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Handling
Multiple Interviewers: Panels and Boards and Teams, Oh
My!
by Carole Martin
Summary
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Speak to each person
in the room and make eye contact.
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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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