How and When to Conduct a Group Interview

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A group job interview can provide a great opportunity for your team to learn about job candidates. To help you determine how and when to conduct a group interview, let’s answer some of the questions surrounding this topic.

What Is a Group Job Interview?

During a group job interview, one or more employees interview multiple job candidates at once. Or, a panel of workers can interview one candidate.

Why Should You Use a Group Interview?

Key reasons why businesses perform group interviews include:

  • You can speed up the interview process. You can simultaneously interview several job candidates. This helps reduce the time it takes to find the ideal candidate.
  • You can see how job candidates engage with one another. A group interview can give you insights into how a candidate communicates and collaborates with peers. You can also get a glimpse into how a candidate may perform as part of your team.
  • You can assess a candidate’s cultural fit. During the interview, you can ask candidates to perform myriad tasks to assess their work skills and ability to thrive within your company’s culture.
  • You can find out how job candidates respond to stress. If you want to see how a candidate performs under pressure, a group interview can be ideal.

A group job interview can be beneficial. However, if you intend to conduct a group interview, you need to prepare accordingly.

How Do You Conduct a Group Job Interview?

For companies that want to perform group job interviews, notify candidates in advance. This ensures candidates can plan ahead for the interview.

Next, meet with employees involved in your interview before the meeting. This ensures you and your team can work in lockstep to achieve the best-possible results.

At the beginning of a group job interview, let employees introduce themselves. Take turns asking questions, and give candidates plenty of time to respond.

Following a group interview, consult with employees. This gives you and your workers an opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback.

When Should You Conduct a Group Job Interview?

You should conduct group job interviews if you want to assess candidates’ problem-solving and teamwork abilities. For example, you can conduct a group interview in which multiple candidates are presented with a hypothetical problem. The candidates can then work together to address the problem. Meanwhile, the interview allows you to see which candidates stand out from others. If you find one candidate rises to the top of the pack, you may want to hire him or her right away.

The Bottom Line on Group Job Interviews

Group interviews can be beneficial. They can complement your traditional interviews and ensure you’re well-equipped to ask the right questions and find top talent.

Contact Us Today

If you want extra help with talent recruitment, Ascend Staffing can assist. We’re a professional staffing agency that makes it easy to connect with quality job candidates to fill temporary and permanent roles. For more information about our staffing services, please contact us today.

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