I went for an interview the other week for a role I have always been interested in. It was a group interview, the first group interview I have ever attended so I thought I would share with you my thoughts on…
“There we were, fifteen of us (interviewees), five of them (interviewers), all sat around a big boardroom table. There was lots of smiling and trying to look like you were the most interested in what they had to say. Trying to tell them with your eyes “hire me!”. Then came the 2 minute presentation of yourself, after the 5th person it began to get boring.
We were then split into groups of four and asked to come up with some ideas for a new office within the company. Here we saw the more imaginative people emerge!
After that came the debates. One minute to prepare, four minutes to talk. Some excelled while others choked on their own words.
Three and a half hours later and it’s all over!”
This company really places a lot of importance on the staff they hire as all companies should do, but 3 and half hours was a bit extreme.
Still times are tough so they say in the recession and maybe we will start seeing employers putting in a lot more stringent interview criteria in place if they have the time, making sure they select the best out of many applicants.
I got called back for a second interview and this time it was just me and 5 interviewing me. The interview lasted for an hour and for those of you interested I got the job!
2 responses so far ↓
employmentselect // February 20, 2009 at 9:18 pm |
It’s really a great idea. Not only does it give you a better understanding of how the company operates, and therefore if you want to work there, it also gives them a good idea at how you will operate within their corporate culture. Team work is so vital in today’s business climate, interviewing you in that matter will ensure you are the right candidate for their needs.
denise // February 24, 2009 at 10:59 am |
I agree, we are going to see selection criteria for a lot of roles get a lot tougher. It shows the company are thorough in their selection process and have an organised approach which should then reflect the way they conduct business internally as well.