How to Handle Panel Interviews With Confidence and Ease
To help you manage nerves and project confidence in a panel interview, we’ve gathered twenty strategies from top professionals, including CEOs and career coaches. From taking time to answer fully to preparing thoughtful post-interview questions, these insights will guide you towards a successful panel interview experience.
- Take Time to Answer Fully
- Treat the Interview as a Collaborative Discussion
- View Interviews as Learning Opportunities
- Research Thoroughly for Confidence
- Apply the Preparation and Visualization Technique
- Emphasize Your Depth of Expertise
- Rely on Humor to Lighten the Mood
- Focus on Value and Interviewer Needs
- Choose a Personal “Anchor”
- Intensify and Customize Practice Sessions
- Start with a Positive Mindset
- Acknowledge and Own Your Emotions
- Channel Nervous Energy into Enthusiasm
- Use Deep Breathing Exercises
- View Interviews as a Mutual Learning Process
- Maintain an Equal Footing Mindset
- Plan and Anticipate Using the S.T.O.R.Y. Tactic
- Shift Your Mindset to the View Panel as Colleagues
- Talk Slowly and Clearly
- Prepare Thoughtful Post-Interview Questions
Take Time to Answer Fully
Panel interviews can definitely intimidate, so the best thing you can do to manage your nerves is to really take your time to answer the questions fully.
A lot of nervous interviewees respond to questions as soon as they are asked and end up rambling or coming up with their answer as they go along. While there is nothing wrong with a thorough response to a question, if you take a few moments to really collect your thoughts, you will calm your nerves a bit, and you will even project confidence.
By taking the time to really think your answer through, your interviewers will see how much thought and effort you put into your responses. This demeanor demonstrates someone who is cool, calm, and collected under stressful situations. Just be sure not to take too long of a pause!
Peter Reagan, Financial Market Strategist, Birch Gold Group
Treat the Interview as a Collaborative Discussion
I’ve found that one effective strategy in panel interviews is to treat the interaction as a collaborative discussion rather than a one-sided examination. This mindset shift changes the dynamic, making it more of a peer-level exchange.
Before the interview, I dive deep into understanding the panel’s backgrounds and align my responses to their interests and expertise. This preparation not only boosts my confidence but also enables me to engage the panelists more meaningfully.
Additionally, I focus on maintaining a calm and steady pace in my speech, which helps in managing nerves and projecting a composed demeanor. It’s about striking that balance between being thoroughly prepared and staying adaptable in the moment. This approach has not only helped me in interviews but has been a cornerstone in various high-stakes business meetings as well.
Ankit Prakash, Founder, Sprout24
View Interviews as Learning Opportunities
As a Career Advisor and Interview Coach, my advice would be to treat every interview you are invited to as a learning opportunity. This can help you continually enhance your interview skills and increase your chances of success in future interviews. That way, it can already be framed in your mind as a win, whether you are offered the job this time or not.
This will do wonders in reducing your anxiety and nerves to a point where you can showcase your talents and do yourself justice. Your ability to reflect on your performance, adapt, and grow as a candidate will set you on the path to becoming a more confident and successful interviewee.
Katharine Gallagher, Founder, Personal and Professional Growth, katharinegallagher.com
Research Thoroughly for Confidence
Before entering a panel interview, it is important to do thorough research on the company and the specific topic that will be discussed. This will not only give you a better understanding of what is expected of you, but it will also help calm any nerves by making you feel more prepared.
Additionally, knowing your specific role in the panel interview, whether it is to present a certain topic or answer questions about your experience, will help you focus and project confidence.
Zach Shelley, Founder and CEO, A-List Properties
Apply the Preparation and Visualization Technique
One effective strategy for managing nerves in a panel interview is the “Preparation and Visualization” technique.
Start by thoroughly preparing for the interview, researching the company, understanding the role, and anticipating potential questions. Then, practice your responses, focusing on clear and concise communication.
Before the interview, visualize the process positively, seeing yourself answering questions confidently. During the interview, take deep breaths to stay calm, maintain good posture, and make eye contact with panel members. This preparation and mental practice can significantly reduce anxiety and enhance your confidence, allowing you to present your best self.
