Recruiting the "right" employees is critical to every recruiter's success.  That's why recruiters must be thorough in their selection of job candidates.  Of course this includes, examining the job candidates resume, cover letter and references but it also includes screening potential employees through a rigorous interview process.  In the next few articles we will examine several types of interviews that can be used by recruiters; and the techniques that make them effective.  Let's first take a look at the very popular "panel interview" style.

The panel interview is where a job candidate interviews with a group of interviewers at the same time.  This type of interview can be effective in determining how well a job candidate can interact with several different personalities.  The panel interview also allows several company managers/employees to objectively evaluate the job candidate's skills and qualifications.  Every interviewer will bring his/her own set of questions and can uncover issues or strengths that may be overlooked in a one-one interview. In other words, this type of interview allows the company to have several sets of eyes examining the potential employee at the same time.  This decreases the possibility that he/she will be hired based on the quirks, likes or dislikes of just one person. The job candidate who takes part in a panel interview can be effectively and objectively evaluated for their interpersonal skills, qualifications and their ability to think fast on their feet.