EmploymentCommunicationGroupDiscussionsAndInterviews

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Unit15EmploymentCommunication GroupDiscussions AndInterviews

Structure
15.1 Introduction Objectives 15.2 WhatisaGroupDiscussion? 15.2.1SkillsrequiredforaGroupDiscussion 15.2.2TypesofGroupDiscussions SelfAssessmentQuestions1 15.3 AttendingJobInterviews 15.3.1 BeforetheJobInterview 15.3.2 DuringtheJobInterview 15.3.3 AftertheJobInterview 15.3.4 TheInterviewersPerspective SelfAssessmentQuestions2 15.4 Summary 15.5 TerminalQuestions 15.6 AnswerstoSAQsandTQs 15.1Introduction While resumes and cover letters are used by prospective employers to screen and shortlist candidates, the actual process of evaluation and selection is done through group discussions and personal interviews. Thenew model ofbusiness is based on thegroup, rather than the individual. Thereforegroupdiscussionsareusefulinassessingtheapplicantsabilitytocommunicateeffectively inagroupsituation,ratherthaninisolation.Personalinterviewsassesstheapplicantsknowledge, skillsandaptitudes,inafacetoface,oneononesituation.GDsandinterviewsrequireaseparate setofskills,aswellasextensivepreparation.Thisunitwillfocusontheseexclusiveskillsandoffer someguidelinesforthepreparationofGDsandjobinterviews.

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LearningObjectives: Afterstudyingthisunit,youshouldbeableto.

1. Understandthemeaningandpurposeofgroupdiscussions 2. Participateactivelyandeffectivelyingroupdiscussions 3. Improveyouroverallteamskills 4. Conductyourselfandperformbetterinjobinterviews 5. Understandhowtoturninterviewsintojoboffers

15.2WhatIsAGroupDiscussion?(GD) A group discussion is a forum where peoplediscuss a topic, with the common objective of finding a solution to a problem. The members areexpected to arriveata common consensus. Duringthediscussion,itisimportantthattheintentionofthemembersistofacilitatetheexchangeof views.Allthemembersofthegrouparerequiredtoparticipateandtolistentotheviewsoftheother members. As a speaker, you should modify what you say, based on the points that the other membersofthegroupmake,whilethediscussionisinprogress. Thepurposeofgroupdiscussionsistomeasurecertaintraitsoftheparticipants,whichareotherwise difficult to identify and take time to assess. It is common for people who can communicate their ideaswellanddiscusseffectivelywithothers,inaonetoonesituation,tobecomesilentinagroup situation.Theywillnotbeabletopresentordiscusstheirideaswiththeothermembersofthegroup. Agroupdiscussionhelpstoidentifypeoplewhohavesuchgroupskillsandpeoplewhodonot. Today,itisveryessentialforjobapplicantstohavegroupcommunicationskills.Whenyouenterthe realworld,youdonotworkinisolation.Decisionmakingtakesplaceafterdiscussingrelevantissues withothersbeitsuperiors,peersorsubordinates.Veryoften,youwillneedtointeractwithmore thanonepersonatthesametime,whichisverysimilartoaGDtypeofsituation. Agroupdiscussioniscoordinatedbyapersonknownasthemoderator.Sometimes,theremaybe morethanonemoderator.Themoderatorisaneutralperson,eitherfromtheorganizationconducting the GD, or a professional. He is normally an experienced person who has the ability to judge the performanceofeverymemberofthegroup,evenifitisalargeone.Hisprimaryroleistoevaluate theperformanceofeveryparticipant. Heistheonewhoannouncesthetopicandkeepstrackofthe

