What is Panel Interview?

A panel interview is a job interview in which an applicant answers questions from a group of people who then make the hiring decision.

Many organizations require candidates to meet with several decision-makers during the hiring process.

Panel interviews reduce the risk of making a bad hire. The panel’s goal is to make the best hiring decision possible given the information available about the position and the finalists.

Most likely, each interviewer in the panel will ask you at least one question: strive to engage with each interviewer individually so that you can build rapport with everyone equally

What are the advantages of panel interviews?

• Minimises personal biases.

• Panel members will have their own views and perspectives, leading them to ask different interview questions from each other.

• Each interviewer will observe different aspects of the candidate’s skills and character.

• Interviewers can discuss their impressions of the candidate and voice any concerns.

• A panel interview can be nerve-wracking for candidates, so it gives a good insight into how they might perform under pressure.

Conversely, the downside of a panel interview is that it may be intimidating. The added stress of multiple interviewees may cause an otherwise good candidate to interview poorly, but don’t be scared: as with all interviews, preparation is key. If you get invited to a panel interview, try to find out who will be present. Look up interviewers on LinkedIn, so you have some familiarity with their role and responsibilities at the company.

Panel Interview Questions

Interviewers typically ask a mix of behavioral and situational questions, as well as questions about the candidate's personality and career goals. Below are some common panel interview questions:

• Tell us a bit about yourself

• Why are you interested in this job?

• Why did you leave your last job?

• Tell us about a challenge that you had to overcome at your last job

• What are your greatest strengths?

• What are your weaknesses?

• Do you have any questions for us?

To prepare for your interview, think about the honest answers to these questions and write them down. A little bit of preparation will help ease your nerves and give you a solid foundation from which to answer variations of the above questions or any follow-up questions. Other things you can do to increase your chances of success include:

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