Giving a job interview is in itself a task that makes your heart race and your palms sweat. Then, to find out that there will be not one, but four people bombarding questions at you could make anyone enter the flight mode. To combat this urge of running away, you have to first understand the reason behind the panel set up for an interview. When you go shopping, don’t you always take someone with you. The simple rationale behind it is because another perspective is always better than only one. Similarly, there are times when a single interviewer may term you as not a good fit for the company, but another one could say that you are the perfect match for it. Wouldn’t it be a much better bargain than just being outright rejected? Here, let’s know some Questions to Ask Panel Interviews.
There is another topic of contention that we need to address to gain some clarity about it. There is a general perception that interviews are a one-way-oriented process. The interviewer poses questions, and a candidate has to answer them. But in reality, there is buried depth to it. An interview is like a two-way examination. Once you respond to the questions, there is a chance that you will get an opportunity to ask questions back. It is a crucial step that offers a candidate like you an advantage to address all their doubts.
What is a panel interview?
A panel interview is a setup, where there are multiple interviewers involved in the process of interrogation of a single candidate. There are times when a job position involves working in collaboration with various other departments. This overlapping thus generates a responsibility for other heads to ensure that the best person is hired for the role.
For example, there is an opening for a content writer who has to draft advertising copies for various insurance policies offered by a Banking and Insurance firm. Usually, for a position like this, you will require a lot of nods of approval. These include the head of content, manager of the insurance department, marketing head, and HR manager. Thus, it is evident that they would want to have a word with you. They would like to test your capabilities in their area of concern. In all likelihood, you will be asked at least one question by each of the interviewers.
Another purpose behind this type of proceeding is to know how you would react under stress. The presence of many people at an event that has the power to alter your future for better or worse is a situation that can make anyone’s nerves go haywire. So they use this stimulus to evaluate a candidate’s ability to adjust to a crisis and cope with it effectively.
The last yet significant motive is associated with the virtue of team building. Everyone vouches for themselves as a team player. A real test to verify this claim is by placing them with more people. Observing how a candidate interacts with all, the frequency of the interaction, the tone, and body language used while addressing everyone, are the parameters considered by the panel, when making the final decision about the selection
Why should you ask questions to a panel interview?
Understanding prevails stronger with the support of reasoning. You should always ask yourself the question – why. Before doing anything or believing in something, you must address the ‘why’ concerning the situation. In the same manner, we will now try to ascertain the motive behind asking questions back to the panel interview.
Suppose, you are running a marathon that has an uphill path, making it similar to facing a panel interview. With your grit and determination, you somehow get through the exhausting trail while still leading the chase. The red ribbon that marks the finish line is just 50 meters away. Here you have two options. You can either slow down and risk the possibility of someone else overtaking you, or you could continue with the same momentum and finish it in true spirits. To ensure that in reality, you have chosen option two, you need to be prepared for all the possible steps involved in the process of selection.
You might feel that the interview is done after every question has been asked by the panel and all their concerns are addressed by you. But here’s the twist. In the end, you will receive a gentle nudge from them in the guise of – Do you have any questions?
This is the perfect opportunity to hold on to for two very important reasons.
- Are they the right match for you?
Through the job description, you may get to know about the requirements that are essential for the job, yet there may still be blanks in your head that need to be filled. More specifics about the position offered, the company you are about to join, the set of people you will work with daily. This is your time to craft questions that do not have an imperative tone yet, assure that an answer that you require is generated.
- Shows your interest
We have all had teachers who would tell us to ask doubts and would get excited when someone raised their hands to address a query. This is because the teacher now knows that what she taught was being listened to. The same perspective applies here.
When asked during the interview whether you have any questions, you must always give an affirmative reply. It will highlight your curiosity, interpretation abilities, and passion to know more about the job profile. It will indicate that you are genuinely interested in this position, and thus would be a committed employee that works for the objectives of the company.
The best way to deal with this situation is to walk in with a few pointers around which you can craft your questions. Some of them could be even framed beforehand, to offer your brain some comfort about the preparedness.
What not to ask
Understanding what not to do precedes what to do. In an interview, once a mistake is done, it can only be apologized for and not rectified. Hence, it is necessary to first address what is wrong. Before unraveling the questions that you can ask, let’s look at some topics that you must avoid when curating your question.
- Avoid asking questions about salary and compensation.
- Refrain from stressing too much on asking what the enterprise can do for you.
- Do not frame questions that would prompt a yes or no reply. It will indicate that you are asking the queries just for the sake of it.
- Abstain from quizzing about something that has already been discussed during the interview as it will indicate that you were not paying attention.
What to ask
Now that we know the nays, let’s focus on yay’s. The topics that should lie at the core of questions that you frame to ask in a panel interview are listed below.
- Particularities regarding job
- Training and professional development
- Performance expectation
- Work review process
- Current objectives of the company
- Next steps to be followed once the interview gets over
Try addressing questions to each person sitting there. This will make them feel included from your side as well. If you can be specific with the questions related to their field of expertise then you will surely stand out from the crowd.
Here are a few questions that you can ask a panel of interviewers:
- Could you please elaborate about the daily responsibilities that I will be in charge of if working at this job position?
- Is there a training process involved if selected for this role?
- What are the skills that I will be equipped with by the end of the training period?
- What are the expectations tied to my performance at this job position?
- Will there be any alteration in these expectations as my time at this position increases?
- How often is the review process done? What does a typical review process look like?
- Is there any opportunity for professional growth in this position?
- What are currently the goals that the company is focusing on? How does it fit in with the long-term plan of the brand?
- Will I be part of a team? Can you tell me more about it?
- What according to you is the best part about working here?
- How is the working environment here? Is it collaborative or more independence-oriented?
- Is there any area that you find me lacking in?
- Is there anything else that I can answer for you?
Tip for asking the questions appropriately: Do not leave all the queries that you have for the end. Try incorporating some of them when the relevant subject is being discussed. This will offer the interview a conversational tone, highlighting your abilities to weave your way around any complex scenario.
Conclusion
Along with the words and topics you choose, you also have to mind your tonality and body language. There are multiple people in the room, so you have to craft a way to walk around all of them without bruising anyone. Once done with all the steps, remember to be proud of yourself and let that anxious breath out.