Come Out as a Winner in Group Discussion....!
As the written test checks numerical ability, language skills and analytical ability, one quality of paramount importance, which it fails to assess, is how well you work in a team.
During most of his or her professional life, an MBA would work as a team member rather than as an individual (unlike in academic life) and it is for this reason that interpersonal skills such as getting along with people, communicating ideas and understanding another’s point of view, is closely observed during a Group Discussion.
Rule No. 1:
It is not enough to be knowledgeable. You must also be able to communicate them effectively. This is especially relevant for all of you who remain relatively quiet during a GD. It may be because one is from a vernacular background and not confident about speaking in English. It may be because one is not confident about presenting one’s opinions, or feels that his knowledge of the topic is limited. It could also be because other members are aggressive. Whatever the reason, the bottom-line is that if you do not participate, the default impression you leave is that you don’t know anything. The onus to prove otherwise lies with each of you, individually.
Even if your English is not polished and you make grammatical errors, remember that you are not being marked on mere language skills; the focus here is on assessing communication skills and that in simple terms means putting your ideas across as well as understanding the ideas being put across by others.
Rule N. 2:
On the other end of the spectrum, the Vomit Syndrome also plagues GD participants. You have two to three minutes to collect and pen down thoughts before the actual discussion begins and typically, everyone jots down points worth contributing. The trouble arises when a participant blurts out these points here or there irrespective of the flow of the discussion, and the need of the hour.
The overbearing thought in the participant’s mind is “The more I speak, the more points I score” and the result is akin to what I referred to as vomit. Such behaviour makes you come across as extremely selfish and insensitive. Instead follow the discussion and offer your contribution when it is relevant and in a manner that is integrated with the flow. This reflects that you are concerned about the overall success of the discussion rather than merely your own individual success.
This is the key to success in a GD. But it can be implemented only if you realise the golden rule about communication, in general: it’s a two-way process. Good communicators listen as well as speak. So, if you listen well during a GD, you will surely find the opportunity to speak your mind.
Many think that the person who speaks the most emerges as the leader. Nothing could be further from the truth. A domineering, verbose person is only viewed as a bull in a china shop, a far cry from the image of an ideal manager. True leadership lies in understanding the demand of the situation in a GD. If there is a dearth of ideas, can you provide some food for thought? If the group is digressing from the topic, can you steer it smoothly back without ruffling any feathers? If there are some in the group who have been trying to be heard in the milieu, can you help them get a chance?
Similarly, if the group has turned out to be a fish market as it often does in an MBA GD, can you put some order back into the chaos or do you just try to shout as loud as anybody else? In a nutshell, are you a part of the problem or the solution?
Good Luck with your Group Discussion....!
article courtesy: career360
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
How to motivate yourself daily to do things that you really want to do?
It’s not easy developing good habits through guilt and will power. It can be more successful to build a healthy lifestyle by paying attention to how much better you feel when you do positive activities like exercising, eating well and meditating compared to how you feel when you don’t. Compare not just feeling better physically, but also how much better you feel emotionally by supporting balance and clarity in your daily routine. When you have accumulated enough positive experience with your new habits compared to your old habits you will a natural motivation to continue. You will actually look forward to those activities to feel better.
It’s not easy developing good habits through guilt and will power. It can be more successful to build a healthy lifestyle by paying attention to how much better you feel when you do positive activities like exercising, eating well and meditating compared to how you feel when you don’t. Compare not just feeling better physically, but also how much better you feel emotionally by supporting balance and clarity in your daily routine. When you have accumulated enough positive experience with your new habits compared to your old habits you will a natural motivation to continue. You will actually look forward to those activities to feel better.
Friday, September 24, 2010
PLACEMENT PREPARATION MANTRA
Great first job can go a long way in paving the road for a rewarding career. That's why placements occupy a student's mind right from the day he or she enters professional college. But approaching them in a systematic manner, is a must.Here are 10 steps to come out as a winner in your Job Interview.
