You’re a six-figure jobseeker, an executive. You’ve sold and performed project management assignments while working from the C-level down. You have been swimming with sharks for years and come up with nary a scratch. In a way your career seemed untouchable like a diver inside the steel cage. The predators couldn’t get to you.
But industries, economies, recessions, age and personalities change. With the buyout of your current company prior to the “official” recession declared in December of 2008 you decided to make a move to a competitor.
That competitor had been hunting you for years with its band of recruiters probing you every few months. But with the buyout, new leadership and a personality change they cut your ability to make the money you are used to and your income looked to drop by 25%.
That was six months ago. You got yourself together. The search took a little longer than you thought but now it’s time to close the deal. The last stage is the panel interview at the company’s headquarters. In front of you are three vice presidents and two administrative folks along with a human resources manager. It’s down to you and two others. What do you do?
First of all you have probably interviewed others in your past assignment. Start thinking like a hiring manager. What’s important to them despite the personality differences between panel members? You should know the trend for years now remains on the elements of the behavioral interview. A panel interview affords you the opportunity to demonstrate how your past behaviors have resulted in achievements. Then the link to the interviewers needs must be apparent or clearly demonstrated or you will not succeed in a panel interview.
Panel interviews further determine and differentiate similarly qualified candidates by a group of judges or interviewers who further the behavioral interviewing paradigm. How do you know what the panel is looking for in you vs. your competition? Look no farther than this report.
Beta Research Corporation in conjunction with The New York Times Job Market, asked 250 hiring managers in the New York metropolitan area to learn which skills were in most demand. For management candidates they stated:
Leadership (67%)
Strategic Thinking (56%)
Overall they said:
Ability to work in a team environment (89%)
Ability to learn quickly (84%)
Presentation/verbal communications (76%)
Multi-tasking (73%)
Time Management (69%)
Employers reported they would pay more for candidates who have proficiency in these areas:
Multitasking (65%)
Can quickly learn on the job (64%)
Possess strategic thinking abilities (61%)
Many previous interviews whether they have been phone screenings, in depth phone interviews or one on one interviews usually establish and eliminate many candidates. For many positions advertised on company sites and six-figure and above search engines there may be 200+ resumes considered. If you have made it past the gatekeepers and put yourself in a position to win then don’t blow the interview by being second or third. Second or third candidate of choice hurts if the company or organization will only hire one.
To further lock in the last stage panel interview you first need to know that hiring managers want to see how you think not just what you have done. Employers use competencies to find out how you think, assuming they already know what you have done. Make sure you develop stories that follow a Situation, Task, Action and Response/Achievement pattern throughout your panel interview.
How you prepare for the panel interview matters. Often, you have been informed as to the makeup of the panel. Some of the people may have met you in person and done a one on one interview. Different personalities and body languages permeate a panel interview. It’s not a government inquisition but it may feel like it if you don’t know what to expect.
If you have been informed about the makeup of the panel you may have been given hints about the kind of questions you will receive. In fact, most hiring managers and human resources people have read the riot act to panel interviewers to keep their questions for each candidate consistent. This helps establish a pattern and reduces the risk of candidates feeling singled out or discriminated against.
“It really impressed me that the panel I interviewed with had notes and set questions,” said Jim Bains, a recent panel interviewee with a Fortune 100 company. “They reassured me that the questions were scripted but that each panel interviewer could ask other, more specific questions after that. I also utilized my time in the interview to reiterate points they made in their initial job description.”
This is an important point. Rather than react to the different personalities on the panel this jobseeker prepared by developing in depth stories based on core elements he heard from the beginning of the application and interview process.
Studying core competencies at any stage of the interview process will prepare you for a panel of interviewers and their questions. For your panel interview it’s important for you to look at a sample job description to surface competencies for your panel interview.
Let’s look at and identify core competencies from an executive level lead:
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The VP/Department Head
Develops overall vision and standards for account strategies and resource deployment (Strategic Thinker) within multiple business lines and segments for one of our company’s largest members Leads and provides strategic direction to the Account Executive staff (Mentoring) in multiple geographic locations pertaining to debit, operations/risk/fraud, commercial and government product lines.
Recommends, develops and implements new and creative approaches (Creative Problem Solving) to the business working to build momentum both within the organization
Operates as a recognized expert (Technical/Subject Matter Expert) on general business issues affecting the acceptance and usage of the brand.
Secondary Job Responsibilities:
The VP/Department Head
Provides senior level on site support for account team staff based in Charlotte Acts as a champion for the customer (Customer Service Management) within key accounts while always focusing on our strategic objectives. Makes well-researched recommendations that are critical to the attainment of corporate goals. The individual seeks out and is selected to participate in special taskforces/project teams (Multitask and Multiproject Oriented).
So if this was part of the job description and advertisement that you responded to the bold and parenthetical phrases interpret competency terms. For a panel or any behavioral interview format you need to practice the stories that will illustrate past experience and achievements in these main areas.
Panel interviews can make or break you but keep in mind these other rules for panel interviews as you prepare to close the deal and win your next executive opportunity:
That you are in a panel interview should comfort you. You have already made almost all of the cuts so prepare to answer questions and illustrate your answers in a behavioral interviewing style for the larger audience.
Don’t play to any one person on the panel. It’s sometimes the quiet note-takers that have high influence. Use your behavioral interviewing stories to appeal to each and every panel member.
Use silence. Sometimes looking down and taking a moment to answer the question is the best strategy. Sometimes smiling, nodding and laughing with the panel or a panel member at an awkward moment makes you seem more human.
Ask if you can take notes during the panel interview but do so sparingly if you do. Try writing down the names of each interviewer first so that when you look up you can address them. One client did this in an interview and one of the panel members commented on it by saying I see you are writing down our names. The client replied Yes, I am. It’s all a part of a memory course I am taking. The panel laughed. It broke the ice. He got the job.
Bring several copies of your resume with you and make sure you have highlighted core competencies in your resume that lend themselves to behavioral interviewing stories.
Do not bring in a briefcase but have reports and research on the company with you. Put your notes and information in the margin. Cut out a few relevant articles about the company. Don’t just bring it with you but highlight it.
Have some pictures from your portfolio. Assemble a brag book like any decent salesperson does even if you are an executive. This will help you remember positive experiences and stories.
Get ready for the out of the blue questions. Even if you have been reassured that salary wouldn’t be talked about stressful questions like this might surface. Be ready for anything at a panel interview. If salary does come up then answer the question. One executive client answered the salary question this way: If you have determined that I am the candidate of choice then I am sure we can get the salary right.
Have questions ready for the panel interview team.
Author: John O’Connor
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