Interview Tips

Panel Interview Tips

How will you feel if you went to a screening or interview and on entering the room you discover that more than one person will quiz you?

You’ll be intimidated, right? I guess you had this gruelling experience during your university or college days.

For those with no experience, a panel interview is an interview method for the candidate to appear before a team of interviewers. The panel members usually take turns in asking the candidate, essential questions. It is a challenging scenario, and no one loves it.

Meanwhile, employers love it because it gives room for a more comprehensive assessment of the candidate. The panel interview method is widely used across the globe by educational institutions and multinational companies.

A panel interview is a quick and efficient method of conversation. More so, it is a useful way of choosing the right candidate because the candidates pass through stress and a perplexing round of questions. This panel exposes their abilities and strengths within a jiffy.

However, with a few panel interview tips, you can overcome this gruelling experience. Without much ado, let’s quickly highlight the top ten-panel interview tips.

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1. Research about the Company

Before the interview day, it is vital to research a little about the company you desire to work. Please get to know about their products and services, as well as their accomplishments.

Also, please review the job posting and its requirements. You can gather enough information about the company via its website and social media platforms.

2. Find out about the Interviewers

It would help if you made the findings of the interviewers and their backgrounds. Their academic backgrounds, careers, and professional experiences will reveal a lot about them and the kind of questions they are most likely to ask.

Don’t underestimate any of them. A receptionist can play a vital role in your success, so take some time out to ask questions about them. However, this is dicey because the people you expect may not be your interviewers. Nonetheless, you have to be on the safe side, so go ahead and research about them.

3. Produce Many Copies of the Resume

It can be not very good if any of your interviewers do not have a copy of your resume to peruse during the interview. It’s a failure at the first instant! All your interviewers must have a copy of your resume.

4. Choose a Centralized Position and Engage Everyone

Immediately you enter the room; you should assume a centralized position where all the interviewers can view you. Don’t take sides when answering questions. Try to be responsive to all of them.

5. Start with an Introduction and Greet Everyone

The first action you should take is to introduce yourself. Greet and shake hands with all of them. You don’t know which of them the decision-maker is, so put a smile on your face and be very polite to all of them. Don’t mind their job title or the way they approach you.

6. Make Eye Contact with All the Interviewers

Look at all of them when answering questions. It will count for you as self-confidence. It would be best if you did not focus all your eye contact with the person who queried you. Make eye contact with all of them. With this, you will not only get their attention but their favour. Of course, not all of them will like you.

7. Establish a Connection Everyone

You can quickly establish a relationship with all of them if you make eye contact with them. More so, strive to look for areas of common interest with them. Having a connection is why it is essential to research the company beforehand. Knowing the cooperate culture of the company will allow you to bond quickly with them.

Your answers should be conversational and quite a difficult task, especially in a panel interview. But if you can break away from the interrogative question and answer volley to a more conversational one, you’re on track to success.

8. Acknowledge Everyone

It would help if you got all of them involved while answering questions. You get their attention by acknowledging those that asked questions previously.

You can make statements like – ”just as Mr Peters stated earlier” or ”As we discussed earlier, JK is a significant factor in production.” With this, they will know that you are a good listener, and the interview will be very conversational.

9. Don’t be Hasty

”Patience is a virtue,” so don’t be tired of answering similar questions from different people. I know that this can be very frustrating, but don’t be perturbed. Take the issues one after the other and answer them accordingly.

However, some panels are for different people to ask different questions. But if they ask similar questions, you should use different phrases in answering the questions. Of course, it is an opportunity for you to provide more insights into the problems asked.

10. Take Note of Names

You should take note of each of the interviewers’ names and address them accordingly while answering questions. I know that it’s quite difficult for their names to stick because of the pressure. If you know their names, you will gain more confidence, and you can easily approach them to thank them after the interview.

11. In the End, Have a Handshake

Before leaving, thank all the panellists and have a handshake with them. Call them by name and appreciate them. Look them in the eyes, give them a handshake, and thank them if you can’t remember their names.

With this, you will leave a big impression on their minds before you go. The little act can be quite helpful, especially when they will be discussing your performance. Note that this does not guarantee success, but it can be slightly favourable.

Indeed, the panel interview is one of life’s unforgettable experiences, but you can scale through it with ease by using these tips.

Amit Kumar

FreeEducator.com blog is managed by Amit Kumar. He and his team come from the Oxford, Stanford and Harvard. At FreeEducator, we strive to create the best admission platform so that international students can go to the best universities - regardless of financial circumstances. By applying with us, international students get unlimited support and unbiased advice to secure the best college offers overseas.