We have all heard about the stress that comes along with giving an interview. But, what about the other side of this process? Focusing on only one side of the story leads to a poor result that fails to engage a reader. To deliver the best story, one needs to pay attention to all the aspects of the tale. Similarly, for an interview to be successful, it needs to be conducted properly. Here we will see How to Conduct a Group Interview?
Introduction
The interview is an integral part of building up a brand. The first step on the ladder that takes you to the top. Through this step a company selects the force that will commit to the mission of the brand and work dedicatedly, to make it into a reality. Hence, it becomes necessary to ensure a smooth flow to this introductory phase. Conducting an interview can be a ride filled with bumps if you do not take time to furnish your driving skills.
Picking out a clamp that has a pearl enclosed within it in the first attempt from the sea bed laden with shells is nearly an impossible task. Will only yield a positive result if luck is on your side. Likewise, selecting the best candidate for a job position is a strenuous task. Even the factor of luck doesn’t operate in this realm of the professional world.
You have to use every tactic known to uncover the layers of the candidates and select the fittest to the role. In such a situation, if you have to interview multiple people at the same time and screen through them to make the right decision, the stress multiplies. But, this is where you can remind yourself that every complication can be solved effectively with some guidance and preparation. First of all, this setting of an interview where multiple candidates are interviewed at the same time is known as a group interview. Now, let us start digging in to unravel various tricks to conduct a successful group interview.
What is the concept of group interviews?
The group interview is the format of taking an interview in which many eligible candidates are interviewed simultaneously. All the individuals are made to sit beside each other and then face questions directed towards them. There could be one or more interviewers during the process of interrogation. Thus, management plays a pivotal role in ascertaining that there is a steadiness to the whole proceeding.
A group interview is usually summoned for rescue in the following situations:
- A small business that has less time to set a workforce
- Have a lot of prospective candidates with a similar skill set and thus need a closer look at them together for comparative analysis
- A job position that requires communication skills as this type of interview will bring out the ability of a candidate to navigate a conversation for for the maximization of their benefit
- A team leader position
- To make the procedure transparent and impartial
How to conduct a group interview?
Let us now cut to the chase and concentrate on the question of the hour. How do we go about conducting an interview? It becomes quintessential to take measures to avoid mistakes in conducting a group interview. As in this setting, even a single misstep could null the entire objective of doing this format of the selection process.
This taxing part could be executed flawlessly with some prior preparation. Let’s look at the points to consider when organizing a group interview.
Seating >>>>>> Setting
While the setting of the interview matters, but in this case, the seating is of more prominence. The arrangements of seats will facilitate the fulfillment of the purpose. Depending on whether you want the interviewees to interact within themselves or want them rallied up against each other. This criterion will define if the chairs will be set in a circle with a few seats reserved for interviewers or stacked one beside another facing the table where the hiring managers will be seated.
It will also help in indicating candidates as to what approach they must have towards each other. Thus, making the intention crystal clear.
Giving a heads up to the candidates
Not all surprises are pleasant. Some of them arrive as a shock. So, to be on the safe side and ensure that the process is not hindered, keep your candidates informed. The hiring manager must keep the candidates updated with the specificities. Giving them a heads up as to what the full picture might be will in turn benefit you. They will put more time in preparation because of this ‘supposed’ hurdle, thus furnishing their answer. All this will result in crisp responses without wastage of excess time.
Coordinating and planning
Have you ever watched a game of soccer? Before walking out of the locker room every player knows their position on the field. They enter the game area with an explicit focus as to what their mission is. The clarity about their role gets them in sync. This pre-planning lays the foundation for the prospective accolades that will come their way.
In the same manner, the interviewers need to coordinate amongst themselves. The flow of the interview, the activities, the questions to be asked, should be all discussed before sitting in the interview room. This will ensure that a good image of the company is delivered. A great variety of questions exist, so allotting a particular aspect to a specific person will leave no space for any confusion.
Removal of any predetermined biases
Another factor to commute is that people have different personalities. A setting can sometimes favor a certain type and put another at loss. As a recruiting manager, it is your responsibility to make sure that all the biases are eliminated. One of the major biases that this format of the interview has is that there could be a slight discomfort for introverted candidates.
So, keep in mind that loudness and dominance do not equate to knowledge. Be patient to get through the facade and reach the core of the candidates. Otherwise, a wrong decision can lead to wasting resources as well as time.
Use the power of introduction
A proper introduction can change the entire narrative. Imagine yourself sitting on a chair with 4 other candidates in the room where the door opens. Inside enter three people, all of them decked up with your resumes and sit on the table set in front of you. They start bombarding questions at you without a word about who they are and why they are here. Think about all that will go through your mind and now think about whether you want to willingly put someone in that situation.
As soon as the candidates walk in, ensure that they get a moment to be seated before you introduce the people in the panel. Mention their name and their position. This will help candidates in figuring out what to say when responding to the interviewer. Suppose the manager from the technical department is sitting along with the head of creatives to take an interview. The candidate when answering to both of them will tweak their response to address the requirements of the concerned department.
Turn the tables around
After having introduced yourselves, you must then urge the candidates to introduce themselves. This will be the initial activity through which they can exhibit what is unique to them. There is also a space for the display of creativity here. Another way around it is to ask them to use a word that starts with the initials of their name to describe themselves. For example – Diligent Daphne.
This will help in making the candidates feel relaxed. Once comfortable, they will start being honest in turn facilitating the process of selection.
The end where it all meets
Now that you have ensured that the questions are streamlined, candidates are at ease, the introduction is in place, and interrogations are executed, it is time for the actual show. Along with focusing on their response, you also need to concentrate on their body language. It is one way to decode even the most complex humans. Pay attention to the cues given by their boy. Assimilate it together with the answers given. Then commute it thoroughly across the board.
Evaluate the candidates appropriately by weighing in the account of every interviewer present. Run among yourself if there is some confusion about a candidate’s selection status. Remember the company’s goal over your vote. So even if your choice does not make it through, pray that still, the best one gets inside.
Conclusion
Every interview format has its merits and demerits. This one may seem like a strenuous act to pull, but once you get through your internal inhibitions to make it work, then you will discover that is the most effective option out there. Making the virtual reality of screening and filtering, a verified reality. A group interview that saves time and resources requires some prior effort. With some preparation, the result will be glorious, for you and your brand.
