UNIT.City — місце, де люди працюють... КРАЩЕ! Обирай свій простір просто зараз 👉
Вікторія ГорбікWork
21 November 2024, 09:00
2024-11-21
Collective interview: PROS and CONS. How recruiters feel about the group interview and what they can advise candidates
Angular developer Ivan Stashko talked about the group interview, to which he was brought together with other candidates by a recruiter. According to him, the experience turned out to be strange, but Ivan even found positive moments for himself in such an interview. Other IT professionals are not so positive and express different opinions about group interviews: as a waste of time, the tip of the iceberg of a company that has no respect for people, or employers looking for consumables.
We at dev.ua decided to ask recruiters whether they use group interviews in their practice, in which case it is possible and whether this approach to interviews is effective.
Angular developer Ivan Stashko talked about the group interview, to which he was brought together with other candidates by a recruiter. According to him, the experience turned out to be strange, but Ivan even found positive moments for himself in such an interview. Other IT professionals are not so positive and express different opinions about group interviews: as a waste of time, the tip of the iceberg of a company that has no respect for people, or employers looking for consumables.
We at dev.ua decided to ask recruiters whether they use group interviews in their practice, in which case it is possible and whether this approach to interviews is effective.
About one experience of a group interview
According to him, the group interview that Ivan Stashko took was as follows:
In total, about 10 candidates were gathered together with the developer in one zoom room. According to the standard, the recruiter introduced them to the company, and after that everyone had to introduce themselves, talk about their experience and salary expectations. After that, the specialist offered the candidates to estimate how much time and for what remuneration they are willing to make the layout of the landing page that she showed.
«I can imagine how much time and effort she saved. Usually, a minimum of 40 minutes is spent per candidate, and everyone has to read about the company. An interesting decision,» wrote Ivan Stashko.
The developer noted that he personally had strange feelings after such an interview. But, summarizing the experience gained, he noted that he saw examples of how to present yourself and what is better not to do, watching how other candidates answer.
The developer’s post received more than 160 comments in two days. In the comments, other specialists came to the developer and spoke quite negatively about participation in group interviews. But not only the candidates themselves, but also the recruiters who came with comments, are not happy with this practice.
«It is not necessarily the best specialists who win, but those who know how to play the game of 'perfect candidate'.» Is it true that interviews have turned into a quest to «please the recruiter»: hiring specialists and IT people discuss
What recruiters think about group interviews
We asked the dev.ua community and, in particular, recruiters whether they practice group interviews for candidate selection. And of the more than 300 respondents, about 40% consider this approach inappropriate and never use it. But what exactly do collective interviews give recruiters?
«Let’s be honest: why are such formats used? For what?» — asks Senior Global Technical Professional recruiter Oksana Gromova.
Answering her questions, she sees two options and puts them on the shelves:
Save the recruiter’s time — you need to hire 50 workers for the conditional «Fast Mail» or cashiers in «AGD». Requirements: come and show documents, fill out questionnaires. Yes, perhaps a group interview is appropriate.
Check stress resistance — you are not hiring for the «Men in Black» team, are you? Therefore, you do not need it. You do not need to drive people into stress, where there is already so much of it.
Maria Samoiluk, an IT recruiter at Upwork, has more than 12 years of experience in recruiting, 9 of them in the IT field. And in the past, I used group interviews exclusively for mass recruitment, when it is necessary to simultaneously find 10 or more identical specialists for similar vacancies. However, Maria added that she has never had such situations in the field of IT, and the recruiter does not understand when and how this approach can be effectively used in IT.
«A group interview is effective when it is necessary to evaluate many candidates according to the same criteria,» explained Maria Samoiluk.
Giving an example, the recruiter told how she once looked for operators for post offices. «People with any education and any experience were suitable for us, the main thing is the ability to communicate and use a computer. Since the vacancy was not prestigious, my task was also to interest the candidates. In such a situation, the group interview was even useful: the candidates saw the competition, which added weight to the offer,» she recalled.
However, currently the recruiter does not use group interviews in her work, because she does not see this method as effective. «I usually look for narrow-profile specialists for rare positions, and in such cases this approach is simply impossible. A group interview can hurt the selection process if a highly skilled candidate feels disrespected. This can demotivate him and leave him with a negative impression of the company,» Maria explained.
Natalya Klimenko, HR Director and Co-Founder of the IT company Codica, reported that they do not use group interviews in their practice either, and here is why:
First, it is very stressful for the candidate. The company’s goal is to understand whether a person can perform the assigned tasks, and not to create unnecessary pressure. In a group format, many candidates will definitely feel uncomfortable, which will affect their ability to demonstrate their skills.
