Beating Out Competition in Group Interviews

Beating Out Competition in Group Interviews (image courtesy of www.staffingtalk.com) First and foremost, relax. You are going into an interview as you. Youve got your game face on, but thats your face. This is all about you fitting the job, not you contorting yourself for that job. If you dont feel comfortable doing the job you will be asked to do, then dont interview for it. Make sure that what youre going to do will help you do what you want. You will be ultimately working for someone, but if you cant get into it, get out of it. Go into the interview being honest with the interviewer about who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are. Being genuine about yourself helps the interviewer gauge your level of competency for the job at hand better. Being you lets you be completely unique from everyone else in the group. If you want the position, use you to pop out. Next, make sure you know what youre getting into. If you go into the interview blind, chances are youre not the only one, but if you are, you will automatically get mentally demoted in the interviewers mind. Make sure you know what youre interviewing for. Whats the position? What are the responsibilities? Whats the company name? Motto? Business plan? Do a bit of research, say 30 minutes, and dig up some stuff on the position. This bit of info can let you form questions for the interviewer and build up answers. If youre prepared and the competition isnt, youve got an edge immediately. Speaking of questions, make sure youve practiced a few beforehand. Mock interviews are an excellent source of experience for their real-world counterparts. Dressing up, practicing your speaking voice, your business appearance, and your questions can help. You can also formulate questions the interviewer might ask and develop some answers. Even if the interviewer doesnt ask these questions, it can be helpful if they are similar. A word of warning though: do not rattle off a canned answer. This seems fake no matter what. Use your voice and word choice to answer in your way. Be honest. Dont pretend to know all the answers. If you dont know, simply saying that can be better than a more bold, but misleading statement. Its better to say you dont understand or dont know the answer than to muddle through something half-done. Asking questions can also help someone else in the group who doesnt speak up. Take notes. When you ask questions, write down the answers. When you have a question, write it down quietly and bring it up at the end when the interviewer asks if anyone has questions. This makes you stand out as a serious contender and allows you to bring up the topics you need more info on and retain that same info. (image courtesy of www.doncooper.com) Be you. If its a group interview, its about sieving through contenders to reach the one thats right for the position. If youre not right for the position, you will fall through. If you manage to change yourself to fit in with the position and end up with it, are you really sure you want to be in that position? Doing this can hurt the group or company youre interviewing for and then hurt you by being in a job youre not cut out for. This can also bite you in the butt if you cant perform in that position since your superiors might not recommend you when moving on. Group interviews can be a nerve-wracking environment and one that you will never get used to, but they can be an exciting chance to show the interviewer not just what youre made of, but how you stand out from the rest.