Nicolas Krauss, Founder and CEO, dasFlow
Emphasize Your Depth of Expertise
In a panel interview, an effective strategy for managing and projecting confidence is to emphasize the depth of your expertise. Share detailed insights into specific case studies or projects you’ve successfully executed, showcasing your skills and accomplishments.
By providing concrete examples, you demonstrate competence and shift the focus from anxiety to the tangible value you bring to the table. This approach allows you to speak with authority, reinforcing your confidence while substantiating your practical experience.
Remember, the more you showcase your practical experience, the more effectively you position yourself as a qualified and confident candidate.
Bill Lyons, CEO, Griffin Funding
Rely on Humor to Lighten the Mood
My tendency is to lighten an intense mood. In a serious panel interview, I try to get a self-deprecating or situational joke into the mix early. If I get a laugh or two, it’s a bonus. The big effect is psychological. If I can minimize the seriousness and make a lighthearted joke, it makes me realize the stakes are not ever as high as I think. Paradoxically, that makes me much more confident.
Trevor Ewen, COO, QBench
Focus on Value and Interviewer Needs
Nerves are often associated with two things: being unprepared and focusing too much on oneself.
To address the first issue, make sure you know your stuff and as much information as possible about the job and what the company is seeking. Go through scenarios in your head and practice answering common interview questions in front of a mirror. This will help you feel confident that you have what it takes for the job.
To address the second issue, forget about your wants and needs, as well as your hair, dress, and other minor details, while in the panel interview. Instead, focus on those around you and how you can provide value to their questions. Think from their perspective and consider what they need. Show them you have the skills and experience they are looking for.
Remember, you are there to bring something to the table.
Cristina Imre, Holistic Executive Coach and Business Strategist for Tech Founders, CEOs and Entrepreneurs, Quantum Wins
Choose a Personal “Anchor”
A great strategy for managing nerves and projecting confidence in a panel interview is using a personal “anchor.” This involves choosing something like a physical gesture, a mental image, or a phrase that makes you feel confident.
Before the interview, practice associating this anchor with feelings of calm and success. During the interview, when you feel nervous, use this anchor discreetly. It could be touching a piece of jewelry, picturing a relaxing scene in your mind, or repeating a motivating phrase to yourself.
This technique works because it helps shift your focus from anxiety to confidence in a subtle way, giving you a sense of control over your emotions.
Will Gill, Event Entertainer, DJ Will Gill
Intensify and Customize Practice Sessions
A successful strategy for managing nerves and projecting confidence in a panel interview is to intensify and customize your practice sessions as an interviewee.
In fact, I would advise this approach even if you’ve been told or assumed you’re meeting with just one interviewer or one interviewer at a time. While my current company in the digital-media insurance industry does not engage in panel interviews, I did have previous experiences in which a panel-interview format surprised me.
While practicing for a panel interview, be sure to incorporate addressing each panel member individually, treating each of them with respect, making eye contact, and creating more questions than you usually would for an interview to ensure you have something to ask each of them if the opportunity arises.
Michelle Robbins, Licensed Insurance Agent, Clearsurance.com
Start with a Positive Mindset
Start with a positive mindset. Research shows that positive thinkers have a higher level of resilience and are better able to overcome challenging situations, such as a high-stakes, nerve-racking interview.
By waking up and mentally thinking, “Today is going to be a great day,” it frames your mind to think positively. To take it a step further in an interview setting, I’d recommend writing down an affirmation on a post-it note visible during the interview. This can be as simple as “You’ve got this,” which you can refer to during the interview to increase confidence and ease nerves.
Megan Dias, Career Services Coach, Parsity
Acknowledge and Own Your Emotions
Acknowledge your emotions rather than trying to fight them. You’re going to be nervous during a panel interview—anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. You’re essentially going to be lightly grilled by a room full of strangers, so what I recommend is acknowledging that you’re going to be nervous, that you’re going to make mistakes, and then own that with the panelists.
