5 Tips for Success in Panel Job Interviews

Panel interviews can be considerably unpleasant. You are surrounded by all of the people that are going to make a decision on your employment at once. A single mistake is amplified, because an entire panel is staring at you and judging you. You may also feel ganged up on, as it can appear as though the applicants are trying to get you to fail. In order to improve your chances, here are five panel interview tips designed to give you a leg up on the competition.

Panel Job Interview Tips

• They Are Out to Get You

It is not uncommon to feel like the interviewers are trying to get you to fail. It’s because they are. A lot of panel interviews are designed to challenge you to such a high degree that if you cannot handle the pressure you are going to fail. It has nothing to do with how good a candidate you are. The interviewers are purposely trying to get you to feel like they do not want you, in order to see how well you handle it. Just remember that if it appears they do not like you, it is because they are acting that way on purpose. It is not because you are a bad candidate. Remain confident throughout the interview. Even when it sounds like they are pointing out flaws, they are very likely only pretending those are flaws to try to throw you off your game.

• Come Prepared

It is extremely important that you prepare as much as possible for a panel interview. Panel interviews really do exacerbate mistakes. If you do not know what the company’s main product is, everyone in the panel is going to notice, and your chances of getting the job are reduced. The more you prepare, the better.

• Speak Up

It is very important that you speak loud enough that the entire panel can hear. If one of the panelists cannot hear your answers, they may rudely ask you to repeat what you are saying. Even if the other panel interviewers were able to hear you fine, they will also notice that the other interviewer was unable to, and assume you are not talking loud enough.

• Smile and Be Confident

Again, the panelists are trying to pressure you and see how you handle that pressure. Don’t give them the satisfaction of watching you crack. Smile and act as though you deserve this job, no matter what they may say to you during the interview. The more confident you appear, the more impressed they will be.

• Bring Thoughtful Answers

The more thought and logic you put into your answers, the more confident you can be that even if the interviewer attacks it, you know you still answered the question well. The panelists will pick up on your doubt. If you come up with great answers, the likelihood of experiencing severe doubt during your panel interview will decrease.

Panel interviews are designed to be hard. That is their purpose. Their ultimate goal is to give you a challenge in order to see how well you handle that stress. Don’t let them succeed by letting them affect you. Even if the interviewer loves you, they are going to pretend they hate you. Come into the interview with that knowledge and you reduce the chances that they will win.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Panel interviews are designed to act as though you are a terrible applicant.
• Come prepared to get put down.
• Remain confident and smile during the panel interview.

What are Panel Job Interviews?

Though they are less in practice these days due to time/cost constraints, there is a method of interviewing known as the “panel job interview.” Panel job interviews are more common with academic and executive positions, but may be utilized for smaller corporate roles as well.

As the name implies, panel job interviews involve interviewing in front of a large panel. The panel will work as a team to try to challenge the applicant and make sure that the entire panel agrees they are right for the role.

Types of Panel Interviews

Panel interviews tend to come in two generic styles:

• Interactive – The panel asks several questions and works as a team to interview the applicant.
• Passive – The interview is not quite as active, and may involve some type of presentation. Then the panel will convene together later and decide if the applicant impressed them.

In the interactive panel interview, the interviewers may all ask questions at random, or they may all represent some aspect of the position. For example, the CEO of the company may ask you the generic questions, while the representative of the department will ask you more technical questions.

Interactive interviews may be more open ended, where the goal is to simply get to know the candidate in group, or they may be designed specifically to stress out the applicant, by firing questions at the individual in order to cause them extra stress and pressure.

Why Are Panel Interviews Used?

Interviewing in front of a panel is more difficult, because the applicant has to please multiple people at once. This helps the interviewer’s see if they handle pressure well. Panel interviews also cost less for a company, because all of the interviewers are already in the room, rather than interviewing separately. Finally, all of the interviewers get an opportunity to hear the applicant’s answers, rather than asking the same question or hearing the answer later during the discussion phase.

In the next post, we will look at specific tips for succeeding during panel interviews.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Panel interviews can be more stressful than other interviews.
• There is more than one type of panel interview.