What’s more nerve wracking than an interview? A group interview.

Group Interview Tips

Group interviews can come as a surprise to many but the practice is becoming more common among companies. To streamline the interview process and find the right candidate, companies conduct group interviews to see how each candidate handles the situation.

While you might be prepared for a typical interview, there are a few areas you need to prepare for incase of a group interview. The idea behind this newer interview practice is to see how you work with others, the skills you possess, and how you handle high pressure situations with problem solving techniques. Expect to discuss problem solving situations and in some cases even participate in simulation exercises.

Group interviews are usually the first step in the interview process so your goal is to knock their socks off and land a solo interview. Embracing group interviews gives you an opportunity to outshine the competition so stand out from the crowd with these group interview tricks and tips!

Poker Face Prepared: Group interviews are tough business, even if you knew about it before hand, it’s a whole other level of nerves but don’t let others know you’re feelings. While it might be tempting, stay away from making judgments or tearing others down, and instead enter the interview with confidence and ease. Your reaction to the interview is one of the factors hiring managers look at.

Listen Up: This is a critical piece of any interview, group or otherwise. By listening intently, you have the opportunity to effectively add to or build on what others have said and stay actively engaged in the conversation by using proper body language. Remember, it’s best practice to avoid interrupting others and instead write down your thoughts until you have a chance to talk.

Research Due Diligence:  The more prepared you come the better chance you have of outshining others. Any questions you have before the interview try to figure out before hand. Who are you meeting with? Who is the main point of contact in your department? What’s the company culture like? These are all great questions to determine before heading into the interview. Once you have an idea of people and the company, take a look on LinkedIn and see what you can find about the individuals as well as the company. Research average salaries for the position you’re interviewing for and get an understanding of a typical day for this position. The more you know going into the interview, the more you’ll impress the interviewers.

Include Others: Even though you’re competing for a position, remember to include everyone during the interview. Communicating effectively and calling others by their first name will ultimately show your level of team work and ability as a leader. The interview is supposed to include everyone so the hiring managers can see how you all do with others. Remember to address others by their first name, even the interviewers.

 Follow Up: It’s safe to say that most job seekers know its best practice to follow up. Stand out from the typical follow up by referencing certain moments in the interview, whether it was a problem solving idea or something as small as a joke everyone enjoyed, give the interviewer a chance to remember you!

Group interviews are a whole different ball game than the typical interview but as long as you stay calm, cool, and collected while including others you’ll have an edge over the other candidates. These tips will help you outshine others but it’s also important to remember interview basics like appearance, promptness, and preparedness so you stand out from the crowd.