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Interview Types and Techniques 27

Serial Interviews

Serial interviews also consist of several interviews, one after the other.
However, with serial interviews the series has been set up from the time
the interview was scheduled and no decision will be made until all the
interviews have been completed. Usually each meeting is with a different
person or group of people, and all the interviews will be held over a one-
or two-day period. Following these interviews, the individuals you met
with will get together to compare notes and male a group hiring decision.

Panel Interviews

Panel interviews occur infrequently, but it is possible you could encounter
a situation that included this format. As the name implies, in a panel
interview you are interviewed by several people at the same time. Panel
interviews, are by their very nature, more stressful than most other types.
At its best, you are facing several people at the same time, responding to
the questions of one panel member as you try to balance your perceptions
of the other members’ expectations. At its worst, it can be a pressure-
cooler atmosphere as you are subjected to a barrage of questions, some
of which may seem hostile.

Group Interviews

Though perhaps the least common of our interview types, group
interviews do tale place. If you find yourself being interviewed along with
several other applicants, you are in a group interview. Employers use the
group setting to gain information not thought to be readily ascertained in
a one-to-one interview.
In group interviews the employer will observe the interpersonal skulls
of the applicants. How well a candidate interacts with peers - the other
applicants - is thought to be an indicator of how well the individual will
get along with co-workers.
Often a question will be posed to the group, or the group will be
presented a problem to solve. If an applicant exhibits positive leadership
and/or followership behaviors in the group setting, employers tend to
believe that person will respond in similar ways in the workplace. The
employer will be looking for positive skulls - the ability of an interviewee