Group Interview Guide: Key Skills and Winning Strategy
March 16, 2025(Last edited on: March 17, 2025)
In the previous article, we talked a lot about how we get our resume stand out. After your resume passes, you will face an interview.
Interviews can be simply categorized into 1-on-1 interview and group interview.
Group interview is also called "Cattle Calling",which means to bring all or a few of the applicants into a meeting at one time.
Group Interview Process
Usually, the group process can be divided into 5 stages:
Four Rules
The purpose of group interviews is to assess candidates' teamwork, communication skills, leadership, and adaptability.
1. Teamwork
It includes two points:
(1) Actively participating in discussion while respecting others' opinions;
(2) Find your own role in the team to facilitate efficient collaboration.
Eg. When there's already a leader in the group interview, rather than competing for the leadership role, be a supporter, who adds valuable insights at appropriate but not interrupt others.
The ultimate goal of teamwork is not to be the WINNER but to deliver the best result as a team.
2. Communication skills
It refers to the ability to express yourself clearly and logically, making your points easy-to-be-understand and listening to others.
Eg. Listening carefully when your teammates are speaking. Additionally, you can express your opinion when the team misses it. Also, using the PREP method to make it more understandable.
- PREP=Point+Reason+Example+Point
3. Leadership
It doesn't necessarily mean you need to be a leader in the discussion. Instead, it assesses whether you can help the team to reach an agreement within the limited time.
Eg. When the discussion stalls, you can briefly summarize current progress and suggest the next step as hints. During the meeting, when your teammate remains silent or struggles to contribute, actively invite them to share their thoughts.
4 . Adaptability
Adaptability evaluates your ability to remain calm and flexible when unexpected situations happen.
Eg. When the discussion time is suddenly reduced and the team becomes disorganized, you can stand out to stabilize the situation and suggest to minimize unnecessary details and focus on the main objectives.
So, how to stand out in group interviews?
——The answers are clear:
- Make a great self-introduction;
- Be a contributor but not the dominant speaker;
- Use logical frameworks, like PREP;
- Stay calm.
Next time you face a group interview! Go back and review the article, prepare yourself and be confident!