Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Group Interview

I was just told my internship interview is going to be a “group interview.” I have no idea what to expect.

1 comment:

USDCareerBlog said...

A group interview involves multiple candidates being interviewed by one or more interviewers in the same room at the same time. Organizations generally do this because it saves them the time of conducting separate, individual interviews and/or they want to observe candidates in a group, social setting. Thus, group interviews are commonly conducted for positions that have a strong interpersonal component, e.g., customer service, sales, retail, hospitality.

You should prepare as you would for any interview – review Career Services interview handouts, practice in advance, schedule a practice interview, learn as much as you can about the organization and industry, come prepared to discuss your most impressive and relevant skills and experiences, and dress professionally.

As far as what to expect in the interview – that’s hard to say with any certainty. You may be in a conference room with three or more candidates. The interviewers may ask typical interview questions one candidate at a time. When not speaking, you should act respectfully to the other candidates by being attentive and actively listening. You may be given a group project or problem to solve while the interviewers observe how you interact with the other candidates. They key here is not to be overly quiet and passive, nor overly domineering and bossy. As with any interview, the interviewers will be assessing your communication, problem solving, teamwork, and listening skills.

Good luck