The next interview format that I will be sharing with you is a panel interview, this format of an interview is considered to be one of the toughest in the market these days, because over here you will have to face a panel of various individuals belonging to different departments in an organization and have to prove your work in front of all of them. So, yes, I you have to admit that this is a daunting task, but with proper preparation, you can clear this test the reason why such interviews are gaining popularity is because it saves time for the organization because a number of representatives who in a traditional format will have to meet the individual one to one and will take more time. So, what they try to do is they try to meet the candidate collectively. So, yes, you can imagine the kind of pressure this interview format has to offer because you will be bombarded with questions from left right and center and you will have to answer them with confidence and have to portray that you are a candidate who does not try it out in a pressure test.

Now, there are certain things that if you do properly you will be able to clear this Test and move on to the next level or even land up with an offer letter. Now, during the preparatory phase, which is before the interview, there are certain things that you will have to do in order to prepare yourself. The first thing that you have to do and you have to realize is that in a panel interview, knowledge is power. So the more information you know about the organization, its products, what kind of a panel that you are facing. If you have their names, it's even better, you can go online, look for their profiles, so you can share relevant answers. At the same time, during the preparatory phase, try to line up three or four, maybe five success stories that you've had in the past.

So I can assure you that the panel will try to understand what you have been doing and determine your role in all the achievements that you've had during the preparatory phase, and other things that you can do, especially if you have never prayed in front of a panel. That is that you can rehearse in front of your family and your friends as well. Before doing that you just go through your resume and try to look for all possible awkward points that might be highlighted during your interview. Look for possible answers that you can give. So that does not become a showstopper. Then comes the part of the actual interview.

So once you enter the room and you see the pallet sitting in front of you, first of all, you have to establish rapport with all of them. So give everyone a firm handshake, and wait for them to ask you to sit down. And once you sit down on your chair, please don't lean back, try to maintain an upright position and slightly lean forward so that they know that you are full of confidence and ready to take on the challenge that is in front of you. The next thing that I would recommend that you should do is that you should try to engage with the whole panel. Don't just look for your favorites or those people who are smiling at you, but also the doubters as well. Remember, it is more important to please the doubters because the person who is smiling or is pleased with your answers, he or she is already convinced Your job is to convince the doubters so that you can move on to the next level.

The next suggestion is that you should always maintain eye contact with the person who is asking the question now At times, what happens is that a person is asking a question and you're busy looking at someone else, that is a mistake that you should not make. So when somebody is asking a question, look at him or her. But when you start giving your answer address to the rest of the panelists well, and keep looking this way, and that way, just to ensure that all the panel members are engaged, and all of them are focused at what you're saying, then what you have to do is that you have to somehow or another, try to determine what makes each panel member tick, you will be able to tell by the facial expressions of the panel members of what is actually making them happy. So if you're able to do this properly, try to structure your answers in a way that pleases all of them.

And by doing so, you will automatically be able to present yourself in a much better manner. Then comes in other tough tasks that you have to do in a panel interview, and that is that you have to determine who is in charge. Now in my experience, mostly what happens is that the deciding person is usually a silent observer. He or she might ask questions, maybe at the very end, or maybe in between just a couple of comments. But that person is basically observing you and trying to assess your overall body language and how nervous you are or not. So don't fidget, don't play with your hands and don't play with your nose or your ear.

That means that you are actually thinking about something or maybe coming up with something which is not actually true. So give proper structured answers with confidence without fidgeting with yourself and try to breathe when you are answering. That is one mistake that most candidates do because they get so enthusiastic or they are so pressurized that they forget when to breathe while giving an answer. And while doing so, you will have to come to a very awkward moment where you have to stop, take a breather, and then start again. And that basically spoils the whole fun of you giving a good answer. The next recommendation I would like to give you while presenting in front of a panel is that you have to maintain a very positive body language.

It should portray confidence and the panel should Be able to tell that you are someone who is not scared of all the questions that are being fired at you. In fact, you are looking forward to them and keep a smiling face. stay relaxed, remember to breathe, but at the same time, remember there is a very fine line between arrogance and confidence. So please stay on the confident side and humble during the interview. In the end, I would like to tell you that yes, panel interviews can be extremely daunting and very tough as well. I've been through parallel interviews that lasted more than three and a half hours, yes, three and a half hours.

So you can well imagine what kind of pressure situation individuals were trying to create. For me, that was a consultancy firm and yes, it was for a senior position. But having said that, I personally feel that panel interviews are very tough, but if you have prepared yourself properly, and you are able to answer with confidence and with self esteem, you will be able to clear this test with ease. Having said that, I would like to tell you that panel interviews are something that you will face once you start climbing the career ladder. So try to marshal them in a way that instead of getting scared or maybe getting nervous, look forward to them and I assure you that you will be able to present yourself in a much more confident manner and will actually start looking forward to such challenges.