Step 1: Build a PERFECT RESUME
IIM students get started six months ahead of placements. What's more, the PERFECT RESUME undergoes at least 30 cycles of change and review!
Start by training yourself on how to write a perfect RESUME.
The layout must be clean avoid unnecessary clutter, fancy fonts or colours. Keep the text sharp by editing out unnecessary words but at the same time highlighting your strengths.
Choose your words strategically. For instance, 'Was captain of my college cricket team at the inter-college sports meet' could read as 'Led my college cricket team in the inter-college tournament.'
A useful rule of thumb while deciding what to include in the PERFECT RESUME- see if it really helps the recruiter make a decision about you. For instance, writing your father's name or marital status (in most cases) adds no value.
Projects, training and internships must be described in such a way that they reflect your contribution. You could use a three-point format, each point not more than one sentence - project objective, what you did and what you achieved, that is, the result
Highlight extracurricular activities where you excelled over others.
Show the first draft to your Training Mentor and your Professor who has worked in the industry or anyone with professional exposure whom you can trust for the right guidance. Get it reviewed by as many people as possible and incorporate whatever feedback that makes sense to you.
Step 2: Know the opportunities
Talk to everyone and keep abreast of companies visiting the campus, the roles on offer and their selection processes. Some companies may cancel their visits at the last minute and some new ones may be roped in. Keeping track of these developments as they happen could prove to be vital.
Step 3: Practise interviewing
What would you do if you were asked to give a guitar performance at the Taj Mahal in six month's time? You'd learn to play the guitar and practise till your fingers hurt. And then, practice some more! Do the same for your campus interview performance:
Train yourself on all about interviews and interview questions.
Create and prepare a list of common interview questions.
Reflect on who you were as a child, a teen, an adult, a student and a friend. What excites you in life and what depresses you? What are you good at and what are you bad at? The key is to know yourself. Only then you'd be able to tell others about yourself with conviction.
Next, think about the interview questions: strengths/weaknesses, long-term/short-term career goals, what motivates you, skills, career interests. Develop and answer your list of questions.
Practise with your mentors with industry experience to review your answers. Revisit your answers and incorporate whatever feedback makes sense.
The objective is to portray that you know yourself well enough to be able to make sound career decisions. When someone asks you about your strengths and you take two minutes to blurt out a badly-formed answer, he would think you don't know yourself well enough and hence he cannot trust you when you say you are interested in working for his company. All the thinking that can be done before the interview should be done before the interview.
Get someone - Ask your friend,mentor or uour placement officerto interview you and give you objective feedback.
Step 4: Practise for written tests
Talking of hurdles, this is one big one! If you don't get through the written tests (aptitude or technical), you don't get to see those smart company executives who will eventually hand over your job offer letter.
Step 5: Review curriculum
Information is power, and having prior information about who is coming to recruit on campus, will help you determine what you need to study beforehand. For instance, for an IT job, data structures, sort algorithms and basics of C/C++ would generally suffice. Similarly, a VLSI design job might require basic knowledge of digital circuits, Boolean algebra, electronic systems design and finite state machines etc.
If you are clueless about the kind of questions the interviewers will ask, then be ready with a list of three to four 'favourite subjects'. Some companies try to test how good you are in your strength areas and select you on the basis of that knowledge even if that is not relevant to the job profile on offer.
Step 6: Ace group discussions
Form a GD practice group along with some serious fellow students. GDs can be tricky affairs because you need to walk a fine line between being too aggressive and too meek. You can't hog all the limelight, yet you can't hide in the background. You can't be too loud or too soft. Practising in the training sessions will get you the balance right.
Two, you must share your own views, or else you will not be able to speak with conviction. But to develop a viewpoint, you need facts and awareness. Read newspapers, magazines and watch news basically, know the world around you. Awareness will give you sufficient fodder for a discussion.
