How to Impress in a Group Interview

Job interviews have evolved in recent years and the WorkInSports Podcast tackles a new wrinkle in the process with some group interview tips to help you land your next job.

Job interviews are nerve-wracking and stressful, and we cover them extensively on the WorkInSports Podcast. VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp has plenty of job interview advice ranging from overcoming nerves to asking great questions at the end, but this question from Eliza in Chicago brings up another angle of the interview process:

“Hey Brian, I’m interviewing for an entry-level job in the sports industry right now, and I’m confused by the email I just got from the team. They said that I’d be part of a group interview – what does that mean? Will there actually be more than one person in the interview? What do I do? I’m panicking, but I really want this job! Please help!”

Interviews have changed in myriad ways in the last few years, most notably going to a virtual setting amidst the pandemic. Rather than conducting a brief phone interview with someone in HR followed by an in-person  interview with a hiring manager, you are liable to go through a panel interview with a handful of people relevant to the job you are interviewing for at the same time. A group interview is yet another twist involving multiple candidates in one session, which sounds like a bad reality TV show and evokes visions of Highlander.

via GIPHY

Job Seeker Sign In

Sign in with Google

Sign in with LinkedIn

Sign in with Apple

Or, use your email address:

Next

Group Interview Tips

Group interviews are a new wrinkle in the hiring process. While they seem like something HR teams came up with specifically to make candidates uncomfortable, there are some legitimate reasons to conduct them. For example, group interviews can help with:

•    Determining how quickly candidates think on their feet.
•    Showing how confident and assertive a candidate is.
•    Identifying which candidates fit into the company culture and work collaboratively.

With all of that in mind, we have job interview tips to help you stand out among your competitors:

•    Don’t be a wallflower: The company is looking for someone with ideas, not a person who will follow along with what the group is doing.
•    Introduce yourself to the other interviewees: Being willing to put yourself out there among people that are gunning for the same job is a boss move and shows you are engaged.
•    Involve the group: You are being put in a collaborative environment to show how well you work with others. Trying to dominate the room will work against you.

Catch more detailed group interview tips by listening to the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast, and be sure to subscribe for more sports career advice. Additionally, subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!