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time and the way in which the GD progresses. Generally, he does not interfere during the GD. However,hemayinterveneintwosituations i) Whenthegroupdiscussespointsthatarenotrelevanttothegiventopic. ii) Whenthediscussiondoesnottakeplaceinanorderlymanner.. Inthefirstcase,themoderatormayinterferetobringthediscussionbackontrack.Inthesecond case,hemaystoptheGDtemporarily,tillordersettlesin.Themoderatoralsohastherighttoaska participant to stop talking, when he dominates the GD. In other words, the moderator is only a facilitator or an observer, who is present to help the smooth functioning of the GD and to evaluatetheparticipantsduringtheprocess. The GD is highly structured. The seating arrangement for a GD is decided by the moderator. Generally, the participants are made to sit in a circular/ semicircular fashion, a u shape, or in a rectangular boardroom seating arrangement. In most cases, the group size ranges from 8 to 15 participants per group. However, it may also be larger, depending on the organization which is conductingtheGD.TheparticipantsareallottedspecificseatsintheGD. Thetimethatisnormallyallottedtoagroupfordiscussingthetopicis1520minutes.However,it is up to the moderator to terminate the discussion much earlier, or to extend it by a few more minutes. 15.2.1SkillsRequiredForAGroupDiscussion There are certain specific parameters on which the participants of a GD are evaluated by the moderator.Theyare: 1. Content 2. Communication 3. GroupBehavior 4. Leadershipskills 1. Content:Youwillbetestedforwhatyouhavetosayaboutthetopic.Themoderatorwilltest howwellversedyouarewiththeselectedtopic,theextentofyourknowledgeandyourgeneral awareness. So content becomes an important aspect of the evaluation process. It is very importantforyoutoclearlydisplayyourunderstandingofalltheissuesrelatedtothetopic.

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In a GD, the group should gain from its interaction with you, because of what you have to contribute. You should take every opportunity to exhibit your knowledge of the topic in a GD. However,youshouldlimityourideastothetopicunderdiscussionandnotgooverboard,justto showthatyouarewellread. 2. Communication:Thisreferstohowyousaysomething,whichisasimportantaswhatyou say.Therearethreeaspectstocommunication i) Convey what you want to say correctly Very often, the listener interprets the message differentlyfromwhatweintendedtoconvey.Thissuggeststhatwehavenotputacrossourideas properlyandcorrectly.OneoftheskillsrequiredinaGDistoensurethattherearenosuchgaps duringcommunicationandtoconveythemessageclearly,sothatitisunderstoodinthewayin whichitisintended. ii)ListenThisisasimportantinaGDasspeaking.AGDdoesnotmeanthatyouhavetomaster theskillsofspeakingalone.Itisasmuchaboutlisteningtoothersideas,asabouttellingthem yourideas.Youhavetomakesurethatyoufocusyourattentiononwhatothergroupmembers aresaying,insteadofconcentratingonlyonspeaking. iii) Pay attention to language Correct use of language is another important aspect of communication. This does not mean using flowery language just to impress. It means using wordsintherightcontext.AGDshouldnotbeaforumtoshowoffyourlanguageorvocabulary skills.SimpleEnglishshouldbeused,avoidingcomplexwordsandlongwindedsentences. 3. GroupBehavior:ThisisthethirdparameteronwhichyouareevaluatedinaGroupDiscussion. Howeachparticipantinteractswiththeothermembersofthegroupisveryimportant.Even in a real life situation in an organization, all interaction is between superiors, peers and subordinates. You should listen to and understand the views expressed by the other group members,integratethemwithyourideasandhelparriveataconsensusinthediscussion.There is also a certain etiquette, or code of conduct to be observed during a GD. Shouting or interrupting to gain attention, or making rude remarks about others contributions are to be avoidedandwillonlydisqualifyyourchancesofsuccess. 4. LeadershipSkills: Participantswithleadershipskillswillbeeasilynoticed. Leadershipmeans showing direction to the group. It means displaying your knowledge, communicating

