Nailing the Group Interview
Group interviews can be a great way for an employer to see how well you work as part of a team. They can also be a bit intimidating if you’ve never done one before and aren’t used to the format.
Here are some tips and tricks for making sure you stand out from the crowd in group interviews.
Make sure your voice is heard- If you’re naturally more quiet, it can be tempting to just sit back and say nothing while the bigger voices talk over you. It’s important that you try your best to contribute to the interview, or else you will end up being forgotten and passed over for the job.
Let others speak- The point above also works the other way around. If you’re seen to be speaking over others and not letting anyone else have their say, it can give the impression that you don’t work well in a group and are difficult to work with, two things that won’t endear you to potential employers.
Speak with confidence- Whenever you do speak, be sure to do it clearly and with authority. This is a tip that should be applied to every interview you do, but it’s even more important in a group setting where you voice can easily be drowned out by others. Maintaining a balance between being confident and overbearing is the key to nailing the group interview.
Be friendly- On a practical level, making friends with people in the same line of work as you can be good for potential networking purposes, but on a more basic level it’s just a nice thing to do. Introducing yourself and making conversation should make you all feel more at-ease, hopefully helping the interview to go more smoothly as well as giving the interviewers a positive impression of you.
Try to take on a leadership role- This doesn’t mean you should boss everyone around according to what you think, but you should try and establish yourself as a force of leadership in the group. Without being too demanding, try your best to charge during group activities and do you best to attempt to lead the conversation.
Work with others rather than against them- Even though you’re all technically competing for the same job, one of the points of group interviews is to see how well you work in a team environment. Doing things like engaging with others and trying to encourage people to take part in the conversation can give a positive impression of you.
Listen when others speak- While it might be tempting to zone out when someone else is answering a question, it’s important that you don’t. They might say something interesting or insightful that you could contribute to later, and by paying attention you can make sure not to accidentally repeat something they’ve already said.
Contribute something good- The most crucial part of a group interview is to make sure that you leave an impression, ideally a positive one. When speaking try to say things that haven’t been mentioned by others that will set you apart from the group and give the interviewer a reason to focus specifically on you.