Panel interviews
A panel interview is an extension of the one-on-one interview with more interviewers present at the meeting.
In my experience candidates are considerably more nervous about attending a panel interview than they would be if they were attending a one-on-one interview. However, there’s really no need to be.
In this chapter I’ll cover the few points you need to bear in mind when attending a panel interview and you’ll see that there’s really nothing to worry about.
Because two, three or more heads are better than one, you can definitely expect your panel interview to be quite intense, but provided you’ve prepared thoroughly, there shouldn’t be anything you can’t cope with.
The panel
The first step is to identify who is on the panel and what role each person is fulfilling – why are they there? Panel members won’t expect you to be telepathic; they’ll be polite and introduce themselves and you should be able to easily deduce the reason for each person’s presence.
A panel will always have a ‘chair’, a person who is ostensibly in charge of proceedings and who will be responsible for guiding the overall direction of the interview. They will normally be easy to identify as they have a tendency to sit either in the middle of the other interviewers or on their own at the head of the table.
TOP TIP
If you’re attending a panel interview take several copies of your CV with you. It’s very common to find poorly prepared interviewers sharing a copy and if you’ve brought along extra copies for them then it’s bound to impress.
The chair will be assisted in questioning you by the other panel members. Panel interviews are popular where it is not considered practical for one single person to effectively assess your suitability for a role. A typical three-person panel could, for example, consist of a department manager acting as chair, assisted by your prospective line manager and perhaps a prospective colleague to question you on specific technical issues.
Eyes on the prize
In a one-on-one interview it’s simple enough to make an appropriate amount of eye contact with your interviewer. However, in a panel interview you must make an effort to make regular eye contact with all panel members in reasonably equal measure. You must build rapport with each and every one of them. Easier said than done, but eye contact is an excellent start.
You talkin’ to me?
Also, in a one-on-one interview there’s only one person to whom to give your answers. In a panel interview, when one panel member poses a question, focus attentively on that individual but, when it comes to answering, you must address your answer to all of the panel members.
Don’t allow your eyes to flit backwards and forth like a rabbit caught in the headlights. As you start your answer, focus on the panel member who asked you the question but, as you make your points, steer your gaze steadily from one panel member to another – in no particular order. If you’re experienced in giving presentations then you’ll be familiar with this technique. (I’ll talk in detail about presentations in Chapter 14: Presentations.)
Avoid focusing too much of your attention on just one panel member, for example, the chair or the person who asks the majority of the questions. All panel members will contribute to reaching a decision on your application, and a quieter, less prominent panel member could easily have a surprising amount of influence. Treat them all as equals.
Time to go
When your interview draws to a close, ensure that you smile and thank each of the panel members. Given that it is most likely the chair that will wrap up the interview and indicate to you that the interview is over, it’s a natural reaction to only thank the chair. Avoid this mistake and make one final positive impression on all the interviewers. As I say, you really don’t know which one will have the casting vote on your appointment to the role.