GD-PI: Third eye is watching You

Chandan Kumar is alumnus of English Journalism 2000-01 batch & General Secretary of IIMC Alumni Association. After finishing course at IIMC, He got internship with Hindustan Times. Chandan got first job at DD News and reached IBN7 as Senior Producer via Free Press Journal, The Pioneer & again DD News.

Since, you are seeking admission in one of the best institutes for Mass Communication in Asia; you definitely need to be among the best to secure a seat in prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Now, when you have already cleared the written examination and just a step away from the door of the IIMC, you need to be careful in your Group discussions test and Interview, which starts on 25th June.

You will be asked to participate in the Group Discussion, which will be your first hurdle of the last two hurdles before getting admission into IIMC. Come on, now let’s talk something about how and what are the things we as aspirants must keep in mind while preparing for any such tests.

Group Discussion

Group Discussion has now become an important and compulsory part of selection process for any test– be it an institute or a job. At IIMC, the selectors try to find out those prospective aspirants, who possess the quality of good team player, which is the key mantra to lead the team in this group discussion or in any job after the completion of your course. Idea of giving priority to those having quality of a good team player at any entrance exam level can be objected, but one must remember that this is why IIMC is one of the best Institutes in Asia. It starts training the successful students from the beginning so that when an IIMC comes out in the industry, he or she should present him/her self as a complete PKG.

I hope all you are aware of the procedural things under which group discussions are held. A team of 8-10 candidates is formed and one of them is asked to take out a slip kept in a box. One of them reads the slip, which says about the issue to be discussed in the GD. Now, the discussion starts.

Since, journalism is the profession of communication, the first and foremost thing one needs to give attention is the clarity of thought and how effectively and easily one expresses his or her thought without provoking or getting provoked by anybody and accepted by all.

GD in principle are regulated test and chance is given to everyone to speak but sometimes, some students in their attempt to hijack the whole discussion believing that it would succeed him, many of the eligible candidates can’t even open their mouth and keep seeing how to intervene into the already started GD. Don’t loose patience, wait for the right moment to strike and register your entry into the discussion armed with strong logical facts. The third eye is watching activities of all participants, who are speaking what and who is doing what. So, without fearing to loose the debate, one just need to be calm and keeping putting forth his opinion or views based on facts. To do this, one needs to keep him/her self regularly updated with newspapers and magazines. There is no alternative to reading as this would only enhance you debating skill laced with facts and figures.

One must try to have the understandings of both the sides of an issue as this helps you in taking any side while starting the debate. Remember, you have to stick to the side taken by in favour or against (whatever side you take) throughout the GD test and never try to demean any of your co-debaters with words, which are humiliating or objectionable. But, you can counter your co-debaters with your points anytime unhesitant.

At the end of the discussion, you could probably summarize the findings in a few sentences that present the overall perspective.

To make things simpler, let me give you example of myself in IIMC GD test itself. The slip was taken out and Religious Change was the issue decided. Though everything was decided, and everyone was supposed to speak during his or her term, one of my co-debaters with a look of French beard and specs giving the feeling of an intellectual suddenly started the discussion and after that all the candidates started speaking without waiting for others’ turn. I was just waiting for my turn to speak. But, after few seconds, I also understood that I was not going to get chance so easily. I just decided what side I have to take on this issue and started opposing the religious change with facts and figures. Thankfully, all of them were supporting religious change so now the game has changed and it became like me Vs all.

So, presence of mind is also an important thing, which pays you throughout in the career of journalism.

And in the end, just try to grab the opportunity to summarise the whole debate or view points expressed by all giving it an overall perspective. This will earn you the reputation of good team player and leader as well.

Interview

This is the last hurdle between you and your dream institute IIMC. So, be alert, candid and transparent to your interviewer during interview. You just need to show your interviewer how committed and passionate you are to your profession. Your interviewer should be made to feel that you are the right and eligible candidate, who can turn himself or herself into a good professional under institute’s training process and it would be unfair to deny you a berth in IIMC. But how is this possible?  How will you make your interviewer to believe so about you?

Any interviewer just want to get answer of certain basic queries 1) How much willing is the candidate to pursue this course 2) Will the candidate be able to meet the basic challenge of the profession .i.e communication skills 3) your personal behaviour like – confidence, dedication,  Intelligence,  integrity, honesty and decency.

Your performance / reply to the queries asked as part of the first level i.e. about your willingness to pursue this course will play major role in your selection in the interview part of the entrance test.  For this, you will have to make the interviewer believe that you have chosen career after much sincere consideration and you are passionate about your journalism profession. At no point interviewer should get a feeling that you have just filled this form like any other exam just to have a degree. Try to present yourself as a candidate, who is dedicated and committed to the principle of journalism.  However, it’s different thing how much principle is followed nowadays in this profession. Anyways, you have to keep yourself unaffected from all this to present yourself as a true journo..

Never be nervous instead try to understand what do interviewers want from you?  Initial questions look easier but they are like traps, which we never think of. Like when an interviewer asks you tell about yourself. And you start telling about yourself. This is the time when interviewer is trying to find out some questions to grill you on the basis of your qualification and nature. Suppose, You say that you have done your graduation in science. Sudden, a question will pop up from an interviewer “why journalism after science “? So, You must be prepared to answer all such knee-jerk questions. And if you successfully answer all such questions in the beginning of the interview, you start connecting with team of interviewers and find rest of the interview easy going.

In case of any specific query I can be reached kchandankumar@gmail.com

All the best

Chandan