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Handling Multiple Interviewers
By Edward A. Denison
There may come a time when you have an interview with several people at the same time ? a committee or a board or a panel.
Therefore plan and prepare as you would for any interview, making sure that you have extra copies of your resume and other important papers. If you were not expecting this inquisition by horde, you can ask the receptionist or secretary to make you extra copies.
Something important ? you will have brought at least 2 copies of everything regardless to any interview ? one for them to look at and one for you to respond with. It makes it awkward if you have to look over the interviewer?s shoulder to see what he is asking about. And if you need to have copies made by the secretary ? you are really lost if you hand her the only copy you brought, and she disappears until after coffee break.
Regarding the group 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 would probably have to talk to each of these people individually later on anyways 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. Without doing ping-pong speak to each person in the room and make eye contact.
Board or panel interviews are usually rather formal and organized, using a standard set of questions for all applicants. This one list of standard questions makes it easy and less subjective when they later have to come together and decide. This type of interview is most commonly 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.
