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Panel Interviews Five (5) interviewers sit across the table as you enter the room. What do you do now?
By: Michael R. Neece, CEO Interview Mastery
My home town of 15,000 residences is 26 miles west of Boston. I'm on the search committee to select the town's first Town Manager. Committee members are skilled interviewers. We decided to use a panel interview setting for the first round of interviews. Each candidate faced the uncomfortable situation of handling questions from 5 skilled interviewers at once.
Panel interviews are conducted with multiple interviewers meeting one candidate. Many organizations use panel interviews to save interviewer time and assess how candidates handle this stressful situation.
Our search committee used a round interviewing table, but most panels sit on one side of a rectangular table; them on one side, and you on the other. How do you handle this stressful situation?
Panel Interviews
Each panel interviewer asks a couple of questions while the others listen and watch. You'll be asked to give an opening statement, respond to behavioral-event questions, analyze a case study and provide a closing statement.
Looks different, but it's the same
Panel interviews look different from typical one-on-one interviews. Many candidates have difficulty because they're unprepared for this scenario. While panel interviews look different they are really the same for you as any 1-on-1 interview. You'll be responding to interviewer questions in the same manner as you would in a typical interview.
Panel interviews contain the following segments:
1. Opening Statement 4. Case Studies
2. Behavioral Event Interview Questions 5. Salary Questions
3. What-if Questions 6. Closing Statement
Opening Statement
The opening statement is used by panels to begin the interview. Your opening statement is the same response as if they asked you “Tell me about yourself.” Your opening statement is a 60-second overview of your experience related to the position. You can learn precisely how to handle this question at www.interviewmastery.com.
Behavioral Event Interview (BEI) Questions
Behavioral event type questions ask you to give examples of how you handled a situation in the past. The first half of a BEI question contains phrases like “Give me an example of …”, “Tell me about a time when you …”, “Describe a situation where you had to …” The second half of the BEI question contains the specific experience the interviewer wants to learn about from you. For a detailed description of how to handle BEI questions see pages 27-29 of the Interview Mastery Program Book (downloadable e-book available to online subscription users of www.interviewmastery.com).
Case Studies
The interviewer hands you a written description of a typical work situation (case study), asks you to analyze the situation and describe what you'd do to handle the scenario. Before answering ask for additional information about the case. Case studies often provide incomplete information and the interviewers expect you to ask questions. The interviewers are rarely seeking the one right answer. Rarely is there one correct answer. Interviewers are most interested in how you think through the case situation. Take your time, ask for additional information and then describe what you would do.
What if Questions
What-if questions ask you to describe what you would do if you faced a theoretical situation at work. These questions always contain the word “if”. These questions begin with “What would you do if …”
Salary Questions
Interviewers ask for current salary or a range you will consider to ensure your compensation is compatible with the position's salary range. The key is to delay giving them a specific salary number until after they want to hire you. That is when you have the most negotiating leverage. Until that time a discussion about salary can only eliminate you. See www.interviewmastery.com for a description of 4 strategies to handle this question.
Closing Statement & Your Questions
Your closing statement is your opportunity to communicate you feel qualified and very interested in the position. Summarize those dimensions of your background that are most applicable to the position. The closing is also your chance to ask questions of the interviews and ensure they understand your talents accurately. Interviewers are more impressed with your questions than the selling points you make during the meeting. See www.interviewmastery.com for a detailed description of how to handle the closing segment of any interview.
Good luck and the best of health on your job search adventure,
Michael R. Neece, CEO and Author
Interview Mastery, mneece@interviewmastery.com
508-435-2647
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