A panel is common for supervisory and professional roles in Nigeria. It can feel like an interrogation, but usually each panellist is checking one thing: technical skill, judgement, fit with the team, or how you would represent the organisation.
Before the interview
- Ask for the names and titles of the panel when the invitation arrives. Recruiters usually share them if you ask.
- Look each person up on LinkedIn or the company website, so you know their role.
- Prepare one story per panellist's area. If someone is from finance, have a figure ready. If someone is from operations, have a process ready.
Answering a room
Look at the person who asked, then bring your eyes to the others as you finish. Answer so that everyone can follow, not only the questioner. If two people ask similar questions, answer once and say so.
Three questions that almost always come up
- 1Tell us about yourself. Keep it to about ninety seconds: your current role, your strongest result, and why this role. See our guide on answering this question.
- 2Tell us about a time you disagreed with your manager. Pick a real disagreement, describe what you did, and what you would do again.
- 3What would you do in your first ninety days? Name two things you would learn first and one quick win you could deliver.
Close with two good questions
Ask one question about what success looks like in the first year, and one about the team's most important priority this quarter. Listen to the answers; they tell you what the job really is.
Afterwards
Send a short thank-you note to the panel chair, and name the panellists you spoke to if you can. Keep it to three sentences. Do not repeat the interview.
Speak to the person who asked
On a panel, each member usually has a different job. The technical lead wants proof you can do the work. The HR member wants to see how you handle pressure and follow instructions. A senior manager often wants to know how you will fit the team and the budget. Listen to who asked the question, answer that person first, and then bring the others in with a short look or a line that connects to what they care about.
Ask for names at the start, and write them down in the order they speak. Use the name when you answer. It shows you were paying attention, and it makes a long session easier to follow for everyone.
If a question comes from someone you cannot see clearly, or the room is noisy, ask for it to be repeated. Asking once is far better than answering the wrong question with confidence.