual panelist's job better by conducting research on how what you will do will help that person shine more in their function. Identify from the job description, how closely your role will intersect with that person's function. Specifically, prepare by switching places with that person's role—if you were to look at your future role with a different pair of lenses, what would you see? Prepare stellar stories that have common elements to address issues common across all functional areas as well as that might address specific issues with laser-like focus to that particular department.
Maintaining eye contact is important when interviewing for a job. A panel interview is a part of hiring procedure that allows several people to interview a job candidate at once. Interviewers may include department heads, people from related departments, supervisors, and even owners or vice-presidents. A panel interview is often done as part of a multi-step interview process, and may occur after a few one-on-one interviews have already been successfully navigated. A panel interview allows several people to interview a job candidate at once. Panel interviews are notoriously nerve-wracking. If sitting through an interview with one potential employee is already difficult, having a whole room of executives staring and firing questions at a nervous job candidate can be downright panic inducing for some people. Panel interviews do provide excellent opportunities for both the candidate and the employers to size the other side up. While interviewers can get a sense of the personality of the candidate, an astute candidate can also pick up cues about the working relationships and group dynamics present within the organization.
Courteous follow-up – personalize your comments to EACH panelist –refer to their area of interest/function and make your thank-you relevant to their role My take on this – you are in a sweet spot because this process is an opportunity to get a "helicopter view" of the organizational culture and dynamics. It is an outstanding opportunity to create visibility and credibility on a macro level. Why not enjoy the process? What has been your experience with panel interviews? Let us know in the comments below!
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In recent interview preparation sessions with my clients, a majority of questions have come up around handling questions from a panel. As we discussed concerns, I compiled observations on what helped my clients and what they generously shared with me after successfully navigating panel interviews. Here are the top observations from our shared story: Understand the Purpose of a Panel Interview: These are considered time-efficient, allowing employers to determine how the candidate interacts with a diverse range of individuals, especially when the position reports to multiple supervisors and/or relates to diverse functional areas within the organization. These are also seen to provide valid information because a number of opinions and views are taken into consideration when making the hiring decision. Many times these are considered to be more rigorous, more culturally fair and more detailed because a candidate faces questions from experts from different parts of the organization, reflecting the varied interests of each panel member.