The Firing Squad! Facing a Panel Interview

There you are walking all poised into an interview room, expecting to greet one or perhaps two interviewers. But instead, what you are faced with is a group of four to five people sitting behind a long table; assembled strangers ready to attack you with a volley of questions! How unsettling, isn’t it? Well...Welcome to the world of panel interviews! Chances are that you will stumble upon one sooner or later in your professional journey.

While one-on-one interviews are easier to manage, you need to be extremely well prepared and careful with group interviews where the fate of your career is decided by not one but several interviewers together. In most probability you can’t escape panel interviews! But what can you do is ensure that you're well prepared to handle several people all at once.

Here’s how to relax and feel more in control of the situation:

Make a connection:

As the applicant, your primary job in a group interview is to connect with every panel member. Because the slightest slip-up, one wrong comment or gesture can get you rejected immediately. Collective judgement is passed against you even before the procedure properly starts. So research as much as you can about the company and the position you are applying for. This will give you a fine idea about who all will be on the panel and help you field questions with confidence. If feasible, try and research the names of the people who will be there for the interview on the company's website. This will give you some ease with each of them besides revealing potential bases for making a primary connect. Start the interview with introductions. Greet and shake hands with every interviewer, trying to memorize their names. One approach is to make a note of their names or ask for their business cards and keep them in front of you in sequence. This will allow you to use their names when you answer their questions.

Maintain proper eye contact:

It's extremely significant to maintain the right eye contact during your panel interview. Typically, you might be seated around a table, or facing a line-up of interviewers. Address your responses to the entire group, maintaining eye contact with the person who asked you a question. Do not ignore the others for a visible period of time. Be crisp with your answers so that you don’t lose the interest of any panel member. While fielding questions, do not stare at any person for too long as it can make you look ‘frozen’. Instead, unwind, smile, and open your gaze to each person in the room.

Know your audience well:

Typically, your team of interviewers will embody several areas of the company so each one of them will judge you through a different lens. And because they’ll come from diverse backgrounds and roles, they will consider your resume and answers differently as well. So, the best way to prepare for this kind of interview is to find out who your interviewers are in advance.  Realize that you will be meeting a range of personalities, grilling techniques and agendas. Every interviewer will form their own judgment of you, so you must win them over in person. Don't give stock answers to all of them. Repackage your answers and skill so that they sound different. Such interviews can also be pretty enlightening as they give you the chance to observe how the panellists communicate with one another, i.e. whether they are informal or reserved and behave accordingly. Also, to succeed in such interviews, you have to control the pace of the conversation. Don’t rush your answers; think before responding and be to the point.

Gear up for the challenges:

Of course, you’ll want to be all set for your interview by drawing out few “power stories” that best exhibit your aptitude for the job. But if there are any questions that you think might get you awkward, prepare and rehearse some answers for them well in advance! This way, you won’t be terrified when they actually pop up, and will be better adept to handle any curveballs thrown your way. Beyond the fast tempo, such interviews also typically evoke more follow-up questions than normal. Because several interviewers mean several perspectives! So to steer clear of running short on content, make sure you have various anecdotes and examples to explain your background and experience.

Remember to thank everyone:

While wrapping up your interview, remember to thank everyone individually and collect business cards if you didn’t earlier. Also convey your gratitude for the interview. This will keep you and the interview fresh in each of their minds.

Don’t fear panel interviews! Instead, see them as fruitful opportunities! Just stay positive and feel relieved—that you survived!