Make a bit of a joke about your nerves, say something about how you hope you don’t pass out under their intense scrutiny—it will help both you and the panelists to relax and behave more normally.
Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOwind
Channel Nervous Energy into Enthusiasm
Instead of trying to eliminate nervous energy entirely, I find it helpful to channel it into enthusiasm for the opportunity. If you frame your nerves as excitement about the role and your interest in contributing to the organization, you tend not to be as anxious.
Try to think more mindfully and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. You will come across as excited instead of nervous if you do this, and the chance of a successful panel interview will increase!
Adam Petrilli, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, NetReputation.com
Use Deep Breathing Exercises
Embracing breathing techniques can help tremendously during an interview. Use deep breathing exercises—especially focusing on breathing through your stomach—before and during the interview to manage physical symptoms of nervousness and help maintain a calm demeanor.
Kelli Anderson, Career Coach, Resume Seed
View Interviews as a Mutual Learning Process
Job interviews are like dating. You are both learning about one another to see if you fit. Just as you wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with the wrong person, you certainly don’t want to work for the wrong company.
Keeping this in mind puts the process of interviewing into perspective, and you are in the driver’s seat. Come prepared with questions for them! Be yourself and determine if you want the job.
Lorraine Bossé-Smith, Chief Solutions Officer, Concept One LLC
Maintain an Equal Footing Mindset
As a managing director of an executive search firm, I spend a lot of time prepping candidates for high-stakes interviews. I know panel interviews can be especially stressful.
A strategy I always recommend to manage nerves and project confidence is to maintain the mindset that you’re on equal footing with the panel. You are still discerning if they are the right fit for you. This keeps you projecting curious, positive energy that will resonate with the panel.
Michael Morgan, Managing Director, Medallion Partners
Plan and Anticipate Using the S.T.O.R.Y. Tactic
One strategy for managing nerves and projecting confidence in a panel interview is through planning. As part of this, anticipating questions beforehand can be immensely helpful. It gives you the ability to practice responses, work out any jitters, and answer quickly and more confidently.
One approach to answering such an array of questions is using the S.T.O.R.Y. tactic: recount a Situation, Task or problem you faced, any Obstacles encountered along the way, what concrete Results yielded, and finally, how your Experience made you a stronger candidate. This helps structure each answer in an organized manner while also showing that you are prepared for the interview!
Carly Hill, Operations Manager, Virtual Holiday Party
Shift Your Mindset to View the Panel as Colleagues
It is completely normal to feel nervous when you are in a panel interview. I have been there before! You’re on one side of the table or screen, and looking back at you are multiple sets of eyes, ready to ask you questions and ultimately evaluate your fit for the role.
One way you can manage your nerves and project confidence during the interview is to shift your mindset. It can be easy to view the panel as intimidating, but really, they are just potential colleagues. They are interested in getting to know you and look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Don’t worry about having perfectly crafted answers. Let the conversation flow and be proud of your professional accomplishments!
Mary Krull, Lead Talent Attraction Partner, Southern New Hampshire University
Talk Slowly and Clearly
A key strategy I use to manage nerves and project confidence during panel interviews is to talk slowly and clearly. It’s easy to start speaking quickly when you’re nervous, but that can lead to rambling and going off-topic.
By deliberately slowing down, I ensure my answers are concise and to the point. This approach is even more important in video interviews. Practicing with a friend or a coach beforehand helps me find a comfortable pace, making my delivery smooth and natural.
Marco Genaro Palma, Content Marketing Manager, PRLab
Prepare Thoughtful Post-Interview Questions
Adequate preparation for a panel interview involves crafting thoughtful questions for the post-interview phase. It showcases your genuine interest in the role and organization and serves as a practical tool to manage nervous energy. Maintaining confidence is crucial when faced with a panel, and having prepared questions redirects focus, demonstrating an active and engaged stance.
This approach subtly communicates that you are more than a respondent, contributing positively to the conversation. It underscores your commitment to understanding the company and role, reflecting a strategic mindset that resonates well with interviewers—a well-thought-out list of questions positions you for a poised and confident performance.
Matt Gehring, Chief Marketing Officer, Dutch
