If you’re accustomed to one-on-one interviews, a group interview can feel somewhat intimidating. Suddenly, instead of nervously facing a hiring manager on your own, you have to experience the same anxiety surrounded by other candidates gunning for the same position. Or, you find yourself alone and mildly sweaty in front of a whole panel of interviewers.
However, with the right preparation, you can ace these types of interviews like any other. In this article, you’ll get to know more about group interviews, the common questions that are asked, and other tips on how you can set yourself apart from the competition.
Meet the Team Interview – 6 Tips for Success
How to handle a meeting the team interview
If you are scheduled for a meeting the team interview, you can prepare with the following steps:
Consider the structure of the interview
Meeting the team interviews can be structured differently, depending on the organization. Finding out the structure of the interview ahead of time can help you prepare. This can help you practice your responses, as well as come up with a list of relevant questions. Find out who you will meet with, including what team or department they work with. It can also be helpful to find out if it is a formal or informal team interview.
A panel interview is an interview in which there are multiple interviewers who meet with and interview the candidate at the same time. This panel is usually made up of people like the hiring manager, the positions direct supervisor and in some cases, team members. A panel interview may also include other potential candidates, depending on the structure.
In an informal interview, the hiring manager may have the potential candidates move from office to office for a quick, informal meeting with each team member. An informal meet and greet could also be scheduled. In this type of meeting, multiple candidates may be present. It is up to you to greet and communicate with different team members. Some hiring managers may also assign a test assignment to get a better idea of how each candidate works with the team.
Learn more: Types of Interview Formats and Styles
Practice in a group setting
Interviewing in a team, or group setting can take some getting used to. It can be helpful to also practice in a group setting with friends or family members. Be sure to divide your time equally and answer each persons questions. The purpose of a meeting the team interview is usually to determine how you will fit in with the rest of the team.
Focus on demonstrating your teamwork skills, including respect, attention-to-detail and verbal and nonverbal communication. Take time to listen to each team member and understand their questions.
Question 1: Describe the perfect boss!
This question gets right to the point: How does the candidate see themselves, what’s their leadership style? Does he delegate, give constructive feedback, give clear (and motivating) speeches? Or are they more into the top-down management style? This question is also designed to figure out if a candidate would speak poorly of other supervisors from their current or previous companies – a bad sign for the future!
Learn more about the role
These questions are good to ask the hiring manager.
Familiarize yourself with the employer before your interview by reading their Handshake page, company website, and searching for recent news online. Avoid asking questions about things that are readily available online, and show the interviewer that you’ve done your homework.
You’re probably trying to be careful about getting your hopes up, whilst acknowledging how far you’re come – hiring managers wouldn’t invite you to this final step for the fun of it, so you are legitimately pretty close to getting the job at this point. You’ll have already demonstrated your skills and experience, so this last stage is either to gauge how you’d fit in with the existing team and/or to compare you to another candidate.
Even if you’re getting on swimmingly, it’s still an interview. Remain professional and avoid calling anyone “mate” or “buddy” as to some this can come across as a little disrespectful and disingenuous. Reading your interviewer and understanding when to be serious and when to show that you’ll click right into the team is what could make the difference between you and another candidate.
Although many final stage interviews will be about whether they think you’d be a good fit to the company, there will often still be opportunities to talk about your skills and experience to (again) verify your skills. Feel free to talk about your achievements a bit. The wider team might not know as much about you as the people who interviewed you previously, so they will likely be interested to know more about what you can do and the skills you’d bring into the team. It’s your opportunity to sell yourself as the right candidate for the job.
This is something you can prepare for. Make a list of questions before you go and have them clear in your mind. Begin with the questions you’ve prepared in advance as they’ll be your starting point, and then bounce off team members as they introduce themselves and explain their positions to you.
A few candidates have recently asked me for pointers on what to expect and how to approach the final stage ‘meet the team’ interview. For many this last step is actually the most daunting because you can’t really prepare in the same way that you would for an interview or a technical test. There are things you can do to get in the right frame of mind though, so just as you would for questions around your experience, it’s important to plan things you might say or ask, about you too.
FAQ
How do I prepare for a Meet the team interview?
- Research the company. …
- Consider the structure of the interview. …
- Practice potential interview questions. …
- Practice in a group setting. …
- Prepare a list of questions you want to ask. …
- Thank the team and follow up after the interview.
What kind of questions are asked in a team interview?
- Describe a group project you worked on. …
- Describe a time you had to gather input from employees outside your team. …
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a colleague you didn’t get along with.
- Has your team ever failed to reach a goal?
What happens at a meet and greet interview?
- Describe a group project you worked on. …
- Describe a time you had to gather input from employees outside your team. …
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a colleague you didn’t get along with.
- Has your team ever failed to reach a goal?