effectively and behaving maturely with your group members. What is required of you is an
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objectiveandbalancedapproach.Youhavetokeepinmindthatyouarenotparticipatinginthe GDtomakeanypolicydecisions,ortoconvinceallyourfellowgroupmembersthatyourpointof viewistheonlyonethattheyshouldfollow. 15.2.2TypesOfGroupDiscussions BasedonthetopicsthataregivenforGDs,theymaybedividedintotwobroadcategories: 1.TopicbasedGDs 2.CasebasedGDs 1.TopicbasedGDsInthistypeofGD,themoderatorgivesatopictothecandidates,orthey maybeallowedafewminutestoselecttheirowntopicfordiscussion.Bytheendofthediscussion, thegroupshouldattempttoarriveataconclusionontheissuethatiscoveredbythetopic. The topics that are chosen for a GD are generally of two types i)Knowledge based topics and ii)Abstracttopics. i) KnowledgebasedtopicsThesetopicsrequireextensiveknowledgetobeabletocontributeto theGD.Takeforexample,thetopicTheUSAismoreinterestedinthepetroleumoftheMiddle East,ratherthaninrealpeacethere.UnlessyouknowaboutthetroopssentbytheUSduring theGulfWar,theoutcomeofthewarandtheviewsaboutotherneighboringcountries,including India, you will not be able to speak effectively on the topic. Knowledgebased topics cover currenteconomicissues,aswellasnoneconomicissues. Althoughpastissuesarealsogiven as GD topics, the focus is usually on topics of current relevance. Some of the important categoriesofknowledgebasedtopicsare Economic related topics: These may be related to domestic or international issues and account for the majority of topics given for GDs. They require good content knowledge and familiarity with facts and figures about the national and international economy. For example, familiarity with critical economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product, the plan outlay, sectoral allocations from the budget, trade and fiscal balances, export and import items and values,bankingconceptsandinterestrates,stockindices,etc.,isneeded. SocialTopics:Examplesofsuchtopicsinclude,Prostitutionshouldbelegalized,orReligion is the opium of masses. While social topics generally have a greater national content base, some amount of content may be regionspecific. Therefore, when you are discussing social

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topics, you should be clear about both the general nature of the topic, as well as the specific manifestationsofthesocialissue. Political Topics: Such topics should be discussed in an objective manner. You should not restrict your discussion to the problem that is mentioned in the topic, but should also include connected topics. For example, What if the communists came to power?, or Plans to attract foreigninvestmentsareinterdependentaspectsthatwillhavetobestudiedandnoteddown,so thattheycomeinhandyinaGD. Sports/Filmrelatedtopics:ThesearealsocommoninanumberofGDs,sincetheyarean integralpartofIndiansociety.Ageneralawarenessaboutsportsandfilmsisneededtobeable to participate effectively. Sports topics are usually selected from recently concluded tournaments, such as World Cups and Olympics. They may be general in nature, such as Should companies announce holidays during International Games?, or specific to a particular gameorsportsperson,suchasSachinTendulkarscricketdaysareoverThesameistrueof filmbasedtopics.Anumberoffilmsarenowbeingusedascasestudiesinbusinessschools. IT based: IT being a prominent sector, topics based on information technology often feature amongthelistoftopicsfordiscussion.WhileITindicatestechnology,adiscussiononITbased topicsdoesnotmeanthatyouneedtohaveathoroughknowledgeofprogrammingorcomputer hardware. However,a general awareness oftopics such asegovernanceor networking would beneeded. ii) Abstracttopics: Thesearetopicswhichrequirecommonsense,morethancontentknowledge. Topicssuchas Black isblack and white is white and A thingofbeauty is a joyforeverare examples of abstract topics. By nature, they lend themselves to varied and widespread discussion.Theycanbebestdiscussedusingappropriateexamples. 2.CasebasedGDThistypeofGDismorestructuredandthedirectionofthediscussionisalmost predeterminedbytheidentifiedproblem.UnliketopicbasedGDs,theseGDsessentially move towardsasolution. Theyrequirelessregulationofthediscussionbythemoderator,sincethereis lessscopefordeviatingfromthetopic,comparedtothetopicbasedGDs. WhilediscussingthecasebasedGDs,youwillberequiredtoassumetheroleofthepersoninthe casewhoneedstotakeadecision.InatopicbasedGD,youpresentyourownviewsandopinions, withoutassumingtheroleofanybodyelse.
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Acaseusuallyhasaproblem,whichrequiresasolutionordecisiontobetaken.Yourapproachto takingthedecisionandyourinteractionwiththeothermembersofthegroupintheprocessoftaking thedecision,willbeevaluatedbythemoderator.Sometimes,themoderatormightaskyoutowritea summaryofthecasediscussionattheend. SelfAssessmentQuestion1 Arethefollowingstatementstrueorfalse? 1.AGDisafreewheelingdiscussion,withfullfreedomgiventoparticipantstoselecttopicsof theirchoice. 2.AGDevaluatesparticipantsbasedonthesolutionofferedtoaproblem 3.WhatyousayinaGDisasimportantashowyousayit. 4.Groupcommunicationskillsincludelisteningskills. 5.AcasebasedGDrequiresgreateranalyticalskillsthanatopicbasedGD. 15.3JobInterviews ThewordinterviewisderivedfromLatinandFrenchwordsmeaningtoseebetweenorseeeach other.Interviewsareconductedbyorganizationsforvariousreasonsforhiringemployees,inthe exit process when an employee is retiring, resigning or being fired, for employee performance appraisalsandsoon. A job interview is the logical outcome of an effective resume and cover letter, as well as good performance in a GD. It has the specific purpose of determining how well the applicant will meetthejobrequirementsandperformonthejob.Itisstructured,sincethetime,venue,duration, number of participants and matter to be discussed are all determined in advance. It is generally conductedinaformalmanner,withtheinterviewerfollowingapredeterminedagenda,suchasalist ofquestionstobeasked. Thesuccessofthejobinterviewdependsonthecommunicationskillsoftheparticipants,namelythe interviewer(s)andtheinterviewee.Boththeinterviewerandtheintervieweeshouldfollowastepby stepprocess,tomaketheinterviewasuccess

