What is this about? I’ve never had a group interview. What’s different about this type? Pros? Cons?
Typically, you give a short presentation about yourself, and answer questions. We sometimes start off with a group interview so all the inquisitors -err interviewers can get the basic data (where you went to school, the basic things you did at your jobs, what you’re looking for, etc.) out of the way and avoid overlap.
The only group interviews I’ve ever been in were psychologically motivated. It was a small group with highly diversified knowledge, that had to work together in a VERY small space for a lot of hours a day.
They were looking for leaders, verbal communication, attention hogs, etc.
I like 'em, speaking from the perspective of a interviewer, not an interviewee. Folks who work for me need to have a good mix technical and business skills. This may require them to talk to a bunch of people. There’s a definite logistics advantage to a group interview, which is nice, but primarily I like the serendipity effect; I get the benefit of hearing everyone else’s questions, and the prospect’s responses.
That’s the pro. The con is that some prospective employees might be intimidated by the process. I work pretty hard at reassuring the prospect before we go into the interview that we’re not going to grill them, and we’re not ganging up on them. I explain the rationale for the format, and point out that doing one-on-ones would probably kill a good four to five hours of their time, easy. This format gets them in and out in a couple of hours most times.
I’ve done interviews this way for several years, and it has tended to work very well.