How to conduct a successful group interview

Are you considering a group interview for your next intake of aged care staff, but you don’t know the best way to conduct it? Don’t worry, Hello Leaders has you covered. 

Conducting group interviews is slightly different to the traditional recruitment process where you speak to candidates individually. Group interviews can be daunting for candidates as they can easily be hijacked by confident interviewees that present well but might not have the skills and experience of others. 

With so much to consider as you narrow down your shortlist of candidates, it’s important to get group interviews right to ensure everyone has a chance to shine and you get the right answers to your questions. Here’s how you can conduct a successful group interview. 

Give your candidates plenty of notice

First and foremost, tell your candidates they’re part of a group interview. The last thing anyone wants is to have someone prepare for a one-on-one chat and they walk in to find five strangers competing for the same job. 

Yes, we know there are some people who do enjoy putting others on the spot, viewing this as an opportunity to adapt to an unexpected situation, but this is different to dealing with a stubborn resident or a power outage at night. Your role as the employer is to prepare your staff for anything and giving them a heads-up to plan for a group setting is essential. 

Appoint a lead interviewer

Leading a group interview on your own can have its own challenges. You have to be in sync asking questions in a timely manner and thinking on your feet when others ask questions. That’s why it helps to have a colleague by your side during the interview process. You can work together to take notes and ask relevant questions.

If several people are involved in the group interview, one person has to be in charge. Usually, it’s the most senior person, but sometimes you might find another colleague has better interviewing skills and should lead. Pick someone who will keep things organised and can delegate to others when they want to jump in and ask relevant questions.

Provide time for one-on-one introductions

Although we often think of interviews as one-way (you have what job seekers want), they’re incredibly transactional. Sure, you have plenty of candidates to pick from, but if you’re recruiting for a specialised role, you want the best person possible. You have to sell yourself to the candidate. 

This goes for a group interview, too. There’s no point in making a group introduction that feels generic. Give yourself time to meet with each person, even if it’s a quick handshake and one personal question to break the ice.

Directly ask questions

Avoid open-ended questions in a group discussion because you often end up with one person jumping in to answer every time. Although it may seem like they’re showing initiative – and other candidates are potentially disinterested – it lets them take control of the conversation.

Instead, directly ask questions. Use each candidate’s name so there’s a moment of acknowledgement. You could even shake it up by asking questions in a different order to avoid creating a routine.

Don’t rush the process

Group interviews are seen as a great way to save time when you have a large number of people to filter through and a short amount of time. But you really don’t want to rush the process. 

Give yourself time to ask questions and give candidates time to answer them. This is where it helps to have at least one other person conducting the interview; they can be a timekeeper. It means someone will keep an eye on the clock to help you pace out questions and not cram too much into one session.

Debrief with your team

Once the interview’s over, a team debrief is more important than ever. You will have missed subtle signs or remarks that a colleague will have picked up so be sure to go over all the notes. You can share valuable insights that will help you pick out which candidates to proceed with.

Invite candidates back for a solo interview

A successful group interview is all about finding the right people you want to learn more about. So, when all’s said and done, you want to invite successful candidates back for a solo interview. 

There’s no need to be specific about how many people you invite back from a group interview, either. You might want to speak to five people from one group and zero from another. But by allowing them the time to shine one-on-one, you can dig deeper into what makes them the right fit for your organisation.