Secondly, it is technically difficult to organize remotely. For a qualitative assessment of candidates, it is necessary to ensure the simultaneous presence of a recruiter, technical specialists and several candidates. This greatly complicates the process, especially in the conditions of remote work or different time zones.
Third, an individual interview is more effective for assessing technical skills. In a face-to-face format, you can dive deeper into the technical aspects, discuss specific tasks, the technology stack, and the candidate’s individual experience. In a group interview, such detailing is practically impossible.
«I have never used it and I do not advise others to do so. It is very humiliating for candidates,» said HR BP at MeGaDev Iryna Chesnokova.
According to Iryna, the group format cannot highlight anything. «For a person, an interview is already stressful, and when you compare yourself with others, then there is simply no question of self-assessment and any analysis of the situation,» the specialist explains.
The candidate invited recruiters from several different companies to the meeting and arranged an «auction». Recruiters shared strange stories that happened during interviews
Group or individual interviews, or a presentation
Maria Samoiluk believes that group interviews in IT appeared because the market is now on the employer’s side. For example, in a situation where more than 300 reviews are received for one vacancy, and after selection for resumes there are more than 50 potentially interesting candidates. Then the employer can decide to hold a general presentation of the company, project, and conditions for everyone.
«This allows you to immediately weed out those who are not interested in the offer, and only then communicate in more detail with others. But this cannot be called a group interview, because at such a meeting you are not forced to talk about your experience or answer technical questions in the presence of other candidates. It’s more like a group presentation,» Maria explains.
Taras Popovych, Tech Recruiter at Sunvery, believes that due to the lack of time for each participant, the group format itself is more like a presentation than an interview, which makes an in-depth analysis of skills impossible.
«The personal interview, in turn, provides an opportunity to better „probe“ the required areas of competence and better reveal soft skills,» adds the recruiter.
In addition, Natalya Klimenko emphasizes that the group format differs from a personal interview both in terms of format and goals. According to her, the group interview:
Instantly demonstrates the candidate’s ability to work in a team, his communication skills, ability to listen to others, speed of reaction to a task or problem, resistance to stress and loads.
Gives a broader picture of the candidate’s behavior, emphasizes soft skills, but is not always suitable for technical roles where you need to immerse yourself in professional knowledge and practical skills.
That is why, as the HR director emphasizes, this approach is used extremely rarely in the IT field.
«Have the respect to be honest, and if you already like to insert the ****, then insert it right away.» What kind of intemperance can an Aitivite allow themselves at an online interview or rally
Group interviews in IT
Other recruiters also do not see the need to use group interviews in their practice with IT people.
According to Maria Samoiluk, group interviews do not work in IT. «In the field of IT, each vacancy is specific. It requires a unique experience and combination of skills. In addition, there is almost never a need to look for a large number of the same specialists,» Maria Samoiluk explained.
Taras Popovych also sees from his experience that group interviews are not the optimal format for IT specialists, so he does not use them.
The technical recruiter cited several simple reasons for this, including:
In a group format, it is difficult to assess the level of knowledge and skills of each individual candidate, especially when detail is required in the answers + it is quite uncomfortable for candidates to be in a group interview, as it can cause a feeling of devaluation.
It often happens that the more active or communicative participants crowd out the others, which distorts the impression of the real abilities of each.
«After all, group interviews can be too stressful for introverts or less confident candidates who have a high level of technical competence,» says Taras Popovych.
Group interviews, according to Natalya Klimenko, can be perceived as a «mass approach», which reduces trust in the company. And IT is always more about an individual approach. «We at the company try to create comfortable conditions for candidates and maintain a positive image of the employer,» she added.
However, Natalya and her team do not rule out the possibility of using the group interview approach in the future. And if someday they will hire for similar roles (for example, junior specialists), then of course they can apply it. «We believe that every format has its place, if used correctly and as needed,» explained the manager.
What hurts June? Confessions of a webanalyst girl about the strangest incidents that happened to her at interviews and a dream match with an employer
To warn or not
IT specialists sometimes complain that they are not warned that the interview will take place in a group format. Ivan Stashko noted that the recruiter informed in advance about the group interview. However, not all recruiters do this.
«Uncertainty always causes unnecessary excitement, because of which a person may not demonstrate his abilities to the full extent at an interview,» Natalya Klimenko believes.
But she explained in which case she can understand why candidates sometimes decide not to warn. In particular, for example, when you need to simulate real working conditions or assess adaptability and stress resistance. «In some companies, tasks can change quickly, and it is important to see how a candidate copes with similar situations without preparation and under the influence of stress,» noted Natalya Klimenko.
In addition, returning to her opinion, she added: «Technicians still do not need to prepare for emergency services — they almost always have time to make decisions.»
Maria Samoiluk believes that you should always warn about group interviews.
«This is basic respect for the candidate, even if the „market is on the side of the employer“. After all, the situation may change tomorrow, and then your reputation, which suffered today, may play against you,» Maria explained her position.
According to her, in a situation where a candidate was invited for an interview, and he comes and sees other candidates, his dissatisfaction is quite understandable. And this, as Maria says, is already a matter of the recruiter’s professional ethics, because of course, you need to warn the candidate and explain why such a format was chosen. This builds trust in the recruiter and a positive image of the employer. «There could be several reasons why the recruiter did not warn: low professionalism, forgetfulness or a banal lack of time (we are all human and can make mistakes),» she adds.
Taras Popovych agrees with this. He considers not warning about a group interview to be a bad practice and does not recommend it to anyone. He himself never resorted to such an approach. «IT professionals are used to clear processes and expect transparency during recruiting. Candidates may perceive this as a disrespect for their time or training,» he added.
«I received an offer for an interesting product, but I was fired on the third day.» The designer talked about the red flags that she needed to pay attention to during the interview
Tips for recruiters
Oksana Gromova believes that the point of an interview is a dialogue between a potential employee and an employer, where the employer checks the candidate’s experience and skills for the available vacancy. On the other hand, the candidate can assess the opportunities for growth, financial stability, and the comfort of working relationships.
She advises professional recruiters to take on the responsibility of telling about all the next stages, who will be present, what the format will be and how much time it will take, as well as when the feedback will be.
«If (God forbid, you came to such a company where such interview formats are a priority and you cannot change it) and you still need to organize a group interview: tell the candidate exactly how many people will be there, how it will be held (i.e. rules or their absence), what is the goal of this whole event, what exactly you want to achieve with this format. It’s about respect, it’s about your employer brand, it’s about humanity,» adds Oksana Gromova.
What IT specialists should consider when preparing for a group interview
In the event that recruiters offer candidates an interview in a group format, the latter have the opportunity to prepare, if they have no objections to such an interview.
«Prepare for maximum! It doesn’t matter if it’s a group or individual interview,» Natalya Klimenko believes.
She believes that the job interview is the candidate’s chance to land the job they’re making all these moves for. «Therefore, prepare in such a way as to leave no room for doubt. Understand the details of the job, learn about the company, think about what questions you might be asked, and be prepared to answer them,» she suggests.
Here are some tips she advises candidates to do before a group interview:
Learn all you can about the group format. Find out in advance how a group interview is conducted, what the tasks may be and why this format is needed at all. The more you know about the process, the less surprises and the more confidence.
Prepare, prepare and prepare again. Understand that there will be more stress than you expect, especially in a group format. Therefore, it is better to rehearse your speech at home so that it stands out, but without aggressive self-promotion. Think about how you will respond to unexpected situations or tasks.
Demonstration of soft skills is a must! In a group interview, it is very important to show that you know how to work with others — listen, find joint solutions, support the team and solve problems together. This is what they will pay attention to.
In addition, Oksana Gromova adds that it is important for the candidate to understand that he should not feel like a person on a lower level than the employer.
«You are an equal partner in this race called «workplace,» she emphasizes.
According to Oksana, a job applicant needs to show himself as a candidate who fits perfectly into the job description and whose skills 100% match the duties. But on the other hand, as the recruiter noted, the candidate’s task is to ask about the interview formats and their duration, who the responsible persons are, etc.
Oksana Gromova believes it is normal to ask:
Who will be present at the interview? What positions, how many people?
How will the interview take place?
What to prepare for the interview?
«And if they tell you: this will be a group interview, then you need to prepare both morally and physically,» she noted.
An exercise for moral preparation is to imagine that there will be 5 of you and it will rather be a performance in front of an audience, not one that will support you, but in front of a competitive environment. Therefore Oksana Gromova advises preparing a story about yourself, the company, the product, and other information related to the vacancy and the potential employer.
«This is bullshit from under a horse,» or «This is some kind of circus, I definitely wouldn’t go to such a thing.» Aitivians discuss group interviews: is it worth going to them?
«I go to a meeting, and there… there are 30 more people like me. A useless waste of time.» IT professionals and digital specialists share their experience of group interviews
«He was confused every time after his answer. There was a „prompter“ nearby, who suggested answers to him.» The developer told how he calculated the scammer candidate at the interview
