TISS GD/PI Experience

Posted by TCYonline.com on June 10, 2010

Contributed By Ashish Kolvalker
This was probably my best – but didnt get me da result expected .

Date and time: April 16th – 9:30 am
Place: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai

Reached at around 2 pm on Sunday the 15th and spent that evening at TISS – met many new PG friends – Vachan, Rajiv and of course later Saki and Ram (whom I already knew)… the stay overnite was nice – doesnt feel as if u are in Mumbai when inside the campus at TISS – small in size but really nice to have a walk in da evenings etc – and extremely conducive atmosphere and surroundings for study – and well – the latest news is that TISS has become wi-fi – all da info was poured in from Babu who met us on Sun evening and answered a lot of questions from our side…

Woke up early in da morning – got ready and went to the main lounge where there was a smal crowd – not as much as expected – we had a small presentation on the know-how of TISS by a second-year’ite of the HRM/LR program… later we came up and were grouped into different batches (as put on da notice board) – and were led to da different classes for the GD/PI – Mine was in class XI – 8 of us (2 absent) – 4 boys 4 gals… so even ratio

GD: Globalisation is a mixed blessing for the youth of today (it was the same topic for all the batches in my main group) – the other group had got Gandhian values etc etc… ( though the topics are being changed evryday – so dont go by them )

Very decent GD – chipped in a lot of times… was surprised by da female junta as some spoke real well, and real fluently. By da way we ourselves decided that we wud use paper, and recollect our thoughts for sometime – the 2 supervisors didnt have a prob with it – though when we decided on the topic as globalisation and started writing, one of them said ‘Isnt this a GD ?? ‘ – and well – one of the ladies started rite away. Two of the females seemed to be dominating the show – though all guys spoke well too – and well – chipped in a lott of good points – though the youth aspect was kinda fading away with all the industrial and economic aspect takin toll of da topic :mg: – all of us spoke without majorly cutting others – as we had been reminded that domination of the GD wud lead to getting -ve points.

Rating: 8/10

After this – we were led into a room, and were told that there is still some time for the PI. Hence we moved off – grabbed a vada-paav for a quick bite and then came back – to our disbelief the PI’s had already begun – apparently the people were being called RANDOMLY. Was surprised at this – but there was nothin we cud do. We just gave our names, and sat there hopin for a quick call. I was called in just before the lunch call – though they dedided later that I too shud be pushed in after lunch . So i went ahead, ate somethin and returned. The wait before the PI was long. The PI finally happened at around 3 to 3:15 pm. I was all jittery before as I had heard my panel had been stressing the people in da morning and blasting on GK… finally I was in…

PI: The panel – Oldish smiling lady – L (did almost all questioning)
Elderly man in between – E
Different lookin elderly person with long tied hair – D
Bakra moi – B

B (enters and wishes all – sits)
E: Whats these documents? (pointing to my change of name docs)
B: (Explains what were they)
E: But why did you change your name ?
B: blah blah
All 3 of them: Ok ok
L (smiling eternally :mg: ) – So u are working in XXX – how long?
B: blah blah
L: Oh – thats a lot of time – wat are u working in?
B: blah blah (cool workex questions :mg:)
L: Ohk so such a nice field – why do u want to come into HR?
B: Blah blah blah blah -( some kind of an answer which I had thought of… explained properly – wat do I get — EXPRESSIONLESS faces from all except from L – she is smiling in an understanding manner – E is checkin my papers/docs/certificates)…
E: So what do you know about HR as a field?
B: blah blah – tell them the basics
(all shaking head except D of course )
L: Ok – so Ashish tell me bout what you think of women in this present day corporate world? And what are the issues faced by them ?
B: blah blah – sexual harrasment, ego problems from men, etc etc
L: Ohkie – so wat are the things companies have been doin to prevent such things like sexual harrasment?
B: blah blah
(trying to maintain eye contact with all – but E is busy with file – doesnt look at me AT ALL – and D is well – blank – stone-faced – no expressions! )
L: Ohkie – so tell me about the reservations issue now -
wat do u think bout the reservations issue in the private sector?
B: Blah blah blah blah
L: Ohk cool – (looks at others for their turn)
D (all of a sudden): What are the different central trade unions in India?
B: (says somethin which goes kinda unheard)
D: wattt???
B: blah blah (explains)
E: Ohkay yes yes
D: (shaking head)
D: Can you name some trade union in the unorganized sector?
B: umm – dont think I know any – but i guess BMS can be one of them
D: (smilingly looks at L)
Moi understands that my answer is wrong
D: So which are the new states in India??
B: blah blah
(all quiet for sometime)
L: (asks E if he wants to ask any questions)
E: No nothin actually – so bout ur hostel accomodation at TISS — blah blah ( they were askin this to all at their interviews)
B: blah blah
L: Ohkay thats it then – thanx Ashish
E: yes thanks
D: expressionless
B: (wishes and exits)

Approx 15 min – Dont know wat to say – questions were ok and I answered without any gaps etc -managed it well- but hardly any reaction from the panel – except for the lady at times… the people before me and those after me had a similar kinda interview – though not entirely on GK questions – theirs were even shorter – some 8 to 9 min…
Looks like they were lookin for more than just mere answers…

Rating: 8.5 to 9/10 (from my side)

Travelled in da evening to Churchgate to meet a friend and stayed overnite with him – had kinda fun – and then travelled back to airport da next morning to catch flite back to Blore – Saki (chaosunlimited) and another girl accompanied me in it – so that was good fun too

General opinion: Diverse interviews being conducted – entirely on luck which panel u get, and also how ur interview goes. Heard later that my panel conducted stress interviews in the latter half of the day… was again surprised at that… The panel with the dean was stressing most of da guys (like every year) – so guess people had to watch out there…
Source:  http://ashishyahoo.blogspot.com

‘I nailed my IIM group discussion & interview!’

