Sticking Out In Group Interviews: The Tricks To Ace Them

Jason James, JollyHires Inc.

If you’ve ever been to a retail store, shopping mall, or even in fests or events you’ll know that the makers or breakers of these places are the humble floor workers or volunteers however what truly leads to a successful store or event is not their individual capacity, but their ability to work, coordinate, delegate and communicate in a large group. These are interpersonal soft skills which have become increasingly important employment criteria for corporations, especially in where multiple departments and sectors must work together to serve the business. However, these skills are also difficult to judge in one-on-one interviews and can only truly be tested in a group setting constituting of peers – thus today’s job searcher may come across group interviews quite a bit which challenge the candidates to work and communicate with others while efficiently performing tasks.

Now if you’re one of those people who thinks it feels weird in that waiting area or the empty black screen for your video interview, where you just sit alone or with other candidates applying for the same job then imagine how much worse it can get when asked to talk and work with them while being assessed by the interviewers….AWKWARD

Today we want to share the FUNDA to shine out of the crowd in group interviews and give you our list of the best group interview tips and tricks.

Be Heard Without Being Over Dominating

The most common reaction to the scenario where one’s asked to work with their competition is that a subconscious urge to outshine, outwork and outspeak others at every turn. However, one hiring manager suggests that such candidates do more to bog down and suppress the creative potential of the group in pursuit of personal glory and thus are seen as potential hindrance to overall productivity increase. Thus, it is best to take your time, hear the suggestions of others and suggest your improvements while acknowledging the strong points of the rest.

Assist Others to Help Your Case

No one likes to do someone else’s job for them however any manager or employer would appreciate the ability to pick up the slack for someone else in an employee. This displays dependability and a strong work ethic. Helping or even supporting another’s ideas can make you stick out as a symbiote in room full of parasitic attitude.

Disagreeing Is Not Always Good

One misconceived interview tip for freshers have is that disagreeing with competitors will work out well for you. This is not the case, going along with another candidate’s plan does indeed help them shine out in the eyes of the recruiter but mere disagreement for its sake hurts your image personally. Between passive preference to another and active dislike to you the former is always the better avenue to go. On the other hand, actively listening and analyzing another candidates suggestions may allow you to come up with better criticisms as well.

Engage With Others

Of Course while your there your primary objective is to perform the given tasks or discuss the given problems but for a shot at really going step beyond interact with your fellow candidates beyond the scope of the present scenario. You can use the traditional icebreakers like some peculiar thing you saw while commuting to the interview or some factoid about the company itself. If you can hit it off with a few other candidates before the interview you will automatically have a strategic advantage and can even become the delegate of the group.

Bonus Point

Why try to stand out during the group interview when you can very simply stand out before? In a good way that too. Recruiters go through resumes and CV’s before calling you to such kind of interviews. Now it wouldn’t hurt to have a video resume or video screening which could and would, very positively emphasize on all your personality traits, communication skills and more! Don’t shy out! Give it your best.

One must also keep in mind that such group interviews take place not only physically but also on various virtual platforms, especially the job apps. It is important to take heed to all these points even if the interviews are in the form of video interviews, or video calls. Furthermore, you are not the only one benefitting from these tips, as more people start to learn it, the easier it is for employers to move through the job screening process. Win-win, isn’t it?

No doubt that such interviews are difficult but remember that everyone else there is also in a similar situation for you to come to grips with it. And when you really put an effort into genuine and legitimate interactions, it can make a difference not just in the eyes of the interviewer but in the group dynamic itself too.

And of course, don’t forget to be your Jolly self and follow JollyHires.

Ever got questions like, ‘Can I search jobs near me?’, ‘Find jobs in India?’ or ‘let me know about jobs hiring near me?’  Here’s your answer: Unlike other job apps, JollyHires is the new-gen app that smart-connects you with jobs near you, away from you etc. with free job alerts to choose from too!