Posted September 28 2018
By Karen Keenan
Group interviews are being increasingly utilised within the Contact Centre market as a quick and easy way to interview multiple candidates at once. Many candidates can find them intimidating, as it can be difficult to stand out in the same way as you would during a one-to-one. For this reason, many candidates opt out of attending group interview stages. But there really is nothing to worry about.
When a group of talented candidates are called forward to group interview, I prepare them as thoroughly as I would for an individual interview. I will send them over a helpful information pack with details as to how to answer competency based questions, I will encourage them to research the company as much as they can and I will often conduct mock interviews over the phone.
Sometimes, this amount of information (coupled with the thought of having to ‘perform’ in a room full of your peers) can seem overwhelming. But a group interview situation gives you just as much chance of securing a job as a one-to-one.
Moreover, the interview (which will last for several hours over the course of a day) is broken down in to three parts. If there are about 15 candidates waiting to be interviewed, they will be separated in to groups. Each group will then work their way through a rotation of a group assessment, a role play and a one-to-one competency based interview. That is why preparation and research is just as important in this situation, as you will get a chance to interview privately and ask questions.
What is important to remember is that the
whole day is an interview so it’s important that you’re not seen flicking through your phone (even when you’re on a break) and that you are seen to be interacting with your peers. Contact Centre roles are very much built around teamwork, so the interviewers need evidence that you are capable of working within a group and get along with others.
Introduce yourself with a strong opening statement and make sure you make the effort with any group tasks. Your one-to-one is then the opportunity to ask any great questions you have stored up, and to shine as an individual candidate. Certain businesses are really strict and expect really specific answers to their questions. I will always fully prepare a candidate to meet this standard.
Some candidates struggle with the group interview purely because they are unable to take a full day off work in order to commit to the recruitment process. Sadly, employers often miss out on some great talent because of this.
However, if you are able to commit to the full day of interviewing, remember that you are, essentially, pitching yourself to a room full of your peers all day. You have to prove yourself to be calm, co-operative and high calibre.
If you would like to be considered for roles within the Contact Centre market, I would love to help you find your next job.
Click here to see my details and get in touch.