Posted by TCYonline.com on June 9, 2010

Contributed By Bharat Jhurani
The CAT results have been declared and IIM hopefuls are now focussed on acing the secong leg of the admissions process — the group discussions (GD) and the personal interview (PI).

To help students prepare themselves for all the possible twists and turns a personal interview can take, we publish first-hand experiences of students who managed to breeze through their PI and others who crashed and burned.

Here, Bharat Jhurani, a first-year student at IIM Lucknow, shares his interview experience as a part of the CAT selection process.

I am an electronics and communications engineer from the GITAM college of engineering (Non-NIT, IIT!), Visakhapatnam and I graduated in 2007(yup, a fresher!).

My lone IIM call — after all those arduous AIM CATS — topping them, working hard and even managing a 99.36 percentile in CAT — was from IIM Lucknow. One single IIM call! The reason? My slightly low score in the Verbal Ability section.

Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk. I decided to give this my best shot.

My group discussion and interview were scheduled on February 17 at 2 pm, the venue being Hotel Monarch, Bangalore. I was made part of Panel II and my number was 9 (why is it always Number 9?). I was called in for the GD and the essay at about 3 pm. There were two panel members presiding and 12 of us within the group. IIM-L is known for assigning abstract topics and it maintained its reputation upon this particular occasion. The topic? ‘The most effective way to eradicate poverty is through effective governance’.

As soon as it was dictated, we were asked to write a small essay in about 150 words within 5 minutes. After the stipulated time, the papers were taken away, leaving us to discuss the topic. With such an open-ended topic thrown in, it was literally a fish fight in the beginning — everyone was hurling in whatever facts they had at hand and I was no exception! I piped up quite a number of times during the process. Overall it was a pretty good GD, but it could have been better.

Then came the time for personal interviews — they were pretty short and I presented myself before the panel at 4:30 pm. It comprised of the same individuals who presided over the GD. My interview lasted for all of six minutes.

As I entered I was asked if I would like to enroll in the Agro-Business Management (ABM) course offered by the institute. I initially relented, but then informed them that I would prefer to leave it as a second option. So much for preparation!

Following this, I was asked the cliched question — ‘Tell us about yourself’ — which I answered reasonably well, highlighting my background, my hobbies (blogging, basketball) and my accomplishments (class representative etc).

Then followed a few questions on statistics, probability and simple mathematics. I answered all well, save two — one probability query, in which I mixed up the basic concept and a definition of disjoint events, for which I incorrectly rattled off all about independent events. I got so confused that they had to explain the concept to me and not becasue I didn’t know the answer, but because I was just too stressed. The lack of comfort showed so much on my face that one of the panel members actually said, “Don’t feel tensed! Be cool. It is not a stress interview.”

When asked what I do in my free time, I mentioned my hobbies once more. The younger of the two panelists seemed very interested in blogging — he questioned me on the contents of my blog and even noted down my blogsite! I started to feel a little better about myself and hoped that he would visit it before deciding my fate!

They then asked if I had any questions for them, to which I replied in the negative. I thanked them and smiled, leaving the room confidently. That was the end of my interview.

Two months later, I found that I have made it — I got a convert and am presently the first student out here at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Gathering from my experience, I would say that the interviewers look for passion, ability and enthusiasm in a candidate, coupled with decent knowledge of current events and decent English language skills.

Get in there confidently and you’ll emerge victorious!

Source: www.rediff.com/getahead

How panelists rate you in a GD

Posted by TCYonline.com on September 21, 2007

How many times have you seen a candidate yelling at the top of his/ her voice during a Group Discussion?

It is a sureshot way to ruin his/ her chances of getting admission to a top B-School. We feature the more common gaffes students make that could ensure a speedy exit and elimination from a GD, as well as the evaluation sheet used by panelists to judge your performance.

List of don’ts for your GD

~ Project a shabby image by wearing wrinkled clothes and unpolished shoes.

~ Start clarifying the meaning of the topic from the examiner as soon as it is announced.

~ As soon as the GD starts, jump into the fray with wrong facts and figures.

~ Sit on the fence throughout the discussion.

It is advisable to take a stand (in favour or against the topic), as this will help you be more aggressive in the GD.

~ Never agree to anyone else’s point of view. Disagreement with everyone will guarantee you more enemies.

~ Resort to negative body language; sit with your arms and legs crossed, stare at your GD members, point fingers at others, make a fist at another and sit at the edge of the chair.

~ Maintain a sardonic smile on your face throughout the GD. This will seem, to the examiners, that you feel superior to the other members of the group.

~ Do not let fellow candidates speak and, if someone is making a good point, interrupt him/her mid-way and put forth a completely unrelated point.

~ Use words like yaar, um, etc, at every juncture and use abbreviations and acronyms, without explaining them. This will alienate you from the group.

~ Make wisecracks, in the hope of showing off your wit.

~ Yawn or maintain a blank look on your face.

~ Give subjective opinions which are not supported by facts or figures.

~ Only listen, and never speak.

GD evaluation sheet for panelists

The weightage of evaluating parameters varies from B-School to B-School, but the general framework more or less remains the same.

We have attempted to reproduce the actual criteria used in Group Discussions to top B-Schools, which is circulated to the respective evaluators before the start of a Group Discussion.

You can download this sheet, which comprises three parts:
i. Evaluation table with parameters
ii. Rating key
iii. Instructions for panelists to help eliminate subjectivity