[求职经验] Survival of the Fittest: Mastering the Group Interview [推广有奖]

By        Liz Seasholtz            Group interviews are intimidating for the obvious reasons—you’re stuckin a room with a group of people who are all vying for the same job.It’s a high-stakes, high-pressure situation, and if you stumble,there’s a crowd to watch you fall. No matter if it’s your first groupinterview or tenth, it will likely be a tense experience.

So why do companies put you through this torture? One, because it’smore economical and efficient: they can disperse information about theposition and company to multiple candidates at once, which saves time.Two, your interviewers can observe how you perform in theclutch—indicating whether you’ll sink or swim during big clientpresentations. And three, interviewers can see how well you work withothers: if you can’t treat your colleagues with respect, no one willwant to be stuck in an office with you for 40 hours a week.

Below are a few tips to help you not only survive a group interview, but also stand out.

1. Look Lively
In the days leading up to any interview, you should ask your contacthow many people you can expect to meet with and how long you shouldplan to be there. Asking these questions especially pays off if theanswer reveals you’ll be part of a group interview, so you can mentallyprepare for the task. “Its fair to ask those questions up front,” saysArnold Smith, author of No Nonsense Job Interview. “You need to understand what you’re walking into.”

2. Say Hello
You should, of course, introduce yourself to your interviewers uponmeeting them. However, if you arrive early and you’re in the lobby withother interview candidates (hint: they’ll be the ones sitting quietly,in suits, reading company literature) you should introduce yourself tothem as well. Even though they are your competition, it doesn’t hurt toget to know them, and when your interviewers arrive they will mostlikely take note of your friendly and professional tête-à-tête.

3. Speak Up
Your interviewers will most likely open topics to discussion or debateduring the interview, and you need to be an active participant. “Now isnot the time to be a wallflower,” says Smith. “Interviewers areassessing how you are influencing and persuading people in the group,the questions that you ask, your communication style, whether you reachdecisions rationally, and if you’re you listening to others in thegroup.”

4. Involve Others
Smith says interviewers will be impressed if you can make your ownpoints and simultaneously draw in and involve other candidates in theroom. “Pay attention to people that are on the fringe,” says Smith. “Itcould be as simple as turning to someone who hasn’t spoken and askingfor their thoughts. This shows you are aware of everyone in the room,and you like to gather multiple opinions—a trait the interviewer willrespect.”

5. Be a Leader
A common way of testing your teamwork skills is by breaking up intogroups, and assigning each group with a task. For example: Wheninterviewing for a marketing position, your team is assigned withmarketing a new alcoholic beverage company. The team is required todiscuss the launch of a new product, covering issues such asadvertising, ethical concerns, packaging, and pricing. Again, make sureyour voice is being heard in the group—those that take the lead inthese exercises are usually the ones to stand out.

6. Keep Your Cool
If a difference of opinion arises, Smith says to keep professional:Maintain a low voice, don’t get too emotional, and if you can’t reach acommon ground, take a step back. Interviewers want to see someone whomthey can work with day-to-day and by losing your cool, you’ll be out ofthe running.

7. Form Alliances
Even though the other candidates are your competition, they still shareyour career interests and probably have valuable industry contacts.Group interviews should not be a networking event, but if you hit itoff with another candidate, follow-up with them after the interview(whether by getting their contact information or looking them up onLinkedIn). “More sophisticated job candidates understand you need towork together and network to get ahead when job searching,” says Smith.

8. Send Thank You Notes
Just because it’s a group interview, don’t forget to end the day withyour normal follow-up protocol. Ask for each interviewer’s businesscard, and then send him or her a thank you note or email the next day.

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