Editor’s note: This article was first published in July 2012. The El Corte Inglés example, with its serious debt problems and the suggestion to go international or list on the stock exchange, reflects the Spanish retailer’s situation in 2012.
We’ve talked a lot about job interviews and the mistakes you shouldn’t make. But imagine that, after leaving your CV with a company, you get the call you were hoping for to come in for an interview. You arrive and, SURPRISE! It’s going to be a group job interview. In other words, a group of candidates will be interviewed at the same time.
This American interview format is becoming more and more common in Spain, especially at large companies that spend a good deal of money hiring outside Human Resources firms with innovative recruitment methods. On top of the same ingredients we’ve already covered for a one-to-one interview, this kind of interview calls for a few extras. Let’s get started.
How to shine in the room (in a good way)
The secret is to show leadership skills and stand out from the other candidates while, at the same time, being discreet and not looking as if you’re trying to stand out. Quite the puzzle.
1. Don’t tear down the other candidates
Some people have a gift. In fact, whoever deserves the job might outshine everyone else thanks to their training, knowledge, intelligence and so on. But knocking down your fellow candidates and correcting the wrong facts they’ve given comes across as arrogant to the interviewer. The point is to show that you’re intelligent, not to come across as a know-it-all.
Don’t lose focus: in that room there are no enemies and no competitors, just one challenge, which is to show the interviewer that you can contribute something positive to the company and that you have the ability and the aptitude to make it happen. Mind you, some of them will try to tear you down. Let them be the ones who come across as snakes.
When others make comments, avoid expressions like “That’s not true…” or “You’re wrong about that, because I think…” and replace them with “I’d add to that…”.
2. Be the best-dressed person in the room
We want to be discreet in how we behave, but out of all the candidates we need the interviewer’s eyes to land on us more often than on anyone else. It’s a classic way of getting attention while still being discreet in the way we speak.
Once you’ve caught the interviewer’s eye, psychologically they will feel obliged to speak to everyone while looking at you, so your words can seal the interview in your favour.
3. Share what makes you unique
When asked “What hobbies or interests do you have outside work?”, most people will probably say films, reading, sport and not much else. Try to be more original here, because it’s another way of discreetly drawing attention and being remembered after the interview. If you can make your hobby relate in some way to activities the company might be interested in, so much the better. BUT BEWARE: remember that liars get caught very quickly.
4. Gain the biggest advantage: study the company
You’d be surprised to learn that most candidates study the basics about the company, but very few know everything about it, and, as the saying goes, information is power. In this case it would be your biggest advantage, and combined with the rest of these tips, your chances of winning would already be high.
If a company sells tyres, it won’t be enough to say you know what it sells and where its branches are across Spain. Everyone can easily know that. I mean knowing its sales, its strengths and weaknesses, who its biggest competitors are, who its most important customers are, how much debt it has and… point 5.
5. Prepare proposals so you can offer ideas to improve the company
Once you know all of the above, if you can come up with a solution, or at least an idea for solving a debt problem or improving sales, believe me, the job is yours. Imagine El Corte Inglés (Spain’s largest department store chain) holds a group interview.
Most candidates will go to the interview thinking El Corte Inglés is perfect, and very few will know that El Corte Inglés has quite serious debt problems. When the moment comes, and as long as it’s appropriate, asking the interviewer “Have you thought about expanding internationally or listing the company on the stock exchange to make it more profitable?” would probably show that you’re well prepared. Then again, knowing some of El Corte Inglés’s executives, asking that question might not be very smart.
6. Show your gratitude at the right moment
At the end of the group interview, the interviewer will probably say goodbye to everyone at once, explaining that there are more interviews to come and that they’ll call the people who are selected.
This may be the moment to walk up to the interviewer, shake their hand (firmly, confidently and so on) and thank them for the interview. You could even mention that you’d never been to a group interview before and that you found it very interesting and productive. BUT BEWARE: don’t suck up, because that doesn’t go down well.
I want you to remember this, because although it may sound rather sad, in a recruitment process the winner isn’t the best-qualified or most competent person for the job, but the one who makes smart use of techniques to be remembered positively. So, welcome to the job jungle.
A companion piece that might also help you is 7 body language techniques.
Featured image: COD Newsroom, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
