Three excellent reviews are already posted under this category. But then I thought I should make some contribution to in this section. This review of mine is just a supplement to what the other three members have already mentioned. I have tried hard not repeat what the previous writers have touched upon. After reading Sujay’s review I thought well what’s left that he hasn’t touched. But as luck would have it, he (mercifully) did leave something for me. Now my advice to all you members who read this review of mine is to also read sujay’s review by the title “How to make that ’’elusive cut’’ “ as this review deals with just some parts of successful negotiation of an interview that he hasn’t touched.
Group Discussion
Here a topic of interest (professional or general) is given to a group, to discuss and arrive at some conclusion if possible within a given time. A normal group discussion is conducted with group size varying from anything between 8 to 15 members anything more than this will not allow enough opportunities for the members of the group. Also the average group discussion lasts for anything between 10 to 15 minutes. Which gives anything, from one to one and half minutes per person to speak his/her mind out (assuming everyone speaks and lets everyone else speak).
The purpose of this exercise is dual from the prospective employer’s point of view.
It eliminates the chore of personally interviewing a large number of prospective job aspirants.
More importantly it gives a sort of indication of how the aspirant behaves in a group, remember almost all jobs require interaction with others, so inter-personal behavior is of great importance.
Tips for successful negotiation of GD
The applicant needs to understand that GD is about a Group and not about hogging the limelight yourself. Also it’s a discussion not an argument. The two most common mistakes people in a GD are talking for too long and of course getting involved in arguments with others in the group who have conflicting view points. Also GD is not about thrusting your views on the rest of the group, if you can persuade the group to agree with you that’s appreciated though.
Usually there are points for opening remarks in a GD. The person who volunteers to speak first in a GD should remember he/she usually determines the direction of the discussion. A good opening introduces the topic to the group, lists briefly the pros and cons and if the topic is vast then sets the limits or scope of the discussion taking into consideration the time available.
During the discussion the following points can be taken into account
1.Maintain a good posture (Read a review by meenaj on kinesics the science of body language, listed under this same category)
2. Speak to the group rather than to the individuals or the walls or the flooring.
3. Use a friendly tone; also make sure you are neither too loud nor too feeble.
4. Try not to interrupt another person, incase you have a point to make just raise your hand, so that the group knows you have something to say.
5. Show keen interest in what others have to say.
6. Politely let the group know if it is digressing from the topic.
7. Persuade and encourage reluctant speakers to express what they feel about the topic in discussion. Very politely remind any member who is taking up too much time about the time factor.
8. If possible moderate the group.
9. Be as brief as possible with your views and provide backups to your view points with facts that are verifiable.
10. If not very sure about the topic, you can still make a mark in the GD by listening what others say and using their points in your own words, adding that little bit extra. No point for repeating exactly what some else has stated. You are only wasting the group’s time then.
11. You may have started the GD with a particular opinion. It’s not considered a failure, if during the course of the discussion you have accepted a diametrically opposite view point because some has convinced you about it. Remember this is not a debate where in you have to stick to your guns till you drop dead. But you shouldn’t keep changing sides every now and then. Unless it’s a GD organized by a political party to choose its candidates for election.
12. Keep a watch on time, when you think there is just about enough time left in the discussion, it’s a good idea to sum up the discussion. Points to remember here are that you should sum what the group feels not what you feel. If the group arrived at any particular consensus you may announce that or you may just present the pros and cons as expressed by the group. You can end by thanking the interviewers for having given the opportunity to discuss such a relevant issue on behalf of the group.
The group discussion is more often referred to as the elimination round. This is because it often aims at cutting down the number of prospective applicants. Also here the interviewers are trained to look at the negatives as much as looking at the positives.
Once you negotiate this hurdle the next round of is probably the “actual interview”. Interviews are sometimes classified as personal interviews (more questions about the person, family, education, general topics of interest etc) and technical interviews (concentrating more on the specific nature of the job that’s applied for). Incase there is not a need for two rounds then these two rounds are usually combined.
My prescription for a successful interview once you are in front of the panel is “confidence”. Actually there is no need to be not confident. Just look at the following facts...
Any company requires a good employee as much as, you need a good company to work with. So no one is doing you a favour by interviewing you.
Focus of a good interview is on finding out how much you know, rather than how much you don’t know.
There perfect person is a myth. Each one of us have our own strengths and weakness. It might not be possible to answer all questions at an interview correctly. But it is definitely possible to steer an interview in the direction you want it go. Its here that your CV is important. It’s observed that various details provided in your CV are often basis to a very good percentage of the questions asked during your interview. (For tips on CV read “well begun is half hone” by sujay (again) and don’t forget to read the comments too).
As far the questions as concerned there can only be two types of questions one that requires a general answer based on your experience and analytical ability and the other a specific answer which is based on facts. For the first since it’s your opinion or view that’s asked you can never be wrong about it can you? For the second type of question where facts are involved once again there are three possible scenarios.
I.You know the answer and you are confident that you know it.
II.You know the answer but you are not sure if it is correct.
III.You don’t know the answer and you are confident that you don’t know it.
Now if it’s the first case you case you confidently present your answer. If it’s the third case then you again with confidence make it known to the panel that you aren’t aware of the answer. If it’s the second scenario, once again confidently start your answers with something like “Well I am not a 100 percent sure about this one, but if my knowledge serves me right, then the answer is……………” So act with confidence and get that!