Try these tips for a successful panel interview

Have you ever faced a panel interview and completely disintegrated? When there are five people behind a desk asking you a dozen questions at once, it is normal to get intimidated. Many candidates struggle to face panel interviews successfully because of this. After all, it is much easier to face one interviewer than a bunch of them.

Why do companies have panel interviews?

Panel interviews have several advantages for the employer. Most employers hold panel interviews when filtering candidates for sales, demonstration, and marketing roles. These jobs require the candidates to speak in front of a crowd and not lose their cool on a daily basis. Therefore, employers like to test out a candidate’s ability to perform in front of a crowd earlier in the hiring process. Sometimes, panel interviews allow employers to save time and resources during the hiring process. Instead of holding several interviews with individual interviewers over several days, employers can have everyone in the same room in a single day.

How should you prepare for a panel interview?

You should prepare for a panel interview in the same way as you would for a regular job interview. However, you need to gather information about the people who will be on the interview panel. Here are some great tips for you:

Do your research on the company

You need to be aware of the company and its values before you walk into your interview. Knowledge about the company’s vision and mission will also be valuable. Focus on the recent projects that the company has worked on and any industry-related news about the employer.

Find out what you can about the interviewers

When the HR representative calls you to schedule the interview, ask them who will be on the interview panel. Try to get their names and job titles. Then, you can search for them on LinkedIn to get an idea of their professional background.

Prepare your stories

You will be asked several behavioral questions during your panel interview. Preparing a few samples ahead of time to talk about will help you put in a better performance on the day. Choose a few achievements and accomplishments to talk about. Note specific metrics related to each accomplishment.

Curate your narrative

You will have multiple stories about your career to share with your interviewers. However, it is important to align each narrative with the job description as well as the company culture. When you practice your answers to interview questions, try to tie things back to the new job.

Print a few copies of your resume

You are expected to bring a few copies of your resume to a panel interview so that each person on the panel can have a copy. Prepare several copies of the document and ensure that they are of great quality. Check the quality of the paper as well as the print.

Practice your answers

There are different kinds of questions you will be asked during a panel interview. You should prepare for common interview questions, so you are not caught off-guard on the big day. Try to be concise yet informative with your answers.