What is this “Round Robin” Style Interview?

What is this “Round Robin” Style Interview?

 

“The interview is a conversation held between you as a candidate and the employer to determine if you are suitable for the post and compatible with the job and organization” 

Reddy

What is this “Round Robin” Style Interview? (Reddy, 2016)

It is also mentioned as “Serial Interview”. The candidate would be asked to fulfill different interviewers from different departments individually at their place or meet you in a room.

In other words, it is exposing the candidate to multiple interviewers, one after the other. Sometimes it is a combination of panel type with single one to one type interview and might possible ask for a presentation from the candidate.

The different questions asked in their perspective would allow the employer to know about the applicant well. 



Why do They Conduct Round Robin Style? Round robin interview questions (Reddy, 2016)

The round robin interview style would blend a variety of problems from different people who come from the various background. The variety of inputs obtained from the candidates relate to the nature of applicant and his experience gained.

It would also evaluate if he is keeping himself/herself informed and if he/she is adaptable to the work background. This is usually employed to appoint management personnel.

A well conducted Round robin style interview would provide a well-rounded picture of the candidate and also whether he might perform well in other areas. It provides insights to the behavior aspects, technical expertise, adaptability, character of the candidate.

To avoid confusion on the results, it’s better to keep the interviewers to 2 or 3 to reduce redundancy and demotivate the applicant. 

What to take care when conducting Round Robin interview style? (Reddy, 2016)

1.      The interviewers need to prepare beforehand for the questions they are intending to ask.

2.      Frame open ended questions and probing questions to know more about the applicant.

3.      It’s better to use grading system for the evaluation so that the interviews are standardized. You could allow space for comments to be written or recorded by the interviewers.

4.      Assessment of the communication skills and interpersonal skills would be advantageous.

5.      Allow the applicant to speak about his experience and achievements.

6.      Try to focus on the positive aspects so that applicant will feel comfortable.

7.      Review points that could focus whether the applicant is team player, adaptable and responsible person.

8.      Assess the competency level of the applicant carefully using questions focussed on it.

9.      Try to find out about their personality and their character.

10.  Questions that relate with the contents as described in the CV are preferable. 

Tips to Prepare for attending Round Robin Style interview: (Reddy, 2016)

1.      Keep copies of your resume to be able to submit.

2.      Have a smile and greet appropriately.

3.      Listen carefully before answering a question.

4.      If you don’t understand what has been asked, request for it to be repeated.

5.      Dress appropriately for the interview.

6.      Use eye contact when talking to the interviewer.

7.      Try to answer partially even if you are not familiar with it. It can show your interest to know about it.

8.      Don’t be caught off-guard. Be attentive and focused.

9.      Keep track of the information. You are meeting multiple persons with different personalities will keep you off balance if you are not prepared for it.

10.  Take notes whenever possible. As you are liable to meet different personalities one after other, you would need to keep straight what was said and who held it.

11.  Consider everyone you meet as someone you need to prove yourself. Hence, keep patience even if you need to introduce yourself a lot of times.

12.  Always maintain composure and calm. Don’t get annoyed.

13.  Be honest in your remarks. It’s ideal to be frank in your disclosures so that you are not feeling awkward at the moment you would not need anticipated.

14.  You could be posed with the famous “Tell me about yourself”. So prepare beforehand what you will like to share. It would be beneficial if you might talk about your achievement that you could ‘sell’ yourself.

15.  End your conversation with a “Thank you” before leaving the session. 



Round Robin Interviewing (Farmiloe, 2022)

Pros: Because this interview format involves numerous interviews by several people after each other, there are several opportunities for different people to gauge the applicant. Rather than depend on a single or few opinions, this type allows for less bias and a better-rounded view of the applicant.

 

Cons: Round robin interviewing is very time intensive for both sides, especially when done for a number of applicants. Because of the sheer amount of people involved, these interviews will also be costly. A whole-day affair requires applicants to be constantly “on” and can be exhausting.

 

References

Rahman, M. (2021) Advantages and disadvantages of interviews [Online] available at: https://howandwhat.net/advantages-disadvantages-interviews/ [Accessed on 20th April 2022]

Reddy, C. (2016) What is Round Robin Interview Style: How to Prepare? [Online] available at: https://content.wisestep.com/round-robin-interview/  [Accessed on 20th April 2022]

Marks, M. (2006) the Round-Robin Mock Interview. Sage journals, 69(3), pp.264

Farmiloe, B. (2022) Comparing the Pros and Cons of Different Interview Formats [Online] available at: https://www.aihr.com/blog/comparing-interview-formats/  [Accessed on 20th April 2022]

Hsu, Y. (1999) Recruitment and Selection and Human Resource Management in the Taiwanese Cultural Context. Business School University of Plymouth [Online] Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/29818879.pdf. Accessed on 4th April, 2022.


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