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The biggest benefit of conducting a group interview is that it simplifies the recruitment process and tests multiple candidates at once. However, employers find that these interviews require a lot of planning, and some people find these interviews difficult to conduct. Don’t worry: our guide will explain everything you need in detail.
Why a group interview is worthwhile
There are many advantages to conducting a group interview. First, if you have a tight deadline, group interviews can help fill vacant positions quickly and efficiently. This method is advantageous when the employer needs to hire multiple people for the same position. They are an affordable and fast option that can save your business resources and time.
Another major benefit of group interviews is that they can test multiple candidates at once. Imagine you have many similar applicants; they are difficult to distinguish on paper, making your decision more difficult. Group interviews allow you to see who shines the most, compare applicants side-by-side, get answers to your questions from multiple applicants at the same time, and show their performance under pressure. Group interviews also emphasize team building and communication skills, making it easier for you to find candidates with the strongest skills in these fields.
Group interviews can also prevent the spread of prejudice because they need to be conducted by multiple interviewers at the same time. Multiple people observe the same candidate and their behavior, allowing you to make a more informed and accurate decision about whether to hire them in full, thereby increasing employee retention and thereby boosting your business.
No need to compare notes: in most cases, what you see will be the decisive factor. This interview method does have some disadvantages, but we will discuss these later in the guide.
Now, know that the group interview is very suitable for reducing the time spent on the interview and the cost of recruitment, and it is a good opportunity to see the results of some teamwork.
Investment required to conduct group interviews
Some employers worry about conducting group interviews because they need more planning to reap the benefits. Therefore, although these interview methods do save you time, they also take longer to plan and require more thinking. In a sense, compared to regular interviews, you spend more time initially when planning them, but you can save time later.
Ideally, group interviews are planned within a few days, if not more, usually a week or two before the interview. Some employers don’t have enough time to prepare, which leads to confusion in the interview, and everyone talks about it, which is disadvantageous to both the employer and the employer.
Before the group interview, you also need to take time to meet with other interviewers. Doing so will allow you to determine how the discussion will proceed on the day. In this meeting, you need to decide what questions to ask, who will ask them, and ultimately how you will evaluate each candidate’s answers to these questions. The proper use of this structure is crucial, so be prepared to arrange time for this.
Regardless of time commitments, it can be helpful to have some specialized HR software to support you in group interviews. We take the time to choose the best software for our preferred software And think Zoho Recruit is the best choice for recruiters. Zoho Recruit can help you set up group interviews, starting at $22.50 per month per recruiter. You can try it free for 15 days.
All in all, you will need to schedule multiple days to plan a group interview, and it is wise to invest in recruitment software to help you do so. It takes time and money, but performing group interviews correctly will save you both of these commodities in the future.
5 steps to conduct a group interview
Here are the five steps to a successful group interview. let’s start.
Step 1-Notify candidates for interview
Some employers do not notify candidates for group interviews until the day of the interview, even the moment they walk in. This is a very despicable ploy for potential employees, and they will not appreciate or acquiesce whether you do it on purpose or not. You need to make sure that each candidate knows the time of the group interview in advance, usually about a week before the appointment.
The reason for this is that you need to allow candidates time to prepare properly for different types of interviews. Group interviews can be more stressful and demanding than regular interviews, so candidates need as much preparation time as possible. The longer you give them, the better the response you get and the better the interview results.
Group interviews are longer than typical interviews, require answering multiple questions, and usually involve various activities. It’s a good idea to let them know who will be interviewing and related positions-this gives them time to research and form their answers.
Zoho Recruit is particularly useful here because it allows you to notify candidates only by sending SMS text messages through the app. Although email is good, mobile text messaging is better because candidates can receive notifications anytime, anywhere via their mobile phones. Zoho Phonebridge even allows recruiters to make phone calls and send other reminders directly from the software.
If you prefer emails, Zoho Recruit can also send these emails in bulk, or notify candidates in this way. No matter which method you choose, there is no doubt that human resource software can help make the group interview process smoother.
Step 2-Meet with other interviewers
We mentioned the importance of meeting with other interviewers before the group interview. This step is very important, because if you do not meet with the interview team, you will not know the format of the day and how to proceed.
