The Group Interview

During a group interview, I'm specifically referring to an interview where you are interviewed as part of a group of job candidates.

So instead of the typical scenario where the company interviews one person at a time, this is an interview where you and the other candidates being considered for the job are interviewed in the same room at the same time.

I have experienced this kind of job interview once. I had been selected as one of 8 finalists for an entry level position (I was just out of university) and the group of us were brought to the company to take part in a day of events and interviews with senior managers.

For the interview portion, the eight of us were seated in a row in front of a long table where the senior managers sat.

So not only were we being interviewed as a group we were being interviewed by a group, a senior management group no less!

To be honest, I have good memories of this experience because it's the only time I've ever experienced a group interview and it ended up being a good experience.

Never mind the fact that I didn't even get the job!

It ended up going to someone else but I didn't feel too bad because the company had initially received over 500 applications and I made it to the top 8 which I guess counts for something.

So even though I didn't get the job, here are thoughts regarding what I recall about the interview that might help you:

1. Focus on things that highlight your skills and distinguish you in a positive and relevant way. Don't worry about the other job candidates but do try to let the interviewers know why you're the best one of the group for the job.

2. Be yourself. You might not be able to figure out why the company chose to utilize a group interview or exactly what specific attribute they're judging each of you on so all you can do is be yourself and act naturally.

3. Pay attention to the structure of the interview. In the group interview I attended we were asked questions as a group and we were free to comment on the answers individually but the setting led me to believe that they were really looking to see how we interacted with each other. In other words, as they were looking for an entry level staff member to join their team, they were looking (in my opinion) for a team player, not someone who shot down other people's answers or tried to take control.

In the group interview you attend maybe they want a team player, maybe they want a leader.

You'll have to figure this out yourself.

With the group interview I attended, I never did find out who they chose for the job but I have a feeling I could guess who they ended up hiring.