Group Interviews: How Do They Work?

When it comes to interviewing candidates for a vacant position, there are multiple ways to do it, and group interviews are one of them. In this article we tell you what they consist of, what are the most frequent types and what you should look for. Keep reading!

What is a group interview?

A group interview is a job interview in which several candidates participate at the same time . Thanks to it, the human resources staff will be able to assess the skills of the applicants simultaneously, paying attention to both their personal qualities and their behavior within a group. 

Types of group interviews

When it comes to preparing interviews in which several candidates are going to participate, the possibilities are endless and each company will decide which model best suits their needs. However, there are some types of interviews that are frequently repeated in this type of meeting and these are the 4 most frequent:

1. Discussion

Each applicant or a group of applicants is asked to defend a certain position on a specific issue, while the rest of the people will have to argue the opposite position. What is sought with this dynamic is that those who participate put their creativity into practice and demonstrate their communication skills. 

2.Role playing

A fictitious scenario is generated, usually a crisis, and each candidate is assigned a role from which they will have to participate together with the rest of the team. This context is very useful to detect how people deal with conflicts and also to observe the resolution and persuasive capacity of each of the participants.

3. Classic Interview

Unlike the other modalities, in this type of interview the applicants will simply have to answer a series of questions that the human resources staff will ask. In general, they will not be questions with a correct answer and will serve for applicants to demonstrate their ability to argue and their behavior in a group.

4. Brainstorming

In interviews focused on brainstorming, the participants will have to contribute ideas based on how to solve a problem, develop a theme or achieve a goal. This type of dynamic is especially interesting for creative jobs, since it allows identifying the people with the most original ideas, as well as their ability to react.

What should HR staff look for?

A group interview is an opportunity for recruiters to look at the soft skills of candidates . Depending on the nature of the vacancy to which they are applying, you will be interested in looking at one or another skills, but, nevertheless, there are some skills that are usually desirable in almost all jobs: 

Initiative and problem solving

By conducting a group interview, you will be able to detect who are the most proactive people in the dynamics that you have prepared, as well as being able to see how they seek solutions to the issues that have been raised. Looking at these aspects will help you detect the ideal person to join the company.

Communication and active listening

Having a good capacity for analysis and argumentation and being able to convey messages with clarity, respect and assertiveness is something highly sought after by recruiters in candidates, as well as being able to actively listen to others and respond appropriately. The conversations and/or debates that take place in a group interview are ideal for identifying these skills. 

Collaboration and leadership

Depending on the dynamic you’ve set up, candidates may need to collaborate with each other to get results. A group interview of this type will allow you to assess who has a more collaborative attitude and also detect who tends to take the reins of leadership.  

As we have told you, group interviews are very useful to detect the different skills that people who have applied for a vacancy have.

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