Imagine a group of interviewers sitting in front of a group of candidates, not knowing what to say or in what order to ask questions. Imagine the awkward silence and confusion. Yes, it will not make a good impression, and the candidate you are trying to hire may even withdraw because of it. Why would a candidate want to work for such a messy company? For them, this just means a problem for the future.
It is worth remembering that group interviews are not always suitable for every personality type.
For example, introverts tend to perform better in one-on-one interviews, while group interviews tend to be more extroverts. There is nothing wrong with being confident, but you need to make sure that the loudest person in the room does not always dominate the discussion.
You should not rely solely on confidence to determine the outcome of the interview-you may make mistakes and choose the wrong employees. Making this mistake is a costly mistake, so a balanced interview is the task of the day.
For positive results, be sure to sit down with other interviewers to decide the order of questions, how you will ask questions, and who of each will lead the interview. Having a chief interviewer will help guide the process and ensure that other interviewers do not talk to each other themselves.
Remember, all interviewers have different priorities and areas they want to focus on in group interviews. Each interviewer’s position means that they have to ask the candidate several different questions. Discuss freely what these issues will be and how this will affect the structure of the group interview.
Zoho Recruit will conveniently store your questions for you, and everyone on the platform can comment and view these questions when needed. This is another valuable feature of the software.
Step 3-Introduce each interviewer to the candidate
Fast forward to the big day. You are sitting in a room with a group of nervous candidates, ready to start the interview. But before delving into the questions and other group activities, you need to make sure that each interviewer correctly introduces himself to the candidate.
The interviewer’s introduction needs to include their name and position, as well as the reason and method of their participation in the interview.
You need to make the candidates feel relaxed first, but it also helps them think about what each interviewer might want to see. They can answer this question in more detail and you will get the best group interview experience. Every company has different roles and positions, but the principles are the same.
You need to shake hands with every candidate in the room and make sure to smile to help ease the tension. Remember that you used to be a candidate interviewing in front of people, so don’t forget this and let the power rush to your head.
Leave a good impression on the company during the interview as your job, and the candidate will in turn perform better.
Step 4-Take turns asking questions
During the pre-conference meeting, you discussed what questions you would ask candidates and in what order.
Now the interview is over, so you have to calmly ask these questions in turn. There have been cases where interviewers talked to each other or asked the same questions in a group interview. Don’t let this happen, because it will affect the entire structure and the final result.
The person in charge of the interview or the selected chief interviewer needs to act as the moderator to ensure that questions are not raised at the same time and that a friendly and effective sequence of questions emerges.
At the end of the interview, you should ask the last round of questions, including any questions you missed the first time. The closing part is also a great time to get any other comments or information from the candidates, but again, make sure things don’t let them talk to each other.
Step 5-Evaluate candidates
The group interview is over, now is the important report. This stage is critical because you want to ensure that you hire the best candidate for the relevant position.
Some companies will start talking about candidates as soon as they leave the room. Although this is not wrong, it is better to take a break, let the idea be processed, and then come back later in the day. However, don’t leave this assessment for too long, because you need to keep the candidate’s answers and what happened fresh in your mind.
You can alleviate the problem of remembering who said what by taking notes, but there is no harm in recording group interviews because it provides better accuracy. Human resource software like Zoho Recruit can help you record interviews and then discuss the results, so it is worth considering.
The use of HR software will improve the overall efficiency of the evaluation and ensure that the best candidates are selected. If you decide to record an interview, be sure to ask for permission-candidates need to know that you are recording them and may share the video on another platform.
Zoho Recruit can also help you handle your assessment and candidate answers in a unified place. You will be able to score applicants (out of five points), leave interview notes and feedback, and use the platform to help you make the final decision.
Next step
This is how to conduct a group interview. Remember that you will feel the benefits of group interviews more than anything in the future, so please take the time to plan and then reap the benefits.
Remember, group interviews are not always the best choice for recruitment. These interviews are not suitable for every personality type, they require skilled interviewers to conduct, and some planning is needed to get them right. Other than that, don’t fire them and make sure to use recruitment software to simplify the process.
If you need to reduce the time and cost of recruitment, want to overcome interview biases, and want to see the applicant’s skills in action, then a group interview is a good choice.
If you are considering the next steps to take, we recommend that you review the following additional guidelines:
