If you’ve been working in a hiring capacity for five years or more, this panel interview scenario probably occurred more than once:

You were searching for an executive in an employer’s market. The required skills were scarce, the resume reviews took weeks, and only a few candidates were invited for interviews. Because of the complexity of the role in your organization, several managers and influencers needed to be pulled into the interview process at various stages.

This position opened in July, so follow-up interviews had to be arranged to accommodate the vacation schedules of your interviewers. It was a daunting task that you seemed to have well under control until your top candidate took another position after her second interview. These things are to be expected, you thought. But then your second candidate did the same, right after the third interview and just before you were about to extend an offer.

Could you have found a way to hire one of your two top candidates? Yes. You could have condensed the four planned interviews into one panel interview, with each of the interviewers present. Speeding up the process would have been one benefit, but there are others.

A panel interview places a candidate under greater scrutiny, resulting in a more carefully vetted hire and one who can thrive under pressure. It allows for follow-up questions asked by people with specific areas of expertise. In this environment, the right candidate can fully showcase his or her depth of knowledge to those best qualified to judge it. A panel interview also provides valuable checks and balances, minimizing the potential of a catastrophic hire.

So how should you conduct a panel interview? Here are a few simple strategies we suggest to our clients:

1. Choose a primary facilitator: This leader will ask the basic questions and keep the interview on topic and on schedule. The other members will have supporting roles delegated by this leader, and will ask questions in their particular areas of expertise.

2. Collaborate: Create a consensus description of the ideal candidate before the interview process begins, so that the deliberations can compare impressions against expectations. Each member should also carefully review candidate resumes before the interviews.

3. Provide a relaxed setting: We don’t recommend having a panel sit behind a table, facing the applicant, unless performing under pressure is one of the primary functions of the position. A board room or a large meeting table, with your interviewers facing the candidate at different angles is more ideal.

4. Take notes, but listen: This is the easiest detail to get wrong. Even though you will have 3-5 panelists, the lion’s share of the talking should be done by the candidate. Be careful not to get bogged down in discussions with one another that can be held after the interview.

5. Meet soon after the interviews: Schedule a time after each interview to convene, compare notes, and compare the candidates that have interviewed to date. Act quickly to keep specific memories fresh in everyone’s minds.

If you’d like to talk with us about specific considerations for panel interviews with your organization, give us a call. We’re always here to help.