Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Panel Interviews Anyone?



Have you ever done a panel Interview before? What was your experience?

There are a few reasons behind doing panel interviews. The first and most obvious reason is for convenience. If an employer has an opening that needs to be filled ASAP and there are a lot of "hiring managers" part of the hiring process, most companies will end up doing a panel interview as their first choice. The second reason could be to see how you, the interviewee, handles interacting in a group environment under pressure. This could be a way for an employer to screen your "comfort level". They tend to look for non-verbal cues, in regards to how you handle yourself in a panel interview.

Regardless of the reason, you need to be prepared before going in front of the firing squad. Below are some suggestions to help you ace a panel interview. If you have any additional suggestions or questions, please comment and share your thoughts.

1. Prior to the Panel Interview- Find out how many members will be part of the panel interview. This is a good way to be prepared and not be too surprised when you walk into the interview. The last thing you want to do is to assume anything about this interview. Once you know how many should be in attendance, increase that count by one more, just in case if a last minute addition occurs. Then print up that total amount of résumés and reference sheets. When you arrive to the panel interview, it will look like you did your homework and came prepared for the interview. Give each panel interviewer a copy of your résumé and references. Immediately, they will be impressed and thus in turn, you will already feel a bit more relaxed.

2. Answering the interview questions- Typically there is 1 or maybe even 2 members of a panel interview that ask most of the interview questions. Then there are others that are there to observe your behavior, professional dress attire, and your overall responses. When an interview question is asked, be sure when you are responding to acknowledge EVERYONE in the room when you answer. Even if is a gentle glance, you are being respectful enough to address everyone in your audience when answering a question. Of course the first person you should look at when responding, should be the initial person who asked you the question.

3.Don't let them see you sweat- No matter what you do, don't let the panel interviewers ever see you sweat! I know it's hard, but try not to show your nervousness through body twitches or even saying "umm" while thinking of how to answer your question. It is important to be confident and to leave that panel interview with the sense of them wanting more! Hopefully just enough where they will offer you the job!

4.Be sure to thank everyone-Once you are finishing up your panel interview, make sure to thank everyone for their time. If appropriate give each of them a firm hand shake as to acknowledge everyone who was part of the panel interview. In addition ask for their contact information. After the interview is over you and you have digested the whole "surviving the panel interview experience", take the time to send a professional Thank You email to each member that was part of the panel interview. This is just one final way to stand out from the rest of the applicants!

Please share your suggestions and stories! Have you done any of the above tips and did they work for you?