Definition of Group Interview

A group interview refers to an interview where there is more than two to one conversation. This might mean several candidates being interviewed at a stretch (called a candidate group interview) or one candidate being interviewed at the same time by more than one department head.

There are various ways to interview candidates. A group interview is one way in which an organization can either interview several candidates together or may even interview a single candidate through more than one interviewer. Now, it''s a must for every HR manager and employer to know everything about group interview methods.

Group interview is the most successful way of interviewing. You can either use it to interview many candidates together or when more than one person wants to interview a single candidate.

Group interviews are conducted in a professional setup, most commonly in a conference room.

Importance of Group Interview

The three reasons why a group interview is an important technique for every organization, whether small or large, are as follows:

• Group interviews with a certain number of applicants could be termed as totally effective because those interviews help save a lot of time.
• Through a group interview, one can easily judge whether a candidate can communicate properly with others in confidence or adjust well within a completely new work culture.
• Such interviews come really handy for jobs that mainly require prompt decision-making or those that require customer collaboration.

Advantages of Group Interview

There are many but let''s have look at the advantages of group interviews:

Candidate Comparison

You have noticed that, for one job opening, very many people come for the interview. It is not an easy task to compare them and determine the one who is standing out best. This is where you have a group interview setting.

You have all the shortlisted candidates under one roof. With a group interview, you get to make a really good comparison since people have the time to showcase their talent and skills for your judgment.

The best thing about group interviews is that the company hiring individuals can save a lot of time on the whole interview process. This might be because there are many good candidates or because they need to fill the position soon.

Reviewing Confidence

Confidence is one of those qualities which are imperative in almost every professional. Now anyone will show confidence when he is having an interaction with just one individual. Only a 100% confident person can remain cool even in a group interview scenario. So, a group interview is also a technique to know the difference between a confident and a non-confident person.

Group Interview Tips For HR Managers

So now when you are an HR manager or an interviewer and you having to take a group interview, then the thing you have to keep in your mind is:

Inform Candidates Beforehand

Isn''t it in your best interest that the candidate does well in the interview so that you get to fill the post as early as possible? If the answer to this question is yes, then, as a rule of thumb, you must always keep the candidates informed about the interview method to enable them to prepare well.

Be Prepared

About each of the interviewers who are going to be part of the group interview, meet them before the group interview process. Make sure your questions are ready and also ensure every panel member knows which question to pose.

Introduction to Panel

Let them introduce themselves along with their name and designation. All these provide a more comfortable dialogue to take place in the moments thereafter.

Quick Discussion

As soon as the interview is over, converse with the board about what the candidates impressed them the most. It will help to conduct the analysis and selection of candidates collectively, which will save lots of time and make it an effective procedure.

Voila!

That''s all you need to learn about group interviews. Group interviews are the ideal technique to know about a candidate''s suitability while hiring him or her the best for your organization.

FAQs

1. Why Do Employers Use Group Interviews?

   The group interview gives the organization the chance to define the sorts of behaviours that it believes indicate the individual will be successful at work before it invests time and money in the process of hiring.

2. What is a panel interview?

   When several persons interview a candidate simultaneously, it''s a panel interview. Prospective supervisors, managers, team members, human resource professionals, or other decision-makers in an organization can be members of a panel.

3. How to prepare for a group interview?

   HR managers need to inform the candidates about undergoing a group interview, meet the interviewers and provide all the details about candidates to interviewers, introduce the interviewers to the candidates, make prior preparation of questions with respect to individual candidates, and evaluate the candidates at the spot after taking the round.