How to Win a Panel Job Interview

You might not be familiar with the term "panel interview," but you may have experienced one in the past. Many employers utilize this type of interview for efficiency. A panel interview has multiple interviewers, generally three to five, meeting with the interviewee at the same time. This can be either done in-person or virtually. Those in the panel can consist of the hiring manager, the hiring manager's manager, potential team members, someone representing HR, and other stakeholders.

One-on-one interviews are already stressful. Add more eyes looking at you and more people to impress, and a panel interview can be very intimidating. I should know. The last job interview that I had was a panel interview.

I will cover the actions you can take before and during the interview to succeed in this format. I will also give you some insight into decision-making after a panel interview. 

Before the Interview

When you are contacted to schedule the interview, the scheduler should tell you the name and title of everyone interviewing you. That does not always happen, though. Therefore, if you don't get this information, you should ask. If you can get any additional information, such as reporting relationships, even better.

You then want to research each of the individuals that you will be meeting. If the person has a profile on LinkedIn, that is an excellent place to start to find career and education information. Take a look at their profile picture, so you can immediately identify them. Don't forget to do a full internet search, though, and not just rely on LinkedIn. Start a file on each individual with critical biographic information, accomplishments, media appearances, etc.

Going back to LinkedIn, check to see if you have any first or second-degree connections that work or have worked at this company. Reach out to see if any of these people know the individuals on the panel. Ask about the following:

· Focus areas for their department

· Hot buttons issues

· Personality/managerial traits

This information will help you understand the individuals you are meeting with better if you can get it. For example, suppose you find out that one of the individuals likes people with an entrepreneurial spirit. In that case, you might anticipate a question that would ask about your ability to get a lot accomplished with limited resources. Preparing to answer that question, you would want to emphasize your can-do attitude and creativity in your answers.

Understanding your interviewers' background and experience can also help you with constructing interesting questions to ask of your interviewers. Make sure you come up with a list of questions, one for each one of your interviewers. For example, if you know that one of your interviewers has been with the company for quite a few years, you could ask this person about the changes they have seen during that time and the impact on current operations. For another that came from a different industry, a question about the differences and similarities between the industries (especially if you have the same industry experience) would be a good question. Like any questions you ask, make sure they are meaningful and provide insight into the company. 

For more information on preparing for job interviews, see How to Conduct Background Research on Your Interviewer.

During the Interview

While a standard one-on-one interview is usually scheduled for 60 minutes, a panel interview may be scheduled for a more extended time, to allow each interviewer sufficient time to ask questions. The more people involved, the less opportunity there will be for any follow-up questions. Even if the interview is scheduled for 60 minutes, anticipate that it may run longer. 

If you have an in-person panel interview, you may be seated on one side of a table with your interviewers on the other side. Frankly, this can make you feel like it is more of an interrogation than an interview. If you are in a virtual interview, thankfully, seating arrangements will not be an issue.

You may have last-minute substitutions of people into the panel, or some may have conflicts and cannot attend. This is not uncommon, so do not be surprised if this happens. Make sure you get the name and title of any unexpected interviewers and write it down. Ask for the spelling of an uncommon name.

Whether in-person or virtual, the first few minutes can be tense. A recommendation is to acknowledge everyone in the room or on the call. Say hello, smile, and address everyone by name and thank them for their time. In a virtual environment, you may have each person's name on the screen, which helps to match the name with the face. Building rapport quickly is essential and is no different in a panel interview than in a one-on-one interview. Try to use the interviewer's name when addressing them. If you have a commonality with any of the interviewers, such as a mutual school or professional association, during the introductions could be a good place to mention it if it makes sense. 

A no-no that many interviewees make with in-person panel interviews is to only look at the person asking the question when answering. Sometimes, interviewers come up with their own questions but often, ahead of time, the panel will decide who will ask questions on a specific topic and may even decide on the particular questions. Remember, everyone is interested in your answers, not just the person asking the question. Therefore, you have to answer to everyone. Start with the person asking the question. Look at that person when answering, maybe 15-20 seconds. Sit up straight and lean in to show you are engaged. And then spend the same amount of time as you move to look at each person in the room while answering. If the interview is being conducted virtually, you want to make sure that you are looking at your camera the entire time and not at the people on the screen. You may want to start your answer by using the questioner's name, such as, "That is an interesting question, Pam."

Another mistake interviewees can sometimes make, especially in an in-person interview, is only to address the hiring manager (or the senior person in the room). Yes, you want to impress this person, and they usually are the ultimate decision-maker. Still, they have others in the interview because they require multiple interviewers or the hiring manager is seeking additional input. Your job is to impress all of them. A thumbs down by any of them may mean the end of your hopes for the position. That is why rapport building with everyone is essential.

Whether the panel interview is in-person or virtually, being able to read the room is important. Be very aware of the dynamics going on around you. First, check who seems to be with you and who might be critical of you. Sometimes, you can tell by body language, such as head nodding (positive) or arms crossed or looking bored (negative). If you feel that someone is in your corner, do not spend as much time building rapport with them. Instead, spend a bit more with the skeptics. You need to win them over. 

At the end of the interview, if there is time for your own questions, ask questions of the hiring manager and appropriate questions of others. You can also ask a collective question of people with the same job title or role.

Lastly, always ask which person will be getting back to you and the timeframe.

For more information about body language to be aware of during the interview, see Job Seeker: What Does Your Body Language Say About You?

Decision Making

I have been on panel interviews as one of the interviewers. So this is what can happen afterward, based upon my experience. Beforehand, some panels will come up with a rubric, an agreed-upon way to evaluate candidates. Some will have scoring criteria for different skills/competencies, and others will have just one based on overall fit. Everyone fills it out and sends it to HR or the hiring manager. Each interviewer's ratings are not shared with other panel members. The information is reviewed, and the hiring manager (or the hiring manager and their boss) makes the final decision.

In some panels, the hiring manager only asks for written comments. Each person writes up a summary of their thoughts and whether they feel the candidate should be hired. If the panel has interviewed multiple candidates, they may be asked to hold off sending their summaries to the end of the process, when they can also add a forced ranking of each of the candidates.

In other panels, the interviewees get together and discuss the candidate(s). Each person will be given an opportunity to talk about each candidate and their pros and cons. When there are differing opinions, this can make for interesting conversation. Having these conversations can be helpful, especially if others know the hiring manager well. It can provide feedback on which candidate will be the best long term for the company, not just the one that the hiring manager might like to work with best. Sometimes the group comes to a consensus on the best candidate; sometimes, it does not.

Whatever the decision, the panel interview format is supposed to result in better hiring decisions by bringing more people into the process. 

Conclusion

While panel interviews can be a bit more intimidating than one-on-one interviews, you can easily do a fantastic job. Remember to do your research ahead of time on the people who will be speaking with you and build rapport with everyone. Do those two things, and you will be ahead of your competition and win everyone over to support you for the role.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.