GROUP DISCUSSION

In this part of the recruitment process a group of candidates is given a topic for discussion. This discussion is observed normally by one HR person or by a panel of 2 members. Usually the group size varies from 10 to 12 candidates. And the time for discussion varies from 10 to 25 minutes. Depending upon the infrastructure at the venue, the group is asked to sit in different arrangements circular, block, or U shaped arrangement. Some times you may be given a choice to choose your seat, and some other times the panel allots you the seat. In campus selection processes, GD is an elimination round. Therefore it is imperative for the candidate to perform. It is a sort of do or die. The rules for GD are explained after the initial introduction by the panel. These include the time limit, the panel's expectations etc. While the panel specifies an approximate time for the GD, it may cutshort or extend the time. Thereafter, a topic is given for discussion. The panel at its discretion may provide some time for thinking on the topic or case. While the discussion is on, the panel observes each and every candidate and makes notes. Generally the group discussion is unstructured, which means any one can participate at any time and not in any particular sequence. It is totally up to the group and the panel does not interfere. But on occasions the panel may initiate a structured GD, wherein each participant is given a chance to speak as decided by the panel. Since the predominant measure of persons performance is his level of participation in the GD, it is imperative that the candidate concentrates on speaking as many times as possible.

Dos and Donts DOs Seat Yourself Comfortably You should be able to address the entire group without straining yourself physically. Sitting on the edge of the seat is a clear sign of anxiety. While relaxing back is one of indifference. Listen to the topic carefully This will help your direction of thought. Identify words/phrases which need clarity first. Organise your ideas before speaking GD is not an extempore. Therefore sequence your ideas in terms which one has to be presented first and which one later. Also identify the direction in which you are going to analyse and develop an idea. Speak at the earliest opportunity Assume the other candidates are as good as you are. Therefore, if you do not speak at the earliest opportunity some one else will present your ideas

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 the group will discount you as inert participant, that is that you are no threat to any one in terms of performance Be polite A formal forum requires formal etiquette. Identify your supporters and opponents Supporters are candidates who share similar ideas on the topic. If you can identify your supporters then as a subgroup you can explore in depth your ideas. Allow your supporters to augment your ideas It would be a mistake to cut down your supporters presentation. Allow them to continue. The panel will credit you with the original idea anyway.

Keep track of time In case the panel gives you a fixed time limit for discussion, say 20 minutes, it makes lot of sense to summarise the discussions some where in the last or penultimate minute. Share time fairly No discussion will develop if only one or two candidates keep on talking. Remember, the panel has invited you all for a discussion. Thus, do not try to dominate by trying to present your ideas all the time. Listen to others' points The advantage is simple. Only then will others listen to you. You can make no impact if no one listens to you. Maintain eye contact while speaking You are addressing a group of humans so it is matter of courtesy that you look at them. However, you should maintain a roving eye. This creates a feeling that you are addressing the entire group. Secondly, this ensures that you do not talk long enough to any one individual to get interrupted. while listening While listening look straight into the eyes of the speaker. This will show that your are actively participating in the GD. Secondly, it will also help you the interrupt the speaker after a reasonable time. Take a scratch paper Should the panel permit you. Use it to jot down the topic and any of your ideas. Aim for a conclusion, not consensus In a group of 812 unknown individuals, each competing with the other, it is impractical to expect consensus (unless the topic is something like Honesty is the best policy). So do make any futile attempts for a consensus. Instead keep track of the major points the group has discussed, both for and against.

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DON'Ts Be in a hurry to start discussing If the urge to speak first dominates proper organisation of your presentation, the end result will be a burn out. This manifests in the speaker suddenly forgetting what he/she wanted to say, inability to logically develop the idea and so on. However, this does not mean you be the last speaker. Try to be in the first five speakers. Be Silent In which case you are not providing the panel any platform to assess you. Dominate Vocally/physically Any cues of impoliteness are treated negatively by the panel. Assume the role of a chairman This manifests in ridiculous attempts of either introducing the topic to the group, or in sequencing the order of speakers. Each of the candidates is invited to participate in a group discussion. Any activity outside discussing on the topic will fetch negative marks. Take extreme stance Generally candidates take extreme stances in order to be different. But practically it is not possible to defend your stance, with you on one side and the rest of the group on the other. In any case, the panel credits candidates who can take a balanced view on the topic, who can seen both sides of the coin. Enter into an argument When you enter into an argument emotions are set into play. Then you stop thinking and start reacting. Remember, your job is make a positive impression on the panel, the other candidates are incidental. So dont waste time on scoring points over other candidates. Pass value judgements Is an extreme form of impoliteness. Contest the ideas, dont blame the speaker. Look at the panel members The panel knows their job and they will do their job. You dont have to have a check on them. Unless you want to lose a few points. Shout down inert participants Generally the group dynamics are set in the first three or four minutes, in terms who are going to be the active participants and who are going to be inert. Inert participants have already ruled themselves out. They are no threat to you. So why try to dominate them? Be wary of the active participants. Move excessively in your chair or lean on the table This is a clear indication of lack of poise or in other words anxiety. Throw all your ideas in one shot Do this and you will have nothing to participate in the rest of the discussion. Speak fast

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There are two disadvantages. One, you are putting pressure on yourself in terms of thinking faster. Two, the listener will not be able to keep track of your ideas and will soon lose interest. Digress from the topic Simply criminal. Use slang Include words/phrases from other languages. Are yaar for example. Or words/phrases which are condescending in nature. My dear friend for example. You hardly know the other candidates. Pay attention to bulldozers As mentioned already the more attention you pay to the bulldozers the more motivated they will be to continue to speak. Remember, ignorance is best form of insult. No one can speak for long if no one is listening. Indulge in parallel conversations This shows disinterest on your part in guiding the group to a common platform. Preparation for GDs It helps to be thorough with current issues. Reading newspapers regularly is mandatory. Read editorials and form your own views on the topics presented. However nothing helps like practice. So try to pool your friends and regularly discuss with them some of the more popular topics. Topics for practice Beauty contests should be banned. Money is the greatest motivator. Is modelling disgraceful to women? Should science and technical education be given more importance than arts? One need not worry about ethics in business. Information technology alone is the key to balanced economic growth. Compulsory birth control should be introduced in India immediately. Should we celebrate Valentines Day? A woman's place is in the home. New Delhi is not appropriate to be the capital of India. Should higher education be subsidized? Desire is the root of all suffering. Child labour is a social crime. Primary education is the prerequisite for any meaningful development programs in India. We cannot control extremism till we root out economic disparities. Men and women can never be equal. Privatisation of higher education. Persons accused of corruption must not be allowed to vote.

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GD TOPICS & POINTS BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSION & FAMILY

For success at work people should be dedicated & sincere. Since the profession provides livelihood it has to get first priority. Every person gets emotional support from family. Hence family life is also important. No organization can succeed if employees work like robots without putting their heart & soul into their work. Employees also cannot go on working 24x7 neglecting their family obligation. In the long term it will be detrimental to the individual & harmful for the family where he works. Organisations provide a number of perks such as club membership, LTC, scholarship for kids to take care of the family obligations. Some organizations also provide support for routine chores like bill payments, ticket bookings etc for the same purpose. Some organizations try to integrate the family into the organizations working by organizing family outings, get-togethers etc. Some organizations force employees to take annual vacations to spend time with families. In this competitive world to for professional growth people ignore family life completely. This leads to emotional distress, early burnouts & family problems. Because of the decline in joint families & the rise of the nuclear families, family members do not get emotional support from the extended family. With the necessity for double incomes husband & wife are forced to work and the children get neglected. Professionals also have to face increasing expectations from family members to spend quality time with them.

ADVANTAGES OF CO-EDUCATION Coeducation engenders development of mature relationships Kids get over shyness & lose inhibitions while dealing with the opposite sex. The student population becomes more heterogeneous & students gain by exposure to diverse view points. Since work places are rarely segregated on gender lines a coeducation system prepares a student well for employment. Girls are generally more sensitive & empathetic whereas boys are more aggressive by mingling with each other both boys and girls can develop a more balanced personality. Experience shows that if certain things are denied, people develop an unnatural craving for it. By denying students company of the opposite sex they may develop deviant & perverse behaviour. There is a fear among college administrators that if boys and girls are allowed to mingle freely in a impressionable age students may waste their time in non-academic activities, romances etc and the academic atmosphere may suffer. Ultimately the success of any academic system depends also on how well the academic atmosphere is managed by the administrators. If the college administrators are sensitive to the feelings of the students & act accordingly a coeducation system can do better than a segregated college.

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SHOULD GD BE PART OF SELECTION PROCESS Group discussion offers certain convenience to recruiters. 10-12 candidates can be assessed in a span of 15-20 minutes. If there are a large number of candidates & you want to have at least one live interaction with them before eliminating GD provides you that opportunity. GD is a convenient elimination round. Communication skills can easily be assessed in a GD. Ability to relate to a team can also be checked. Because GD is not a lecture session or an elocution you have to talk & convince others who are your peers. This is something you will have to do often in an organization. Candidates also have to take initiative to get a chance to speak, other wise they will be ignored by the group. Taking initiative is a desirable quality expected of any prospective employee. However for jobs where communication skills are not that important, the GD process may not be suitable as it discriminates against people who are not comfortable speaking in English but who are otherwise qualified for the job. When everybody shouts & there is no orderly discussion it becomes difficult to assess individual performance. People who assess GDs should have experience otherwise the results may be flawed, similarly if there is a lapse of concentration on the part of the evaluator for some part of the GD the assessments may not be authentic.

