Group work interviews examples and dynamics

¿How to choose the best candidate? Selecting the ideal applicant for a job is not a simple task. The difficulty of the personnel selection is to evaluate the candidates in a short period of time and in a very different scenario than their possible future job, and that is that the ability to conduct a good interview does not necessarily guarantee the ability to do the job itself.

The eye of a good human resources coach (HR) is already prepared to read and extrapolate to reality the results of an interview. However, for selection processes where it is essential, there are accessories to the traditional interview, such as practical cases of cases resolution and behavioral interviews, applied individually or in a group. In this Psychology-online article, we will see what the group work interviews, with examples and dynamics useful to evaluate those capacities and skills that work in particular.

1. What is a group interview
2. Benefits of group interviews
3. What can we observe in group dynamics for work interviews
4. What format can group dynamics have for work interviews

What is a group interview

Group work interviews are one of the evaluation methods for selecting personnel complementary to individual interviews. A group interview is a proof in which several candidates participate For one or more jobs with the objective of evaluating their behavior, their skills and skills in a practical and social context.

Benefits of group interviews

Group interviews allow:

Evaluate more candidates

In group tests, many applicants can participate, so they are especially useful in mass selection processes.

Observe the participant in a more natural context

The use of games or challenges has long been a common practice in leading companies, they are used to encourage candidates to lose the focus of the process itself, showing their true I.

Evaluate soft skills

These dynamics are especially interesting to assess soft skills, non -cognitive skills indispensable to perform a job, but hardly observable in a traditional individual interview.

Evaluate social skills

A real person is not known until it is observed interacting with other people.

Show the value of the company

In addition to the value for evaluation, group dynamics are also a positive element in the "mutual selection process", where the candidate is shown a dynamic, fun, innovative and current company.

Discover skills in workers

These dynamics not only serve an initial selection, but the same logic also applies to the evaluation of leadership and the capacity to solve problems of individuals who are internal candidates for a change of role or promotion.

From Crimidesa, Fernando Beltrán Aparicio, HR director Until 2018, his example tells us: “Taking advantage of a Team Building event we were able to verify the capacity for team management of a candidate for internal promotion. Obviously, there were many other indicators, but being able to work for an hour on his team was a opportunity to validate first hand the previous reports And we discovered a small area that we needed to enhance before the change of responsibility ”.

What can we observe in group dynamics for work interviews

Through group dynamics, it can be evaluated:

• Assertiveness: communicative style necessary for any employment in which treatment with people is required.
• Problem solving: The ability to produce, evaluate solutions and apply them, especially essential for managers.
• The creativity: the ability to produce novel solutions, useful for any job.
• Flexibility: ability to adapt to new situations, essential in changing work environments.
• Critical thinking: ability to reflect and draw their own conclusions.
• Team work: add the capacities of different people to achieve a better result. Working as a team means knowing how to identify and use the strengths of each member of the team to feed. This ability is essential for virtually any work environment.
• Emotional intelligence: Managing one's emotions and understanding the emotions of others allows to forge good interpersonal relationships at work and be more productive. In this article you will find more information about emotional intelligence at work.
• The leadership: Ability to organize and direct groups, of vital importance in management positions.
• Ethics and values: The personal principles that govern behavior, primordial in all jobs related to the health and education of the population.
• The proactivity: attitude aimed at action and collaboration.

According to the type of skills and characteristics that we are interested in evaluating, we will choose a different format and theme for the group interview.

What format can group dynamics have for work interviews

In recent years, we have seen new initiatives that are gaining weight: escape rooms, improvisation theater or more complex strategy games, but the idea remains the same: show the potential of candidates in a spontaneous environment.

Group activities can range from playing 3 to build a chair with cards, through small game or card games. The most common dynamics in group work interviews are as follows:

Forum

This group dynamic consists in carrying out a conversation On a subject proposed by the evaluators, who observe the opinions and communicative skills of the applicants.

• For example, talk about the benefits of reading.

Rain of ideas

This group exercise consists in producing ideas about any subject or solutions for some problem. It is useful for assessing creativity, Innovation, capacity for concentration, originality, authenticity and imagination, among others.

• For example, propose different ideas of merchandising for the company.

ROOM escape

This group game consists of solving tests in a space set in a story. The objective is decipher the enigmas before a certain time. An escape room is a controlled space, where you can see and listen to the performance of one or more candidates acting without the presence of those who evaluate them.

• For example, The Rombate of The Rombo Code. With a capacity of up to 12 participants, it is a ROOM escape Ideal to assess the ability to face problems, strategy and time management.

We talked to Óscar Grifols, the head of the company area The Rombo Code Barcelona: the main escape room with services for human resources in Spain. Although the conclusions that we can extract from the environment of an escape game also serve any other dynamic based on the game. “The technicians who evaluate, normally, have already made the game and know it: it is not so much to hit or fail, but rather the ability to Generate ideas and compromise the team with them, analyze the processes of Problem resolution And also how players relate to each other: it is a very specific opportunity to analyze Soft skills that we can make the most ".

Grifols refers to the importance of choosing an adequate theme, for example, that is not fearful. It is also relevant to avoid the elements that unnecessarily harm the process, such as bad lighting, and prioritize intellectual and teamwork challenges. It does not work any ROOM escape, although almost anyone could adapt to fulfill this function. It also emphasizes that above all it is another complement to the process, but that it brings a very funny point for the candidates that serves to reassure and that can be shown relaxed.

Without a doubt, the escape game as group dynamics for work interviews is a very original which allows to assess the real performance of countless capacities: Attention, understanding, analysis, resolution, creativity, group work, communication, organization, logic, working memory, perseverance, imagination, work under pressure, self -regulation, security ... professionals in the sector can advise to choose the best room room in function of the capabilities that are preferred to assess.

Debate

In this group work interview format, a dilemma is proposed against which each candidate must position, argue and defend the position, which can be randomly real or assigned. This test allows to assess communicative skills, influence capacity and the ability to persuasion so important in sales, especially.

For example, face -to -face work versus teleworking.

Round table

The objective of this group dynamic for work interviews is to reach an agreement. Interviewers can evaluate assertiveness, initiative, creativity, the negotiation capacity of applicants, diplomacy, self -control ..

• For example, reach an agreement regarding the priority order of 15 objects for the survival of a group on a ship.

Practical case

For this exercise of Role-Playing, The evaluators propose a usual task in the job and observe how each of the participants plays it.

• For example, attend to another participant as if it were a client.

Crisis cabinet

Role-Playing exercise consisting of simulating the resolution of a serious unforeseen problem. Participants must show their ability to resolution of problems, the ability to make decisions, flexibility, critical thinking, group work, under pressure execution and safety.

• For example, raise situations such as trade is suffering a robbery or that the office has run out of electricity.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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