Preparation

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Meetingfacetoface Evaluatingtheinterview Takingaction

Wewilldiscussthesestepsindetail,fromthepointofviewofboththeintervieweeandthe interviewer. 15.3.1TheIntervieweesPerspectiveBeforeTheJobInterview As a job applicant, you will have to do some groundwork before the interview, prepare to do well duringtheinterview,assessyourperformanceanddosomefollowupaftertheinterview. Preinterviewplanningissimilartopreparingforasalespresentation.Youwillhavetosellyourselfto theprospectiveemployer,byhighlightingyouruniquestrengthsandbyconvincingtheemployerthat youarethe rightpersonfor the job. It also involves doinga thorough study of the organizationfor whichyouareinterviewing.Employersexpectapplicantstogatherinformationabouttheorganization inadvanceanddonotwanttowastepreciousinterviewtimeprovidingsuchinformation. Several sources are available for researching an organization, including business publications, financial newspapers, annual reports, companywebsites and interviews with company employees. Theinformationthatajobapplicantneedstogatheraboutacompanyincludesthefollowing

Nameofthecompany Itsstatusintheindustry,intermsofmarketshare,ranking,sales,assetsandnumberof employees

Recentdevelopmentsinthecompany Scopeofthecompanywhetheritislocal,nationalorinternational Namesofthetopmanagement Productsandservicesoffered Plansforfuturegrowth,suchasexpansionanddiversification

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Inaddition,youwillneedtogatherjobrelatedinformation,suchasthefollowing

Jobtitle Requiredqualifications,knowledgeandskills Jobcontent Thereportingstructuretowhomwouldyoureportandwhowouldreporttoyou? Opportunitiesfortraininganddevelopment,foracquiringnewskills Opportunitiesforcareeradvancement

Preparation before the interview also involves doing a selfanalysis, to assess your own abilities, strengths, weaknesses, interests andpreferences. For example, are youa team player, or do you work better alone? Would you prefer a traveling job or a desk job? Do you enjoy interacting with people? You should list out the company and job requirements in one column and your own qualificationsandneedsinanothercolumn,toseeifthereisagoodfit.Thiswillhelpyoutoprepare betterfortheinterview. Part of preinterviewpreparation is to anticipate the kinds of questionsthat might be askedby the interviewer and to prepare answers to these questions. A list of commonly asked questions is providedinalatersection,undertheInterviewersPerspective. Last,butmostimportant,isplanningyourpersonalappearanceandattire.Youneedtofindoutifthe companyhasadresscodeandtrytolookanddressasifyoualreadyworkforthatcompany. 15.3.2DuringTheJobInterview Onceyouhavegonethroughthepreparationstage,youarereadytofacetheactualinterview.This isthemostimportantstageofthejobapplicationprocess,duringwhichattentionshouldbepaidto thefollowingaspects

OpeningformalitiesSinceitisimportanttocreateagoodfirstimpression,thewayyougreet and introduce yourself is important. Using the name of the interviewer correctly, giving a firm handshake,waitingtillyouareaskedtobeseatedandsittingwithanerectposture,arecommon courtesiesthatshouldbeobservedtoprojectagoodimage.

