How To Ace A Group Interview? [with Answers for 2024]

Getting one’e dream job is like winning the whole world. But, unfortunately, the job market always finds a way of evolving itself. The level of questions is not what they used to be and setups too are changing at a rapid pace. There has been a wave of various techniques, that evaluates, judges and understands a candidates different skills. One among them, is Group Interview. It is conducted upon clearing one’s Screening and HR Round. Mostly, a group interview is conducted after eliminating non-serious candidates via screening. So, you are a serious candidate and since you are reading this article, we term you very serious.

Group interviews are of two types:

Type of group interview	Features
1) Single Interviewer – Multiple Students	a) Only one interviewer is present, where as there are 8-10 candidates, forming a circle or bee-line. b) The questions asked by the interviewer are common for all the candidates. c) A candidate is not given any turn to speak, rather he has to self initiate and speak on the question asked. d) Companies conduct this type of interviews to check your teamwork skills e) Less costly for companies.
2) Multiple Interviewers – Single Student	a) A panel of 4 to 5 interviewers are present on the other side of the table. b) Usually, there is one HR manager and 3 to 4 co-workers present in the panel. c) One interviewer, asks one question at a time, you give an answer and the other interviewer picks from where you left your answer. d) This type of interview, helps an interviewee to analyse, how well you can perform in stress. e) Costly for companies.

There is nothing that can’t be achieved with thorough and serious preparation, be it the handling of a single interviewer or a complete panel of them. A candidate practicing and following the below mentioned tips, will not only secure his dream job but will also gain a lot confidence that will prove beneficial in one’s whole career.

3 Expert Tips To Ace Your Group Interview

1) Reach The Venue On Time

We all know, how nervous we tend to get before appearing for an interview. Trembling. Hyperventilating, Shaky hands and in some cases mild fever, are some common symptoms. Reaching a venue before time, has following benefits:

• Get relaxed from the lethargy of journey you have made to reach your venue
• While sitting at the venue, you can acclimatize yourself of the interview setup and prevailing conditions, which will help you to get de-stressed
• Reaching a venue before hand, will give you ample of time, to revise your preparations for the last time.
• Utilize your excess time by drinking water, using washroom and taking several deep breaths. This will allow you to get into a more comfortable and relaxed position.

2) Work Out An Introduction For Yourself

Principally, a group interview begins with each candidate’s introduction. Preparing an effective and impressive introduction about yourself, is the first and foremost opportunity to impress your interviewer. This is your first chance to descry yourself from the rest of the group. We are all well aware that,

Well begun is half done.

First blow is half the battle.

Best Ways Of Writing An Effective Self-Introduction

a) Greetings and Who are you?

The answer to this question starts with greeting everyone present in the room, introducing your name and your highest qualification. Than, you must tell, since when are you located in the city where interviews are being conducted followed by some informal facts about yourself such as hobbies, favorite food, and your best weekend spending ideas.

For Instance,

Hello everyone, My name is ABC and I am from XYZ city. I have done the course of Chartered Accountancy as my highest qualification. I shifted my base to PQR city just three months back. I love to do cycling and singing. Exploring street foods is my best idea to spend weekends. Although, my first and foremost hobby, is playing with numbers.

Tip Of Caution

Talking about informal facts about yourself makes the environment lighter and allows easy connection with fellow interviewees, but do not get carried away and slowly connect your unprofessional talk with the profile you are giving interview for.

b) What Is Your Educational Qualification?

In the first instance, i.e. point (a), you have made everyone aware of your highest educational qualification. But now, you have to express your education exhaustively ranging from the name of your school to marks obtained in your highest qualification. Do remember to complete this part, with extra curricular activities you have been a part of, be in school or college.

In continuation to above,

For Instance,

I have completed my schooling from Modern School, XYZ city. Since I secured nicely, I got an admission at the prestigious New Road College, XYZ City and completed my graduation from there. I owe my alma-mater for giving me an enriching and wonderful experience, not only in studies but also in extra curricular activities. I participated in various table tennis’ sports competitions and even won a medal.

c) What Is Your Experience?

If you are an experienced candidate, having worked before, than it is almost certain to let everybody know about it, whether or not, it relates to the profile you are giving interview for. Never forget to mention, why you are leaving your current organisation and what excites you about the organisation you are giving interview for.

In continuation to (a) and (b )above,

For Instance,

I have been working as a Senior Accounts Analyst for the past 5 years for OKM Pvt. Ltd. I joined the organisation as a Junior Accountant and have climbed the ladder because of my hard work and dedication. I am interviewing for this post in expectation of career growth and salary hike. The best part about TTM Ltd. is the work culture and employee benefits events in addition to more overseas exposure.

If you are a Fresher, than you must let everyone know, about your family background, like who is your father, which field is your mother or brother/sister involved in. You must express your key skills in an efficient manner, along with any extra qualification you have obtained or any internship you have completed. In the end, do mention what excites you about the organisation you are giving interview for.

In continuation of (a) and (b) above,

For Instance,

My father is in Government Service and mother is the president of our local Residents Welfare Association. I have two siblings, my younger sister is still studying in school, where as my elder brother is employed as an Accounts Associate with YUP Pvt. Ltd. I have learned German as my third language and have completed several internships related to academic content writing. TTM Ltd. being a multi national and mutli cultural company, has always been on my radar since my school days. The infrastructure and equipment has always excited me, I want to be a part of the organization and serve it with all my zeal.

3) During the Interview

a) Listen Everyone Carefully

Listening is an important trait, which is the first priority of every interviewer to judge. Even when it is not your turn to answer a question or you are not aware of the answer, pay close attention to what everyone is saying. As, there is a high chance that the next question might be based on the answer of last speaker. Using mobile phones whether to text or browse is a strict ‘no’.

b) Support Other Candidates

Group interviews are all about testing one’s team work skills and attitude towards group dynamics. If you are satisfied with some one else’s answer, than don’t hesitate to affirm it and support him. If you have a similar answer to another candidate, you should always add something unique or interesting to his answer.

c) Be Friendly

Group interviews turn into a farce. But remember, you are not going for a debate or war. Your fellow interviewees today, could be your fellow colleagues later, hence showing respect for them, is what an interviewer is looking for. Further, if you ever see, that the situation is turning into a fish market, step forward and calm the room down. This depicts the quality of a leader.

4) Follow up

Conducting a follow up, is always considered as good ethics and it also shows that you are highly serious and motivated about the vacancy generated by the organisation. For doing this, you must send an Email to your interviewer at his/her official Email address. Do remember, to quote key events that happenned during the interview along with your complete name, address and batch code(if any), just to ensure that the interviewer recognizes you.

Conclusion

Acing a group interview would depend on how well you have made your self introduction and the manner in which you behave during the interview. All they want from you is, to communicate like a leader capable of running and managing the burden of an entire organisation. After all, some day, you will become CEOs or may be a member of the board. If you like our articles, than don’t forget to share it with your families and friends. Do let us know in the comments section, how you felt about it.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-31045-5_20
2. http://www.kirchnersouthwest.com/articles/Ace_That_Interview!.pdf