Interview Panels
An interview panel can be intimidating. Apart from wrestling with your own self confidence and cramming technical knowledge in preparation for those gruesome interview questions, you also contend with the daunting prospect of facing a number of industry professionals dedicated to judging your suitability to the job.
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But this gathering isn't a collective effort to gather as much grey matter in one room inorder to well and truly discredit your professional abilities.
The panel typically consists of a chairperson, a scribe and a group of professionals that may include a number of representatives from different sections of the organization that are each there to complete their specialized portion of the assessment.
Take, for example, a behavioral interview question that prompts you to explain the course of action that you might take in an adverse situation. Your response may trigger different interests from each member depending on their role.
- A manager may be more interested in your response with regards to your level of communication with the clients.
- An engineer may be more interested in whether you were able to technically identify key components of the problem.
- A HR (Human Resources) department representative may be more interested in your care with regards to workplace health and safety practices.
- A sales representative may be more interested in your ability to restore the product integrity.
The point being that a job interview panel may include a number of members that see your response from different eyes. This is one reason why the introduction at the commencement of the job interview is so important.
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- Knowing the interview panel members positions within the organization can help you cater to their specific interestsin your responses. For example, if a technical person asks you a question it is appropriate to respond using technical jargon. If an accountant asks you a question, your response should be in light of the budgetary aspects of the question.
- If you are unsure on whether you have addressed all the panel members interests it's fair to ask whether everyone is satisfied with the response or if there are any areas they would like you to elaborate. After all, communication is a two way process and in my experience panels have been more than happy provide that real time feedback.
- Communication can sometimes become difficult when a number of people try to speak at once. Let all of the interview panel members voice their opinions before you respond. Listening skills are often assessed as part of the interview so apart from courtesy, you may also score well just from listening.
- Adjust your body language accordingly. Many sets of eyes means that there is more scrutiny on your body language. Make eye contact with the person who asked the question in the first instance but make sure that your eyes roam to different panel members as your response goes on. In my experience panel members are more forthcoming in non-verbal gestures like a subtle nod of the head to indicate that they are pleased with the response. During my last panel interview, I physically turned and faced a panel member who was sitting besides me and asked a question after staying silent for the first hour. I wanted to ensure that he felt that I was giving him as much importance as the first question 60 minutes prior. For the record, I got the job : )
- Ensure that you divide your eye contact as evenly as possible amongst the interview panel members. It is human nature to establish a rapport with a single person but this may alienate other members.
Types of Questions that You May Receive
Behavioural Questions
A behavioural question examines your approach to a particular situation. An example of a behavioural question is "tell us a time when you have had to deal with a difficult customer. What were the challenges and how did you address them?
Situaional Questions
A situational question puts you in a fictional scenario. Your approach, including behaviours, is then assessed based on your response. An example of a situational question is "assume that you are installing some software when a virus is detected on the computer, what steps do you take in order to rectify the situation." Typically an excellent response to this type of question not only includes the technical solution but also communicating with customers, notifying managers, mitigating further risk and taking steps to ensure this does not happen again etc.
Probing Questions
A panel may ask questions in order to have you elaborate on a piece of information.
Role Playing
Role playing is used as an emotional 'upgrade' to a situational question. That is, a situation is played out with the additional difficulty of an emotive character obstructing the solution. Role playing is usually used to test one's situatonal responses under pressure.
Knowledge Questions
Some technical roles require a degree of technology knowledge. These question can include asking open question about the 'theory' of a technology or they can be clear cut discrete answers.
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Who are the members of the panel?
Panel Chairperson
The panel chair coordinates the panel members in terms helping to organize a selection strategy, ensuring resources such as interview rooms are booked and liaising with the HR (Human Resources) department to ensure adherence to the company policies and procedures. It is imortant to note that all panel members should carry an equal weighting in terms of deciding on the candidate.
Panel Members
Panel members participate in the development of the selection strategy, constructing interview questions, deciding on what personal characteristics are suitable for the role and identifying the most appropriate selection tools. They are also involved in the shortlisting, interview and final selection of the most suitable candidate.
The following list includes panel members that may typically attend an interview. Although panel members usually assess a candidate based on a common criteria, each member typically views the interview responses according to their own area of responsibility.
- Manager/Project Manager
- Team Leader
- Business Manager
- HR Representative
- Engineer
- Technical Specialist
