Beating Out Competition in Group Interviews

By Timothy Hayes on May 22, 2015

Many things can make you very nervous: auditions, performing, meeting new people, competing. The list goes on.

So, what better way to hold interviews than to make them all in a group where you have to do all of those terrifying things? Welcome to group interviews.

If you’re unfamiliar with this idea, a group interview is something like it sounds. A group of potential employees or interns will work with or against each other to successfully prove that they can perform the required tasks for the interviewer and are the right people or person for the job.

Now, traditional one-on-one interviews are simply nerve-wracking. You’ve got to dress the part, act the part, and say the right thing all while sweating bullets and acting natural. Now add in the pressure performance of interaction in a group as well as a competitive atmosphere where you may be asked to leave in a series of more serious rounds of questions and you’ve got the wonderful world of group interviews.

Having done group interviews, I’d like to offer all of you some personal advice for these kinds of encounters. Going into these cold is tough, so getting a bit of know-how is going to serve you well. The more you know going in, the better.

(image courtesy of www.staffingtalk.com)

First and foremost, relax. You are going into an interview as you. You’ve got your game face on, but that’s your face. This is all about you fitting the job, not you contorting yourself for that job. If you don’t feel comfortable doing the job you will be asked to do, then don’t interview for it.

Make sure that what you’re going to do will help you do what you want. You will be ultimately working for someone, but if you can’t get into it, get out of it. Go into the interview being honest with the interviewer about who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Being genuine about yourself helps the interviewer gauge your level of competency for the job at hand better. Being you lets you be completely unique from everyone else in the group. If you want the position, use you to pop out.

Next, make sure you know what you’re getting into. If you go into the interview blind, chances are you’re not the only one, but if you are, you will automatically get mentally demoted in the interviewer’s mind. Make sure you know what you’re interviewing for. What’s the position? What are the responsibilities? What’s the company name? Motto? Business plan?

Do a bit of research, say 30 minutes, and dig up some stuff on the position. This bit of info can let you form questions for the interviewer and build up answers. If you’re prepared and the competition isn’t, you’ve got an edge immediately.

Speaking of questions, make sure you’ve practiced a few beforehand. Mock interviews are an excellent source of experience for their real-world counterparts. Dressing up, practicing your speaking voice, your business appearance, and your questions can help. You can also formulate questions the interviewer might ask and develop some answers. Even if the interviewer doesn’t ask these questions, it can be helpful if they are similar.

A word of warning though: do not rattle off a canned answer. This seems fake no matter what. Use your voice and word choice to answer in your way.

Be honest. Don’t pretend to know all the answers. If you don’t know, simply saying that can be better than a more bold, but misleading statement. It’s better to say you don’t understand or don’t know the answer than to muddle through something half-done. Asking questions can also help someone else in the group who doesn’t speak up.

Take notes. When you ask questions, write down the answers. When you have a question, write it down quietly and bring it up at the end when the interviewer asks if anyone has questions. This makes you stand out as a serious contender and allows you to bring up the topics you need more info on and retain that same info.

(image courtesy of www.doncooper.com)

Be you. If its a group interview, it’s about sieving through contenders to reach the one that’s right for the position. If you’re not right for the position, you will fall through. If you manage to change yourself to fit in with the position and end up with it, are you really sure you want to be in that position?

Doing this can hurt the group or company you’re interviewing for and then hurt you by being in a job you’re not cut out for. This can also bite you in the butt if you can’t perform in that position since your superiors might not recommend you when moving on.

Group interviews can be a nerve-wracking environment and one that you will never get used to, but they can be an exciting chance to show the interviewer not just what you’re made of, but how you stand out from the rest.

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