Panel/Traditional/Informal Conversational Interviews

Panel Interviews (often referred to as Traditional Interviews or Informal Conversational Interviews) are the conventional interactions you may be familiar with from having interviewed for employment.  The duration of the interview is usually between twenty minutes and an hour of examination time.

The interview may be ‘open’ (i.e., committee members have previous knowledge of your application) or ‘closed’ (i.e., where interviewers have no previous knowledge about your background).  The panel interview format consists of question and answer or directed conversation aimed to gain insight into the applicant’s personality and suitability.

There are two general approaches taken to the informal conversational interview:

1. ‘Non-guided.’  In this format there are no pre-determined interview questions.  Interviewers come up with questions during the course of the session in order to facilitate a natural conversation.
2. ‘Guided.’  Certain questions are pre-determined, but there is flexibility in terms of how they are asked.  The interviewers may come up with additional questions during the course of the meeting.  Although this approach is slightly more regimented, it also encourages conversation.

In addition, there are two general settings:

1. ‘Panel.’  The interview team often consists of a group of 2-3 people; classically, the panel is comprised of a combination of university-associated professionals, students, and community members.
2. ‘One-on-One.’  One faculty-member or student interviews the applicant.