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NonverbalcommunicationThiswasdiscussedindetailinanearlierunit.Itwasemphasized thatinfacetofacecommunication,nonverbalcuescanenhancecommunicationandconveya positive message. Apart from a firm handshake and erect posture, your nonverbal behavior shouldindicatethatyouareconfidentandattentivetowhattheinterviewerissaying.Directeye contact,facialgesturesandnoddingtoshowthatyouarelistening,areallimportantaspectsof nonverbalcommunicationthatshouldbeobservedduringtheinterview.

Group interviews A group interview is one where a panel of interviewers interview a single applicant. The group may comprise people from different functional areas in the organization, suchasHR,MarketingandFinance.Whenaskedaquestionbyoneofthegroupmembers,itis commoncourtesytomakeeyecontactwithandtoaddressyourresponsestoalltheinterviewers.

TwowayinterviewAlthoughtheapplicantstaskisprimarilytolistenandtheinterviewersjob isprimarilytoaskquestions,itisinthehandsoftheapplicanttomakethecommunicationatwo wayprocess.Apartfromansweringquestions,theintervieweeshouldshowinterestinthejoband thecompany,byaskingrelevantquestions,whereverpossible.

HonestyandhumilityItisimportanttobehonestandtoavoidbluffingorbeatingaroundthe bush, if you do not know the answer to a particular question. Employers appreciate honesty, rather thanover smartanswers. Humility is equally important. Forexample, when askedabout your weaknesses, donot state that you have no weaknesses. Another point to remember isto avoidexaggeration.Forexample,ifyouarebeinginterviewedbyatopexecutiveofthecompany, donotsuggestthatyoucanturnthecompanyaround!

Positive answers Do not speak ill of yourpreviousemployers. If asked about yourprevious experiences,youmaygivehonestfeedback,butyoushoulddosotactfully.Youranswersshould alwaysendonapositivenote.

SalarydiscussionAnydiscussiononsalaryshouldbeinitiatedbytheinterviewerandnotby the interviewee, especially during the initial interview. When asked about your salary expectations, you should indicate a range, rather than a specific figure. Therefore, you should

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havefoundoutthegeneralsalaryrangeforcandidateswithyourqualificationsandexperience, beforetheinterview. Only then can you give a reasonable response to the question. You also need to assess your own experience, qualifications and whether you have other job offers, before responding to a questiononsalaryexpectations.

Closing the interview How you close the interview is as important as how you open it. Normally,theinterviewergivesasignalwhentheinterviewisover,eitherthroughbodylanguage, orbymakingacommentonthenextstepforaction.Atthispoint,youmustthanktheinterviewer, giveanotherfirmhandshakeandsaythatyoulookforwardtohearingfromthecompanysoon. Sometimes, the interviewer may conclude by inviting you to ask questions. In this case, you should only ask questions that are relevant to the job or the organization and avoid asking questionsrelatedtoyourperformanceintheinterview.Itwouldbeagoodideatopreparealistof questionstoaskandtoreservesomeofthesequestionsfortheendoftheinterview.

15.3.3AfterTheJobInterview Thisstageinvolvesthethirdandfourthstepsintheinterviewingprocessevaluatingtheinterview andtakingappropriateaction. Fromtheapplicantspointofview,itisimportanttodoaselfassessmentofperformanceduringthe interview.Eveniftheapplicantisnotexpectingafavorableoutcome,itisimportanttosendathank youlettertotheinterviewerimmediately,expressinggratitudeforhavingbeengiventheopportunity ofafacetofacemeeting.Thiswillretainthegoodwilloftheemployerandincreaseanychancesof being considered for future openings. If the applicant has been given an indication of a favorable outcome, the followup action should be even more prompt. Any documents or certificates to be submittedshouldbesentwithoutdelay.Ifasecondinterviewhastobeattended,itisimportantto startthepreparationandgroundworkforthisimmediately. 15.3.4TheInterviewersPerspective Justliketheinterviewee,theinterviewerisequallyresponsibleforthesuccessoftheinterviewand needstofollowthefourstepsintheinterviewingprocess.

