25 Tips for Panel Interviews that Help You in Standing Out

Panel interviews are getting more common in different industries, and so does the candidate required to recuse himself for such interviews.

Panel interviews basically include more than three interviews and they ask questions to the candidate. Such interviews can be nerve-wracking and to make sure you are giving your best, here is a list of tips to follow to stand out.

performing better in panel interview tips

The More Research Do The Better

The more research you do the better it is for you, as when you have the date, you can ask the right questions and answer the right answers.

However make sure you do it before you go for the interview, do the research about the company, your job, and what requirements the panelist is looking for in their ideal candidate.

Prepare Behavior Questions

In such interviews, panel interviewers tend to ask questions based on behavior and experience. So you need to have your answer ready along with stories to tell the interviewers.

Arrive At Least 20 Minutes Early

Arriving at least 20 minutes is not too late or not too early, so you get enough time to settle down and process all the thighs that you might have to do before the interview starts.

Arriving early helps in giving a better impression, you can organize your thoughts and retouch everything to make sure everything is in its place.

Keep Clean And More Than One Copy Of Resume

Keep your resume with you and have properly formatted and printed copies.

Also don’t just have one copy as you are going to hand each of them to the panelist.

So have more copies, in fact, have extra copies just in case you need them.

Shake Hands With Each Person

When you enter the room, make sure you do the shake-up with every panel interviewer.

Look at their eyes and greet them, so it can help in building the first impression with them.

Maintain Good Eye Contact

Not just the person who is asking you questions, but to others too.

You need to look at them and then make eye contact with everyone. It will help in making them feel like they are a part of your conversation.

Position Your Body To Point At Person

Hold on to your position for seconds, so they know you are speaking to the person who asked you a question, and then subtly move to direct it to another one to answer their question,

By this, you are showing that you are giving your attention and focus to the person who is asking you questions along with engaging others.

Project Your Confidence

You should know what content your resume has, make sure you practice giving answers and questions that might be asked.

Do the research, feel confident, and project the moment you enter the room.

Never Exaggerate Your Lie

However don’t lie at all, but even if you do, keep it as small as it can be, don’t try to extend it as you will get caught.

The people who are there as panel interview candidates, they know when they see something fishy.

Resist Interrupting Others

Everyone has their time to speak, so don’t interrupt with your questions and make them distract yourself.

It is considered rude, but it also shows you are not paying respect to their time. It’s important that you let the person speak and wait for your turn.

Ask If Your Address The Question

In order to know if you answer the question they asked, it’s better to ask directly.

They Will tell you if you need to explain more or if those points are enough.

Don’t Assume Who Is The Decision Maker

If you see the panel, don’t assume who is going to be important and who is going to be the decision-maker. Every single one of them is crucial for the interview and that’s why they are there.

You need to take everyone seriously and answer your question with utmost respect and honesty.

Clarify If You Don’t Understand

If you don’t understand something or the question is a bit confusing, don’t try to complete it in your head or guess.

It’s better that you ask directly, it’s not an interrogation. you both are there to choose if you are suitable for each other or not.

So it’s better to clarify the question than answer it.

Speak To Everyone With Respect

It’s very important that you show respect to each person who is in the room. Regardless they are the senior member or the young recruiter. Pay respect to everyone with how you talk and answer.

Also, don’t assume the males are the ones who are important and females are not, so make sure you are speaking with respect.

Know Who You Are Talking

Your panel will likely include different people from different roles, usually, it adds the hiring manager, team leader, HR manager, and potential peer.

You need to find out which specific people are on the panel interview, and for this, you can ask the recruiter and company contract.

You can check their LinkedIn, social media, and blogs if they one to know about what they are and who they are.

The more you know about them, the better you can answer their questions.

The Pressure Is Created For A Reason

There is no doubt that panel interviews create a lot of pressure, having more than 3 people asking you questions and the power dynamic can turn interviews tense.

However, there is a reason why it was created in the first place. The company wants to see how the candidate can react if they are put in such scenarios.

So instead of fluttering up and getting anxious, try to find the balance.

Find The Connection And Common Ground

There are more than three and four people l in panel interviews, Different people are from different levels of roles.

You need to find the connection and set the common ground so you can connect with them. It helps you create bongs on a personal level, which will help get selected.

Include Everyone, Engage With Every SIngle Interviewer

One of the most common mistakes that you could make is to address only the senior person.

Just because there is a hiring manager, it doesn’t mean you need to focus on that interviewer. Every person in the room has the vote to choose who will choose.

To engage with everyone, don’t forget the silent panel member and it’s often who takes notes, make sure your focus is on everyone.

Take Notes While You Do Interview

Panel interviews likely cover much more ground than the one-on-one interview, so you need to keep your things straight and the best way is to note everything in a note.

Also, you can ask the interviewer as mostly they will say yes.

However, don’t spend too much on writing as you want to keep eye contact too.

Note Down About The Interviewers Individually

Make good use of the note by taking pointers about interviews. Since there will be so much going on, it’s easy to mix up things.

Also when the interview ends, you need to send a thank you email and in those emails, you can use the notes you have taken.

When Feel Nervous, Take Deep Breaths

One of the best exercises that can help you calm down. It’s not easy to handle the panel interview especially if this is your first one.

So balance your active listening with your speaking, or you might skip the whole point.

Take Your Time

Since panel interviews have their set time, you don’t have to worry about rushing things.

The format is designed so you can say your things and so does the interviewer. don’t feel rushed, take your time to formulate the answer but keep it fluff-free and brief.

Learn And Remember The Name And Roles

Make note of each interviewer who is in the panel, also make sure you remember what they do and their role in the business.

Even though you find it difficult, the best way to remember is to repeat the name after you hear it.

Within a few minutes of answering their questions, you can use their name and it will help in remembering them for a long time.

Once you are done with the interview, you can feel confident to thank them and use their name to make it more personal.

Build Your Rapport With Each Panel Interviewer

Do your best when it comes to building a connection with as many people as you can during your interview.

You can also find the common areas of interest, share stories and mix questions instead of waiting to end the interview.

It can help in creating rapport and also help in making the interview interesting for everyone.

Ask Questions, A Lot Of It

It’s crucial that you ask the question during the panel interview. The big effort of your operation will go on knowing which question you need to ask.

You can also bring a notebook where you write down the question, however, make sure you ask beforehand if you can bring it or not.