Step 7: Research companies and industries
Surf the Internet for information regarding the company - history, locations, main products/services, and for any major news story in the past two to three months. Also read about the industry-major players, industry history, major challenges, trends and future direction.
Knowing the company and industry, adds credibility when you say you want to work there. Being well-informed reflects interest, a potential to become productive early, and also one's ability to make a sincere effort.
Step 8: Get a set of formals
You may already possess a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. But get a new set! The best policy is to be conservative. Go for plain white well-fitted full sleeve shirts, black trousers without pleats (and other fancy stuff) and plain black leather shoes.
You could give the tie a miss. If not, then make sure you are comfortable - wearing a tie in the hot summer sun and getting drenched in sweat is hardly impressive. Just to reinforce, err on the conservative side. For instance, avoid metal embellishments on shoes and breast pocket buttons on shirts.
Women have several options when it comes to formals. A light-coloured formal shirt and black trousers or a simple, light-coloured saree or salwar suit, will do. Avoid something too flowery or ornate, and team it up with a pair of formal shoes (but avoid pencil heels!).
Step 9: File all certificates
Get together all your educational/ non-education certificates including Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets, technical certifications, the one that you received for singing on Gandhi Jayanti in Class 5 and NCC/ NSS certificates every documentary proof of achievement so far. Arrange them neatly in a file folder, have them at hand during your interview.
Step 10: Enjoy the ride!
This is more important than it seems. After all, how can you give a winning performance if you do not enjoy it? People invariably do much better in the interviews they enjoy while messing up the ones they are too 'psyched up' about. Just before the interview, think of your past successes and achievements. Get into a positive, confident mood. Now's not the time to remember the weaknesses in your preparation and go, 'Oops, I did not revise bubble sort!' Just go out there and have fun.
Placements can be one's ticket to a great future. Plan well, prepare hard and be positive.
My Best Wishes...
Article courtesy: www.careers360.com
Great first job can go a long way in paving the road for a rewarding career. That's why placements occupy a student's mind right from the day he or she enters professional college. But approaching them in a systematic manner, is a must.Here are 10 steps to come out as a winner in your Job Interview.
Step 1: Build a PERFECT RESUME
IIM students get started six months ahead of placements. What's more, the PERFECT RESUME undergoes at least 30 cycles of change and review!
Start by training yourself on how to write a perfect RESUME.
The layout must be clean avoid unnecessary clutter, fancy fonts or colours. Keep the text sharp by editing out unnecessary words but at the same time highlighting your strengths.
Choose your words strategically. For instance, 'Was captain of my college cricket team at the inter-college sports meet' could read as 'Led my college cricket team in the inter-college tournament.'
A useful rule of thumb while deciding what to include in the PERFECT RESUME- see if it really helps the recruiter make a decision about you. For instance, writing your father's name or marital status (in most cases) adds no value.
Projects, training and internships must be described in such a way that they reflect your contribution. You could use a three-point format, each point not more than one sentence - project objective, what you did and what you achieved, that is, the result
Highlight extracurricular activities where you excelled over others.
Show the first draft to your Training Mentor and your Professor who has worked in the industry or anyone with professional exposure whom you can trust for the right guidance. Get it reviewed by as many people as possible and incorporate whatever feedback that makes sense to you.
Step 2: Know the opportunities
Talk to everyone and keep abreast of companies visiting the campus, the roles on offer and their selection processes. Some companies may cancel their visits at the last minute and some new ones may be roped in. Keeping track of these developments as they happen could prove to be vital.
Step 3: Practise interviewing
What would you do if you were asked to give a guitar performance at the Taj Mahal in six month's time? You'd learn to play the guitar and practise till your fingers hurt. And then, practice some more! Do the same for your campus interview performance:
Train yourself on all about interviews and interview questions.
Create and prepare a list of common interview questions.
Reflect on who you were as a child, a teen, an adult, a student and a friend. What excites you in life and what depresses you? What are you good at and what are you bad at? The key is to know yourself. Only then you'd be able to tell others about yourself with conviction.
