How you can excel and stand out in a group interview

Two business people being interviewed by a manager. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

To put it simply, group interview can be a seemingly daunting task as you are faced with the added pressure of making sure that the employers bring their focus on you from a group of individuals who share the same intensity to earn a placement as you do. You may not realize it but an immense amount of emphasis is being laid on group interviews since there is a glut of people who are looking for employment and therefore, having them in a group together makes an employer’s job much simpler. When you have benefitted from job spidering and are ready for you interview, these tips listed below will ensure that you stand out in your group interview and impress your employers.

1.    Begin with an introduction and make sure it is unique:

When in a group interview, you will be asked to talk about yourself individually. This is your first chance to capitalize on the interview by being different from the others. When you are asked to introduce yourself break away from the techniques that almost every other individual has made use of. In a matter of 30 seconds you should be able to put across the skills that you are best known for and the experience that you have earned prior to the job interview. It is best to prepare for this beforehand so that you do not waste the precious seconds trying to formulate your sentences.

2.   Do not shy away in answering first:

When in a group interview, the competition is bound to be cut throat. Therefore, being polite yet quick is important. When a question is asked, it is wise to be the first to answer as it helps exude confidence. However, you must also ensure that your confidence is not mistaken for arrogance. Therefore, you must also ask several questions to give your employer the impression that you are in fact serious about the job interview. However, it is important that the questions you ask make sense and essentially, they should be questions pertaining to your job position or the company.

3.   Do not focus solely on your individual self:

Although it is you who needs to be the standout in the group interview, this will be reflected only if you are willing enough to be a team player at the very same time. While it is important to showcase your skills as an individual, it is also important to show your employers that you can work seamlessly work with a group. Alienating the fellow group members will put you off before your employers and they may instantly take a dislike towards you. Therefore, just as you make eye-contact with your employers, you must do the same with your fellow group members as well. Besides, if you do agree with a group member’s point of view, it is a nice gesture to give a nod to show that you agree and use mono syllables to support your group members.

4.   Punctuality is the key:

Agreed you wish to stand out in a group interview, however, it is equally important that you do so in the right way. Job spidering may land you with the interview of your dreams however, if you fail to reach on time, you will have to face the consequences. There is absolutely no harm in arriving before time and being punctual essentially shows your interest towards the job opening. It also gives you time to mingle with the other contenders for the interview. However, this cannot be achieved if you arrive late. Therefore, punctuality is the key.

Author’s bio:

Marcus Travolta works in the HR department of a very well known finance company. He has a background in psychology and was working as a counsellor for the briefest period before turning to HR. He has won several awards and laurels for his contribution to the field of psychology and proudly lays emphasis on job spidering.