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1.Preparation This stage includes deciding the purpose of the interview ( for example, a preliminaryintervieworafinalinterview),thestyleoftheinterview (formalorinformal,structuredorunstructured)andthephysicalsetup (e.g., seating arrangements).If the interview is to be a structured one for example, the interviewer shouldmakesurethatallthequestionsarearrangedinapropersequenceandareadequatetoget sufficientinformationfromtheapplicant.

The interviewer also needs to assess and understand his own communication and listening skills, personal prejudices, perceptions and other barriers that may come in the way of effective communication.Similarly,heshouldstudythebackground,aspirationsandvaluesoftheinterviewee inadvance. 2.MeetingfacetofaceTheinterviewershouldshowflexibilityandtrytomaketheapplicantfeelat easeduringtheinterview.Heshouldestablishgoodrapportwiththeapplicantandensurethatthat thecommunicationisatwowayprocess. Mostjobinterviewsarestructuredandtheinterviewergoesthroughalistofquestionsthathavebeen predetermined.Somecommonlyaskedinterviewquestionsareshowninthetablebelow

COMMONLYASKEDINTERVIEWQUESTIONS

1. Whatareyourlongtermandshorttermcareergoals?Howareyoupreparingto achievethem? 2. Whatdoyouseeyourselfdoingfiveyearsfromnow? 3. Whatdoyouconsidertobeyourmainstrengthsandweaknesses? 4. Whatmotivatesyoutoputforthyourbesteffort?

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5. Whydoyouthinkyouaresuitableforthisposition? 6. Inwhatwaysdoyouthinkyoucancontributetoourcompany? 7. Whatarethequalitiesofasuccessfulmanager?

8. Whatisyourleadershipstyle? 9. Whataccomplishmenthasgivenyouthegreatestsatisfaction?Why? 10. Describeyourmostrewardingcollegeexperience. 11. Describeanymajorproblemthatyoufacedandhowyoudealtwiththeproblem. 12. Howdoyoucopewithpressure? 13. Whatdoyouknowaboutourcompany? 14. Whattwoorthreethingsaremostimportanttoyouinyourjob? 15. Howwouldyoudescribetheidealjob? 16. Whatacademicsubjectsdidyoulikebestandleast?

17. Whathaveyoulearntfromparticipationinextracurricularactivities? 18. Howwouldyoudescribeyourself?

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3. Evaluation This stage arises at the end of the interview. The interviewer should assess the interview, as well as the applicants performance, based on certain parameters. The specific parametersandthemethodofassessmentshouldhavebeendecidedinadvance. 4.ActionBasedontheevaluationofperformance,theinterviewershoulddecidewhethertoask the applicant to attend further interviews, or to make a decision based on a single interview. The interviewer should also decide how to communicatefurther with the interviewee for example, by sendinghimanofferletter,aletterofrejection,orbycallinghimforanotherinterview. Theinterviewerwoulddowelltofollowcertainoverallguidelines,tomaketheintervieweffective

Takebriefnotesduringtheinterview,sothatimportantpointscanbereferredtolater,ifrequired. Use body language appropriately, to put the applicant at ease for example, a friendly tone, directeyecontacttoindicateinterest,arelaxedbodypostureandnoddingoftheheadtoindicate acknowledgement,canmaketheinterviewlessstressfulfortheapplicant.

Organize questions in the right sequence avoid asking the difficult questionsfirst, since they maymaketheapplicanttense.

Ask questions that allow the applicant to speak freely and to open up a discussion. Questions thatmaybeansweredwithayesornodonotcontributemuch,whereasquestionsthatask how,whatorwhy(suchasthosementionedintheabovetable)willelicitelaborateanswers fromtheapplicant.

