GROUP DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEW IN A COMPITITIVE EXAMINATION

What is group discussion (GD)? As the term implies it is a discussion by a group of people, which involves a free exchange of thoughts and ideas among a members of the group.
Listed below are some pointers to be kept in mind for being effective in a GD:

1. Be Natural
   • The best mantra is – “be your natural self’
   • See GD as just an extension of any other situation you encounter in normal routine.

1. Must Speak:

• • The first principal of GD is that you must speak
  • Before you start speaking, think through the major issues in the topic.
  • Jot down points on the paper or mentally work out the framework for analysis.
  • If you do not understand the topic, ask the group what the topic means and accept your ignorance, or else wait, maybe the meaning will become clear after a few minutes of the discussion.

1. Opening and Closing:

• • Opening a discussion is a high risk-high return strategy
  • Speak first only if you have sensible things to say. Otherwise keep silent and let someone else start.
  • Try and summarize the discussion at the end.

4. Be an active listener:

• • Carefully listen to others’ contribution to avoid pitfalls. It is very important to listen at every stage of the discussion as it will benefit you.
  • It prevents you from repeating something already said.
  • Help you take the discussion forward where another participant has left off.
  • Help you understand a topic of which you were ignorant, before the first speaker defined it.

5. Be assertive, not aggressive:

• • Do not get emotionally involved in the arguments.
  • Do not take it as a personal affront if others disagree with you.
  • Share your reasoning first
  • Do not express your stand initially. Note down major issues’ and remember not to jump to conclusions. Instead arrive at a stand of your own.
  • Remember, you are being evaluated on how you think and not what you think.

• 1. Avoid any irritating gestures, like the following
  • Do not slouch in your chair, stretch your legs out, fidget or keep shaking your legs, play with your pen or any other object and do not point at others
  • Do not block your neighbors by bending too much forward in order to be heard.

• • PERSONAL INTERVIEW

An interview is a face –to-face meeting, especially for the purpose of obtaining a statement or for assessing the qualities of a candidate. It further, indicates a physical meeting of people.

Tips for the interview:-

1. Entering the room
   • Prior to entering the room, adjust your attire so that it falls well.
   • Before entering enquire by saying, ‘May I come in Sir / Madam’
   • If the door was closed before you entered, make sure you shut the door behind you softly.
   • Face the panel and confidently say ‘Good day Sir /Madam’
   • If the members of the interview board want to shake hands, then offer a firm grip first maintaining eye contact and a smile.
   • Seek permission to sit down. If the interviewers are standing, wait for them to sit down first before sitting.
2. Enthusiasm

• • The interviewer normally pays more attention if you display an enthusiasm in whatever you say.
  • You should maintain a cheerful disposition throughout the interview

1. Don’t Bluff:

• • If you do not know the answer to a question, it is better to acknowledge it, rather than trying to bluff your way through it.
  • The interviewer will respect your honesty.
  • In our experience, interviewers immediately take a stance of grilling a candidate if they suspect him of her of lying.

1. Interviewer Fatigue:

• • Mostly interviews are conducted the whole day leading to fatigued minds
  • A little humor as a starter will ease the fatigued mind
  • You must be proactive in offering information about yourself as the interviewers will be willing listeners.

1. Be well-mannered:

• • The way you conduct yourself reflects your upbringing and your culture.
  • It is good to project an air of humility
  • Over confidence is often misinterpreted by interviewees as arrogance

1. Avoid Slang:

• • During an interview, slang will probably not be understood, and certainly not appreciated. Your communication needs to be as formal and explicit as possible.

1. Be poised:

• • Your posture during the interview adds or diminishes your personality.
  • You should keep all certificates, testimonials and other relevant documents neatly on the table, preferably in a single file.
  • It is vital to be conscious about your posture and gesticulations as they tell a lot about our personality.

1. Eye contact:

• • You must eye contact with the panel, right through the interview. This shows your self-confidence and honesty
  • Many interviewees’ while answering, tend to look away. This conveys you are concealing your own anxiety, fear and lack of confidence.

1. Listen carefully:

• • It is imperative for you to listen carefully to the questions being asked.
  • If a question is not clear, it would be quite in order for you to seek clarification on the same.
  • Seeking clarification is far better than giving an irrelevant answer.
  • It is very annoying when an interviewee misinterprets the questions, and answers by saying something which is irrelevant.

1. Be natural:

• • Many interviewees adopt a stance which is not their natural self.
  • Interviewers appreciate a natural person rather than an actor.
  • It is best for you to talk in the natural manner because then you appear genuine.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS ASKED IN A PERSONAL INTERVIEW:

• 1. Tell me about yourself.

• • This is a very general question in which you can say almost anything about yourself.

• • Prepare yourself for such a question so that you can tell about those things which are important such as basic details, your personality traits, achievements, aspirations, motivations and ambitions.
  • Remember that a two sentence answer will only convey how little there is to know about your

Q What are your strengths and weakness?

• This is a question that has stumped many an interviewee.
• It is asked to ascertain how much you know about yourself, since a person who knows oneself well is likely to be more effective in life.
• Go to the interview having thought out well in advance what your strengths and weakness are and how you intend to improve on your weaknesses.

Q Tell us about your family background.

• This question is asked by interviewers in order to determine the social, cultural, religious and economic milieu you have come from.
• It gives the interviewer a clue about your attitudes and values
• The best approach for such a question is to bring out not only the facts of parentage and background but also some of the good principals they have taught you. Mention family values.

THE BOTTOMLINE:

Managing yourself effectively under all circumstances is critical to your success. Tell yourself that you are as much an architect of a good interview as the panel. You will enjoy the experience with this perspective.

And lastly,

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!!!

Website: http://www.training-classes.com/learn/_k/p/e/r/personal_interview/
http://www.businessworld.in/b_school/gd_article6.asp
Book Reference:

1. How to prepare for group discussion and interview (with Audio Cassette)

By: Prasad H.M.

Published By: Tata Mcgraw-Hill

1. How to prepare for GD and Interview, 2/E

By: Prasad, Hari Mohan, Rajnish

Published By: Prentice hall of India