October 30, 2025 • 3 mins
Panel interviews, or back-to-back interviews can be daunting. But it's not you versus them.....it's you versus yourself, your experience, and your own preparation. Learn how to get organized for the big day, why to say "yes" to that drink, and what to do if nature calls.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, this is Stephanie Maas.
(00:02):
Today I wanna give you a couple recommendations if you are preparing for an all dayinterview or a half day interview, where you are gonna be either in front of a panel.
Or if you're gonna have a series of several back to back to back to back to back interviews.
Now if you're working with a good recruiter through this, they will and shouldcoach you through each of the different personalities, their agendas, hot buttons, so forth and so on, which obviously I can't do in a general forum like this.
(00:29):
But I wanna give you some other general tips to help make that time go by well.
First and foremost, I do think either, again, if you're going back to back to backinterviews or if you'll be in a panel interview meeting with several times at once, you need to come into those interviews extremely well prepared, very well organized.
(00:51):
You need to know each of the different folks that you'll be talking with.
Their background, their hot buttons.
Their agenda and where they fall in the decision making of this particular hire.
The other thing I would highly recommend is go back through your own background.
Come up with one or two stories that exhibit either a skillset or atrait that you wanna make sure speaks to each one of those interviewers.
(01:20):
As well as a list of five to six specific questions that you can ask each oneof those interviewers, and it needs to be, again, extremely well organized.
Second thing is you need to be a extremely.
Patient.
Usually when you are, especially when you're in a panel interview, there could be some flow ofthem kind of fighting to talk or ask you questions or, Hey, you're gonna get three questions here.
(01:50):
You're gonna get three questions here.
Then someone might pin in, well, what about this over here?
This is an excellent time for you to be an extremely patient and disciplined listener.
You wanna make sure, again, especially if it's multiple interviewers.
Or multiple interviews throughout the same day that you are verythoughtful that you are answering the questions that are asked.
(02:14):
Absolutely.
Don't be afraid to repeat the question.
Hey, for, you know, for example, Hey John, lemme make sure I understand what you're asking me.
If I heard you correctly.
Here's what you're trying to find out.
When they say Yes, that's what I want.
Huh?
Interesting question.
Let me, yeah, I've got a couple of thoughts I'd love to share.
Or they may say, well, no, actually this is what I meant.
So you have to be very patient and disciplined, especially on the listening side.
(02:39):
The third thing is you've really got to have some stamina so that youmaintain a high energy level throughout the entire interview or interview day.
This means basic things like absolutely try and do your best to get agood night's sleep the night before if they offer you something to drink.
(03:00):
You take it, you're gonna need it.
So again, unless you're used to drinking six cups ofcoffee a day, I don't recommend going that direction.
For sure.
I would love some water.
Or if you know you need the caffeine to keep it going and you'reagain, you're used to it, go ahead, get that cup of coffee again.
That also means you've gotta factor in bathroom breaks.
If you are in a back to back to back to back to back interviews.
(03:21):
And you finish up the second or third one and they say, Hey,is there anything that you need before you get to the next one?
It is a fantastic time to say, actually, if you don't mind, um, youknow, if I could use the ladies room or the men's room real quick.
Two things that does.
Obviously there's a bodily function there involved, but also it gives you a time tocollect yourself, review your notes, kind of get it together before the next interview.
Hi, this is Stephanie Maas.
(00:02):
Today I wanna give you a couple recommendations if you are preparing for an all dayinterview or a half day interview, where you are gonna be either in front of a panel.
Or if you're gonna have a series of several back to back to back to back to back interviews.
Now if you're working with a good recruiter through this, they will and shouldcoach you through each of the different personalities, their agendas, hot buttons, so forth and so on, which obviously I can't do in a general forum like this.
(00:29):
But I wanna give you some other general tips to help make that time go by well.
First and foremost, I do think either, again, if you're going back to back to backinterviews or if you'll be in a panel interview meeting with several times at once, you need to come into those interviews extremely well prepared, very well organized.
(00:51):
You need to know each of the different folks that you'll be talking with.
Their background, their hot buttons.
Their agenda and where they fall in the decision making of this particular hire.
The other thing I would highly recommend is go back through your own background.
Come up with one or two stories that exhibit either a skillset or atrait that you wanna make sure speaks to each one of those interviewers.
(01:20):
As well as a list of five to six specific questions that you can ask each oneof those interviewers, and it needs to be, again, extremely well organized.
Second thing is you need to be a extremely.
Patient.
Usually when you are, especially when you're in a panel interview, there could be some flow ofthem kind of fighting to talk or ask you questions or, Hey, you're gonna get three questions here.
(01:50):
You're gonna get three questions here.
Then someone might pin in, well, what about this over here?
This is an excellent time for you to be an extremely patient and disciplined listener.
You wanna make sure, again, especially if it's multiple interviewers.
Or multiple interviews throughout the same day that you are verythoughtful that you are answering the questions that are asked.
(02:14):
Absolutely.
Don't be afraid to repeat the question.
Hey, for, you know, for example, Hey John, lemme make sure I understand what you're asking me.
If I heard you correctly.
Here's what you're trying to find out.
When they say Yes, that's what I want.
Huh?
Interesting question.
Let me, yeah, I've got a couple of thoughts I'd love to share.
Or they may say, well, no, actually this is what I meant.
So you have to be very patient and disciplined, especially on the listening side.
(02:39):
The third thing is you've really got to have some stamina so that youmaintain a high energy level throughout the entire interview or interview day.
This means basic things like absolutely try and do your best to get agood night's sleep the night before if they offer you something to drink.
(03:00):
You take it, you're gonna need it.
So again, unless you're used to drinking six cups ofcoffee a day, I don't recommend going that direction.
For sure.
I would love some water.
Or if you know you need the caffeine to keep it going and you'reagain, you're used to it, go ahead, get that cup of coffee again.
That also means you've gotta factor in bathroom breaks.
If you are in a back to back to back to back to back interviews.
(03:21):
And you finish up the second or third one and they say, Hey,is there anything that you need before you get to the next one?
It is a fantastic time to say, actually, if you don't mind, um, youknow, if I could use the ladies room or the men's room real quick.
Two things that does.
Obviously there's a bodily function there involved, but also it gives you a time tocollect yourself, review your notes, kind of get it together before the next interview.
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