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Photo by Jeff Sanders

Throughout my own personal career search I have stumbled aimlessly into many interviews completely unprepared.  It was one thing to tackle a one-on-one interview, answering a question or two without any clue of what I was talking about, but to do it in front of a group of people took my lack of preparation to a whole new level.  Group interviews are hard.  Simple enough.  They are a different beast than than the traditional one-on-one and it takes a different skill set to master the tricks necessary to avoid getting weeded out by the employer.  The hard part is figuring out what the employer is looking for and why they have chosen the group format over others.  Some of them may come right out and tell you what they want, most won’t.  You’ll have to be the mind reader and the observant cool kid in the back who catches the vibe before your competition does.  Here are some tricks to help edge you in the favor of the employer.

Top 5 Tricks

1. Shhhh – Don’t talk too much.  There’s no better way to get yourself kicked out of an interview than to run your mouth so long the employer wants to duct tape it.  You may think that talking more than others allows you to provide a deeper, more comprehensive answer to a question.  Wrong.  It makes you look foolish and unprepared because your answer wasn’t succinct and easy to understand.  Keep it short, simple, and to the point, without giving one-word responses.  They want to know you have a brain.

2. Always look Confident – It doesn’t matter how impossible the question may seem, smile and give as much BS as you see fit.  Confidence always wins over knowledge because people are drawn to leadership.  People want to be around other people who look like they know what they’re doing, even when they don’t.  Sure, some jobs may require extensive experience that you simply don’t have, but you still need to relate ANYTHING you have done that might work.  Even if the interviewer knows it’s BS, they still may like it!  Giving weak answers makes you look weak, stay strong, and stay confident.

3. Dress Up – Be the sharpest knife in the drawer.  In other words, look your best, better than your wedding day.  There’s no other sure fire way to get attention than to out-dress the competition.  I have been to group interviews where some people are wearing full suits and ties while others show up in overalls and flannel pajamas.  Employers want someone who can dress themselves and command attention, positive attention.  Don’t make everyone stare at you because you’re shirt says “Sexy” in bright pink glitter.  Look sharp and you’ll either get the job outright, or at least the phone number of the girl in the next seat.

4. Bring Your Own Pen – Be prepared.  There’s nothing easier you can do before an interview than to have your stuff organized.  Bring your resume and cover letter (multiple copies), at least two pens (one for you and one for the guy next to you), directions to where you’re going, phone numbers in case you get lost, GPS coordinates if you really need help, and any other odd thing the employer may have asked.  In the middle of the group interview, if you are the guy with all the answers, the one with all the pens, the person who seems to have it all together, others will notice, including you’re new boss.

5. Make Friends with Your Enemies – This goes along with the pen idea.  Find a way to make “friends” with the people you’re competing against, meaning that you look like you’re paying attention to those around you.  This can be done by providing a pen to someone else who forgot theirs, or piggybacking off someone else’s answer with one of you own.  This is tricky because you don’t want to simply repeat what someone else said verbatim, but you can easily steal ideas and twist them to make yourself look smarter with half the work.

Stay on your toes throughout the process.  Group interviews are tricky and it can be easy to get caught up in group dynamics that make it difficult to distinguish you from the clown in the front row telling jokes with every answer.  Establish what the employer wants and give it to them.  Make it clear you came to shine and they may reward you with at least a 2nd interview.  Good luck on your career and stay positive!

This article has also been featured as a guest post on HeatherHuhman.com

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Jeff Sanders

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