Andrea writes:
I stumbled onto your website, and wow, it has been extremely informative and I am looking forward to utilizing the information I learned in your tutorials in my upcoming interviews. I do have a question that I hope you can help me with.
My question is: When being interviewed by a panel of people would it be appropriate at the beginning of the interview to write down the names of all of the panel members involved in the interview so proper spelling and inclusion on thank-you notes is assured, or should I ask the receptionist or secretary after the interview for the proper spelling of all panelists? Thank you for your time.
The Career Doctor responds:
I think there is no wrong or right answer here. I think the most important part is getting every member of the panel’s name and title correct so that you can write individual thank-you notes to each member.
That said, I think the ideal scenario would be to actually get the names of the panel before the interview — if possible. Since you know it’s going to be a panel of people, you must have a contact at the company. I would ask that person for each person’s name (and spelling of their names) and title. This information would be helpful to you in addition to the thank-you notes; by having their names, you can kind of practice responding to them.
If the panel composition is not set before the time of your interview, I would use some sort of memory aid, even jotting down people’s names, but I don’t think I would interrupt the flow of the interview to ask for the correct spelling of their names. I might ask for business cards. And yes, I would follow-up with the department assistant or company receptionist about the correct spelling of names of the panel members.
I’m horrible at remembering names in pressure situations like interviews, but if you can master that skill, it really adds a very positive dimension to panel interviews when you can respond to people by using their names.
Finally, remember to look at each person on the panel as you respond to questions so that each one feels equally important. Smile, make good eye contact, be confident, project your voice, and try not to be intimidated by the panel. The best panel interviews are ones that seem more like discussions than a grilling or inquisition.
Brush up on your interviewing skills by going to the Guide to Job Interviewing section of Quintessential Careers.
