Importance of Group Discussion in a Screening Process

Why do employers conduct group discussions? What is the need to conduct a group discussion when a candidate may have appeared for an aptitude test? What does a company expect from its employees? The answer is simple. Teamwork and interpersonal skills, communication, leadership, assertiveness, flexibility, reasoning ability and out of the box thinking, etc., reflect one’s personality traits and soft skills. GD’s are a powerful way of assessing a candidate’s personality and soft skills.

Prior to a GD, the assessment of a candidate by his potential employer is based on his resume and aptitude test scores and the employer has no way to judge the above mentioned critical attributes of the candidate.

With the PGDM 2014-16 batch preparing for the upcoming placement season, below are a few key steps which will enable them to succeed in a Group Discussion:

• Be well versed about recent events and news around the world
• Practice public speaking by involving yourself in presentations.
• Be well groomed and have a professional attire
• Be confident and calm
• Be polite and mature in your approach during the discussion
• Be alert at all times during the discussion
• Speak clearly, correctly and confidently
• Do not be repetitive. Listen attentively to all the points being discussed so as to avoid this mistake
• Speak when you feel you have something to contribute. Speaking for the sake of it will not get you the points.

We wish all the students the best of luck as they gear up to prepare for the upcoming placement season.