Comments on: Why “Group” Interviews Don’t Work http://selectingwinners.com/blog/hiring-advice-articles/why-group-interviews-dont-work/ Hiring Tools and Tips For Business owners, Managers and Executives Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:05:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Thomas Clark http://selectingwinners.com/blog/hiring-advice-articles/why-group-interviews-dont-work/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Thomas Clark Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:57:06 +0000 http://selectingwinners.com/blog/?p=63#comment-3 Nice article. I am a professional sales person with over 27 years as an employee and manager. I was recently laid off from a company I had 12 years with. In 10 Month's I've run across this 'group interview' twice. As a former manager I would have never even thought of doing this. It takes away from the candidates to express themselves in many forms. The most recent was for a position as an admission's rep for a local private college. The interview seemed more about the interviewer than the candidates. The questions were almost un-related to the job. I cringed as one of the questions was "What is your greatest achievement?" That question cannot be answered as simply as a single achievement.The answer could be of a very personal nature as well as a professional achievement. Who would share a personal achievement with a group of condidates? The person giving the interview talked, leaving little room for interection, and the question of why you think you'd be qualified never entered the interview. I found it very unprofessional and rude in many ways. I don't know where this idea originated but I can say that the process should be done away with. The interviewer mentioned it was "cost effective". I almost laughed out loud. Cost effective measures in order to select the proper candidate? When I found myself looking for an employee I wasn't concerned with saving money. I was concerned I would get the right candidate for the position. By the way, I was the most qualified of the group but was deemed "over qualified" whichis another term abused and over used. It is also an excuse to tell people they are "too old" which is another story altogether. Nice article. I am a professional sales person with over 27 years as an employee and manager. I was recently laid off from a company I had 12 years with. In 10 Month’s I’ve run across this ‘group interview’ twice. As a former manager I would have never even thought of doing this. It takes away from the candidates to express themselves in many forms.

The most recent was for a position as an admission’s rep for a local private college. The interview seemed more about the interviewer than the candidates. The questions were almost un-related to the job. I cringed as one of the questions was “What is your greatest achievement?” That question cannot be answered as simply as a single achievement.The answer could be of a very personal nature as well as a professional achievement. Who would share a personal achievement with a group of condidates?

The person giving the interview talked, leaving little room for interection, and the question of why you think you’d be qualified never entered the interview.

I found it very unprofessional and rude in many ways. I don’t know where this idea originated but I can say that the process should be done away with. The interviewer mentioned it was “cost effective”. I almost laughed out loud. Cost effective measures in order to select the proper candidate?

When I found myself looking for an employee I wasn’t concerned with saving money. I was concerned I would get the right candidate for the position.

By the way, I was the most qualified of the group but was deemed “over qualified” whichis another term abused and over used. It is also an excuse to tell people they are “too old” which is another story altogether.

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