Next, think about the interview questions: strengths/weaknesses, long-term/short-term career goals, what motivates you, skills, career interests. Develop and answer your list of questions.
Practise with your mentors with industry experience to review your answers. Revisit your answers and incorporate whatever feedback makes sense.
The objective is to portray that you know yourself well enough to be able to make sound career decisions. When someone asks you about your strengths and you take two minutes to blurt out a badly-formed answer, he would think you don't know yourself well enough and hence he cannot trust you when you say you are interested in working for his company. All the thinking that can be done before the interview should be done before the interview.
Get someone - Ask your friend,mentor or uour placement officerto interview you and give you objective feedback.
Step 4: Practise for written tests
Talking of hurdles, this is one big one! If you don't get through the written tests (aptitude or technical), you don't get to see those smart company executives who will eventually hand over your job offer letter.
Step 5: Review curriculum
Information is power, and having prior information about who is coming to recruit on campus, will help you determine what you need to study beforehand. For instance, for an IT job, data structures, sort algorithms and basics of C/C++ would generally suffice. Similarly, a VLSI design job might require basic knowledge of digital circuits, Boolean algebra, electronic systems design and finite state machines etc.
If you are clueless about the kind of questions the interviewers will ask, then be ready with a list of three to four 'favourite subjects'. Some companies try to test how good you are in your strength areas and select you on the basis of that knowledge even if that is not relevant to the job profile on offer.
Step 6: Ace group discussions
Form a GD practice group along with some serious fellow students. GDs can be tricky affairs because you need to walk a fine line between being too aggressive and too meek. You can't hog all the limelight, yet you can't hide in the background. You can't be too loud or too soft. Practising in the training sessions will get you the balance right.
Two, you must share your own views, or else you will not be able to speak with conviction. But to develop a viewpoint, you need facts and awareness. Read newspapers, magazines and watch news basically, know the world around you. Awareness will give you sufficient fodder for a discussion.
Step 7: Research companies and industries
Surf the Internet for information regarding the company - history, locations, main products/services, and for any major news story in the past two to three months. Also read about the industry-major players, industry history, major challenges, trends and future direction.
Knowing the company and industry, adds credibility when you say you want to work there. Being well-informed reflects interest, a potential to become productive early, and also one's ability to make a sincere effort.
Step 8: Get a set of formals
You may already possess a white shirt and a pair of black trousers. But get a new set! The best policy is to be conservative. Go for plain white well-fitted full sleeve shirts, black trousers without pleats (and other fancy stuff) and plain black leather shoes.
You could give the tie a miss. If not, then make sure you are comfortable - wearing a tie in the hot summer sun and getting drenched in sweat is hardly impressive. Just to reinforce, err on the conservative side. For instance, avoid metal embellishments on shoes and breast pocket buttons on shirts.
Women have several options when it comes to formals. A light-coloured formal shirt and black trousers or a simple, light-coloured saree or salwar suit, will do. Avoid something too flowery or ornate, and team it up with a pair of formal shoes (but avoid pencil heels!).
Step 9: File all certificates
Get together all your educational/ non-education certificates including Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets, technical certifications, the one that you received for singing on Gandhi Jayanti in Class 5 and NCC/ NSS certificates every documentary proof of achievement so far. Arrange them neatly in a file folder, have them at hand during your interview.
Step 10: Enjoy the ride!
This is more important than it seems. After all, how can you give a winning performance if you do not enjoy it? People invariably do much better in the interviews they enjoy while messing up the ones they are too 'psyched up' about. Just before the interview, think of your past successes and achievements. Get into a positive, confident mood. Now's not the time to remember the weaknesses in your preparation and go, 'Oops, I did not revise bubble sort!' Just go out there and have fun.
Placements can be one's ticket to a great future. Plan well, prepare hard and be positive.
My Best Wishes...
Article courtesy: www.careers360.com
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Ignite Your Potential Keynote address
http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/370164-ignite-your-potential
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