Speak to each person
in the room and make eye contact.
Plan and prepare as you would for any interview.
It might feel like you're facing lions and tigers and bears. There you
sit alone in front of the room, waiting for the pack to attack with questions.
It's really not quite that bad. In fact, there is an upside to this process.
You'd probably have to talk to each of these people individually at some
point in the process. This way, you get it over all at once.
But how do you deal with so many interviewers in one sitting? The best
way is to take them one at a time. The board or panel is not one entity,
but several individuals coming together with the common goal of hiring
the best candidate for the job. At the same time, each person has his
own agenda or department's interest at heart. For example, the HR manager
will be checking to make sure you are a good fit with the culture and
people working at this company. The hiring manager will want to know about
your technical skills or business know-how. And the person from accounting
will want to know if you are savvy enough to operate a business budget.
Board or panel interviews are usually rather formal and organized, using
a standard set of questions for all applicants. This type of interview
is typically used in academia, government or for high-level executives
but can be used for any other type of position in any company. A female
client interviewed for a senior administrator job at a major health agency,
facing a panel of 10 doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators.
She felt like it was an inquisition, not an interview. But she had prepared
well and was confident when she faced this tribunal. She looked at each
person as he or she asked the question, and continued to look at that
person for 30 seconds or so. She then shifted her eye contact to each
member of the interviewing team. She made sure she made contact with each
set of eyes while answering questions. She felt very much in control and
her interview went well. The result was a job offer.
Another multiple-type interview is the team or "good cop/bad cop"
interview. The team is usually made up of two interviewers, one who asks
the questions and one who takes notes. The two typically trade roles,
which can be confusing if they have different styles. In fact, one person
may be kind and gentle and the other more harsh or pushy. Just remember,
these inquisitors are working together toward the same end. Treat them
equally, not favoring one over the other. Regardless of the type of interview,
the best advice is to prepare and practice beforehand. When you have your
script and have rehearsed your answers, you will feel prepared and more
confident no matter how many people you have to face. Lastly, a good tip
to remember is to make sure you get each person's business card, hopefully
at the beginning of the interview, so you can address each person by name.
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