Navigating Group and Tag-Team Interviews: How Do You Handle the Pressure?

while in interviews, in general, singel candidate is been called .... just to evaluate him and analyse him for getting right person for right job... recently while working on my project . ... i was with my trainner or say hr manager .. n production manager n i observed the following stuff....

The Group Interview

Interviewing simultaneously with other candidates can be disconcerting, but it provides the company with a sense of your leadership potential and style. The group interview helps the company get a glimpse of how you interact with peers-are you timid or bossy, are you attentive or do you seek attention, do others turn to you instinctively, or do you compete for authority? The interviewer also wants to view what your tools of persuasion are: do you use argumentation and careful reasoning to gain support or do you divide and conquer? The interviewer might call on you to discuss an issue with the other candidates, solve a problem collectively, or discuss your peculiar qualifications in front of the other candidates.

This environment might seem overwhelming or hard to control, but there are a few tips that will help you navigate the group interview successfully:

• Observe to determine the dynamics the interviewer establishes and try to discern the rules of the game. If you are unsure of what is expected from you, ask for clarification from the interviewer.

• Treat others with respect while exerting influence over others.

• Avoid overt power conflicts, which will make you look uncooperative and immature.

• Keep an eye on the interviewer throughout the process so that you do not miss important cues.

The Tag-Team Interview

Expecting to meet with Ms. Glenn, you might find yourself in a room with four other people: Ms. Glenn, two of her staff, and the Sales Director. Companies often want to gain the insights of various people when interviewing candidates. This method of interviewing is often attractive for companies that rely heavily on team cooperation. Not only does the company want to know whether your skills balance that of the company, but also whether you can get along with the other workers. In some companies, multiple people will interview you simultaneously. In other companies, you will proceed through a series of one-on-one interviews.

so now if any opinions or suggestions !!

its welcomed !

regards

pritam

Hi Pritam,

How do you conduct a group interview? Do you ask a question to the group in general and assess the person who answers it first, or do you ask the same/different questions to all of the members in the group individually and assess them?

I am not quite clear on the idea of a group interview. Could you please explain?

Thanks,
Sree

In such type of interviews, two or more than two persons are called for simultaneously, and they are questioned. Here, the parameters are judged on the basis of good listening abilities, aptitude, confidence, leadership skills, etc.

Yes, you can say it's more of a psychological game, but at the same time, aptitude is considered more. Basically, it's a sort of interview tool and is applicable where interviewees are more in number and the panel has to shortlist in less time. It provides a fine glance.

Regards,
Pritam

It appears that you are referring to a Group Discussion. This takes place along the lines you have described, looking for competencies like leadership, clarity in communication, influencing skills, and so on.

As far as I understand, there is nothing like a Group Interview. However, there is also a Panel Interview wherein one candidate is interviewed by more than one interviewer at the same time. For example, I had attended a panel interview where there were 4 people, and another where there were 7.

It is a little disconcerting and intimidating, and the most difficult thing to do is keep your nerve and answer without stuttering. Hope this helps.

Regards, Ryan

Hey,

In a group discussion, unless things get really out of hand, the interviewer doesn't intervene. However, in a group interview, which would normally involve many-to-many interactions - meaning there would typically be more than two interviewers and more than two candidates - the process would entail a question-answer session. During this session, the interviewers would likely ask similar questions to all the candidates to assess them.

I believe this is the typical flow of a group interview!

You know, this group interview thing reminds me of a fish market 😄. It would be chaotic, to say the least, to obtain sufficient useful information about the candidate.

Can anyone tell me which industries would use this and what kind of positions would be assessed in this form of interviewing?

Ryan

Hi Everyone,

Group interviews and tag team interviews are accepted modes of interviews; not to be confused with types of interviews. Please do not confuse group interviews with group discussions as they serve different purposes.

In panel interviews, the panel is invariably pre-positioned. In tag team interviews, you may find different interviewers joining or leaving the panel mid-course.

I am glad this topic has been brought up; it will clear a lot of fog. You should not be surprised if you come across these very fine modes of interviews.

Ashwani (jollyashwani)