4 A's For Acing The Group Interview

Group interviews are being more and more popular these days. These types of interviews can be scary, add unnecessary pressure, and make everyone involved uncomfortable. However, it doesn’t have to be like that!Related: Preparing For An Interview: Step-By-Step Guide In fact, group interviews are a great opportunity to connect with the panel and prove that you will be a great and engaging team member. If you really want to nail this group interview, you’ve got to follow a few steps. Here are the four As of group interviews:

1. Answer questions.

Preparing for regular interviews is highly advised, but when it comes to group interviews, you HAVE to prepare. You have to think about every possible question you could be asked, and you have to be able to pull relevant stories that provide details and examples. Do your homework. Get a list of questions that could be asked. Work on body language, and facial expressions. Write out answers. Give quantifiable answers, where you PROVE what you’re saying about yourself.

2. Ask for input.

You want this to almost turn into a dynamic group discussion. You want them to have a chance to engage in the conversation. Don’t be afraid to say something ask the panel something back. You could ask things like:

• “Has something similar to this happened here?”
• “What’s been your experience with this?”

Remember, it’s okay to ask something back. They asked it for a reason. Allow that dialog to happen. It really can make a difference.

3. Articulate what you hear.

Reframe the question. You could say, for example, “So, if I hear you correctly, what you mean is….” When you paraphrase what you’ve been asked/what they’ve shared, it demonstrates that you’re a good listener and that you understand them.

4. Apply what you hear.

Incorporate what they’ve told you into your answers. Make them feel like you already ‘get’ them, and that you’re already apart of the team. Mention names. For example, you could say,“Bill, you talked about this earlier…” This will really allow you to connect with the panel. This is a group interview, and if you don’t change the dynamic, you’re going to feel very uncomfortable. Make it feel more like an interactive discussion that you would have as if you already had the job. It just flows and feels more natural for everyone. This post was originally published at an earlier date.

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