Forgive me, for I have sinned. It's been a long time since my last blog. However, I felt compelled to tell you a story with some friendly advice attached to it.
A family friend of mine, a graduate, recently went for a job interview. She's intelligent, well-spoken, and has a great attitude on top of the excellent degree she will end up with this summer.
She was well prepared for the interview - her CV was carefully written and she had done her research about the organisation that she was visiting, printing off important information from the company website. However, when she arrived, she was told that this was to be a group interview. Cue shock, horror and panic. I can only imagine how this must have thrown her!
With 12 other candidates, none of whom was expecting a group interview, she was herded into a room and spoken at for 40 minutes. Fair enough; they were told about the company, its history and, of course, about the job role itself.
They were then asked to complete a 40-minute personality test, before being ushered into a room to finally meet the hiring manager. For five minutes.
Unfortunately, she didn't get the job. But how could she have improved her chances, and how can you cope with a sudden group interview situation?
Well, for a start, get as much information from the company beforehand as you can. Sure, a bit of research into the company ethos and history will score you valuable points in the interview itself, but a quick call to your recruitment contact should help you identify what to expect from the interview. It's not pushy to ask who you're going to be meeting, how long the interview is likely to last, what kind of preparation they'd like you to do and, of course, what kind of interview it is. In fact, in most instances, asking key questions like this will show the initiative that employers are looking for.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself why the company has sprung a group interview on you. I'm sure there are many different reasons, but I guarantee that they're doing it to test both how you assert yourself in a group situation and also how you deal with the unexpected. Both of these tend make a lot of your interview preparation redundant, but there are still ways you can be prepared for the unexpected. Getting friends and family to ask you random questions will help you think on your feet, and facing down the embarrassment of doing a full-on mock interview with a friend will certainly help you with the group situation.
Most importantly of all, though, is that you should never get despondent at any time during the interview process. Even if things aren't as you expected, even if you are asked to perform tests that seem frankly weird, the best thing you can do is stay at the top of your game. Whether the company in question gives you five minutes or three hours to sell yourself to them, use it effectively. Granted, you'll have to condense your thoughts if you only have a few minutes, but if you make sure you only tell them your best stuff, then you can make as much of an impact as in a full 30-minute interview.
And if you've been dazed and a little confused during the interview process, and you feel you missed out on a chance to say what you wanted, don't despair. Send the interviewer an email the next day thanking them for their time, reiterating how much you'd like the job, and reminding them why you think you're ideal. Don't go on and on, but an email like this will help put you at the forefront of their minds, and may just be the clincher to getting the job.
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