SelfAssessmentQuestion2 Matchthefollowing

1. Preinterviewpreparationa.Bodylanguage 2. Duringtheinterview b.Thankyouletter

3. Commonlyaskedinterviewquestionc.Opportunityforcareer

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advancement 4. Actionstage d.Strengthsandweaknesses

5. Jobrelatedinformatione.Structuringtheinterview

15.4Summary
Employment communication also includes participating in and conducting group discussions and attendingandconductingjobinterviews.Groupdiscussionsandjobinterviewsareusedtoevaluate and select job applicants who have been screened and short listed, based on their resumes and coverletters. A group discussion is a discussion on a specific topic among a group of participants, with the objectiveofarrivingatasolutiontoaproblem,oratacommonconsensus.Thepurposeofagroup discussion is to evaluate the group communication skills of a job applicant, as opposed to his/her individualcommunicationskills.Agroupdiscussionsimulatestherealworldsituation,sinceworking inanorganizationandtakingdecisionsrequireinteractionwithothers,ratherthanactinginisolation. Thegroupdiscussioniscoordinatedbyamoderator,whoisaneutralpersonfromtheorganization conductingtheinterview.Themoderatorsroleisoneofanobserverandafacilitator,whoensures thesmoothconductofaGD.He/shemayinterveneatanypoint,ifthediscussionisnotfocusedon thetopic.Themoderatormustalsoevaluatetheperformanceofallparticipantsinthegroup. ParticipantsofaGDaregenerallyevaluatedbasedonthefollowingcriteria 1. Content 2. Communication 3. GroupBehavior 4. LeadershipSkills GDsareoftwodifferenttypes1)TopicbasedGDsand2)CasebasedGDs. TopicbasedGDsinturnmaybea)knowledgebased,suchaseconomic,political,social,sports/film based, or IT based topics, or b) abstract topics. Case based GDs are more difficult, since they requireanalytical,decisionmakingandproblemsolvingskills.

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Ajobinterviewisgenerallystructuredandrequiresboththeinterviewerandtheintervieweetofollow fourstepspreparation,meetingfacetoface,evaluationandaction.Thesuccessoftheinterview dependsonboththeinterviewerandtheinterviewee. Beforetheinterview,theintervieweehastodosomegroundwork,includingthefollowing

Gathercompanyandjobrelatedinformation Doaselfanalysis Anticipatethequestionsthatmightbeaskedandprepareanswers Planhis/herpersonalappearance

Duringtheinterview,theintervieweemustpayattentiontothefollowingaspects

Openingandclosingformalities Usingbodylanguagecorrectly Makingtheinterviewatwowayprocess Addressingallinterviewersinagroupinterview Handlingsalarydiscussiontactfully Showinghonestyandhumility Givingpositiveanswers

Aftertheinterview,theintervieweemustassesshis/herperformanceandtakeappropriateaction, suchassendingthankyouletters. Theintervieweronhispart,mustalsopreparefortheinterview,bydeterminingthepurpose,style, physicalsetupandthenumberandtypeofquestionstobeasked.Duringtheinterview,he/shemust follow certain guidelines such as note taking, positive body language and proper organization of questions,soastoputtheapplicantatease.

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TerminalQuestions 1.PrepareacodeofconductforaGD,listingoutthedosandthedontsforparticipants. 2.Selectapositionthatyouwouldliketoapplyfor,inacompanyofyourchoice.Describehow youwouldgoaboutpreparingforaninterviewforthisspecificposition. 3.ImaginethatyouaretheHRManageroftheabovecompany,conductingthisinterview. Describehowyouwouldpreparefortheinterviewintermsofpurpose,style,physicalsetup andorganizationofquestions. AnswerstoSelfAssessmentQuestions SelfAssessmentQuestions1

1. False 2. False 3. True 4. True 5. True

SelfAssessmentQuestions2

1. e 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. c
AnswertoTerminalQuestions 1.Refer15.2,15.2.1,15.2.2 2.Refer15.3.1 3.Refer15.3.4

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