EFFECT OF WESTERN CULTURE ON INDIAN YOUTH Today we live in a globalised world. Because of trade, commerce & employment Indians are moving to other parts of the world in large numbers. Also there is a large network of Indian diaspora (people of Indian origin living abroad) . Because of all this there is bound to be some effect of Western culture & values on Indians. Because youth are ready to adapt to change the effect is more pronounced on the Indian youth. With the proliferation of TV channels & the internet western culture has invaded Indian bedrooms & living rooms. Just as with any change there are beneficial effects as well as certain harmful consequences. It ultimately depends on the wisdom of the Indians to assimilate the good and avoid the bad. Blind aping of Western culture is harmful to us. There is also a feeling that with the large scale adoption of Western culture by Indians, there is a threat to Indian culture. But, considering the fact that Indian culture has survived centuries of onslaughts from foreigners including the British colonization, the threat is not as serious as it is made out to be. Indian cultural moorings have a strong foundation and cannot be shaken easily. Westernisation is not new to us. The Western trousers have replaced the Indian dhotis a few decades back. Cutting cakes to celebrate birthdays & other important occasions is also being practised by Indians for quite some time now. The pace of change has now quickened. The female attire has changed considerably. Skirts & micro minis are today accepted. The MTV culture has permeated into the Indian society with youth greatly influenced by it.

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The joint family system has disintegrated & nuclear families are the norm for quite some time now. We are also now witnessing live in relationships and a casual attitude to the institution of marriage. English now has a stranglehold in the academic, corporate & bureaucratic circles, notwithstanding the stress on local languages by the state & central government. This trend is likely to strengthen further with the need for English speaking workforce in the rapidly growing IT & BPO sectors.

GLOBALIZATION ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES People around the globe are more connected to each other than ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is commonplace. This phenomenon has been titled "globalization." Globalisation has become identified with a number of trends such as greater international movement of commodities, money, information, and people; and the development of technology, organisations, legal systems, and infrastructures to allow this movement. Greater international cultural exchange : Spreading of multiculturalism, and better individual access to cultural diversity, for example through the export of Hollywood and Bollywood movies. However, the imported culture can easily supplant the local culture, causing reduction in diversity through hybridization or even assimilation. The most prominent form of this is Westernization Greater international travel and tourism Greater immigration, including illegal immigration Spread of local consumer products (e.g., food) to other countries (often adapted to their culture) World-wide fads and pop culture such as Pokmon, Sudoku, Origami, YouTube, and MySpace. World-wide sporting events such as FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Formation or development of a set of universal values Development of a global telecommunications infrastructure and greater transborder data flow, using such technologies as the Internet, communication satellites, submarine fiber optic cable, and wireless telephones Increase in the number of standards applied globally; e.g. copyright laws and patents

Some Disadvantages

Increased likelihood of economic disruptions in one nation affecting all nations Global corporations will have larger influence than elected governments & average individuals. Threat that control of world media by a handful of corporations will limit cultural expression Greater chance of reactions for globalization being violent in an attempt to preserve cultural heritage Greater risk of diseases being transported unintentionally between nations Spread of a materialistic lifestyle and attitude that sees consumption as the path to prosperity

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International bodies like the World Trade Organization infringe on national and individual sovereignty Increase in the chances of civil war within developing countries and open war between developing countries as they vie for resources Decreases in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take advantage of weak regulatory rules in developing countries It is often argued that even terrorism has undergone globalization, with attacks in foreign countries that have no direct relation with the attackers' own country Hegemony of dominant cultures & weakining of marginal cultures.

LOVE MARRIAGES VS ARRANGED MARRIAGES Love marriages 1. People get to know each other before the marriage. This leads to greater understanding. 2. Choice of a life partner has to be left to the individual. 3. Since the choice is made by the individuals concerned they will make a better effort to make the marriage succeed. 4. Any mature individual will know for himself who would be his ideal life partner. 5. Due bad chemistry if differences crop up they can be tackled during the courtship itself before marriage. 6. People are better informed today at a younger age, are more conscious of what they like & dislike and hence are equipped better to make decisions for themselves. Arranged marriages 1. In India people are still dependent on their parents for every thing till they start earning for themselves. Hence parental involvement is high. All decisions including choice of career etc. are made by the family. 2. The family plays a bigger role in a mans life in India because of joint families. Aged parents live with their sons. So you dont marry a person, you marry into a family. Success of the marriage does not depend on compatibility with an individual alone, but with the entire family. 3. In India arranged marriages have a better rate of success. 4. In India, societal pressure prevents the marriage from failing. Conformity with societal mores allows this to happen. In the case of arranged marriages the extended family and society cushions the marriage from any disturbances.

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