JOB SEARCHING Employers are using the group interview

Group interviews pose challenges but also opportunities.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
In 1985, when Tom Murray interviewed at a large university for a faculty job, he was surprised to see there were five people waiting to interrogate him -- all at once.
"It was the first time I personally encountered multiple interviewers," said Murray, executive director of Career Transitions Center, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that "helps people to help themselves find jobs."
The director, who has a doctorate in educational administration and has headed the center since 1998, vividly remembers that day: "The interviewers included the dean, the department chair, a faculty member from another department and two students," he said.
Each person brought a different perspective to the interview. "The dean wanted to see if I would fit into an academic setting," Murray said. "The department chair wanted to know if I could teach the courses and my opinions of them. The faculty member was interested in whether I would participate in any activities outside of my specific field. And the students wanted to know if I actually had anything to offer them and if I was going to be fair."
Murray got the job and taught there for six years. Because of his experience -- and because in recent years more employers are using multiple interviewers -- he now offers mock group interviews to the center's clients. During the role playing, volunteer, professional job coaches act as the questioners.
"Today, there's a focus on team play and consensus opinions, and that's why the use of multiple interviewers has increased," said Murray, who has used the hiring technique himself. "It's challenging because if you turn even one person off you might not get the job, but there's also more opportunity to show all the things you can do by responding to the different approach of each interviewer."
Interviewing advice
The career expert emphasizes that "it's impossible to please everybody, but don't antagonize anyone. Have eye contact with each interviewer and talk to only one person at a time. Remember, if several people think you're a good candidate for the job, chances are that you are. Just take a deep breath, smile and answer every question thoughtfully."
You have to remain calm during a multiple interview because it can be stressful, especially if it's unexpected. "It's a tough situation for the person being interviewed because it's an unnatural environment -- and you can feel as if you're on trial," said Brad Karsh, president and founder of JobBound, a Chicago consulting firm that helps people prepare for the job search. "It certainly adds pressure -- and seeing how you handle pressure is the basis of multiple interviewing."
Karsh, who was recruiting director for a large advertising agency for 15 years, specializes in working with college students on resume writing and interviewing skills.
How do you ace a group interview? Karsh says it can be done. "Really listen to each question," he advised. "Be aware the interview may be somewhat disjointed, rather than having the natural flow of questions that a one-on-one interview has. Answer the person doing the asking, but then look at everybody, inviting everyone in. If you have a point, make it emphatically."
And Karsh points out an upside to the process: "If you do well, you will impress a lot of people quickly," he said.