A Group Discussion on The Interview !

Prithviraj Choudhury passed out of IIMC batch of 2006, from the RTV department. He won the scholarship for being the topper for the IIMC exams and subsequently went on to win the STAR TV Scholarship for the year 2006, before he passed out. By virtue of this, he joined STAR India Pvt. Ltd in 2006, first as a Promo Producer, but went on to establish himself as In-Charge of online product, content development and internet marketing in the STAR TV digital department. After spending almost 4.5 years in STAR, he moved on to be the Senior Manager in EROS International, one of India's foremost film distribution and production companies. His EROS work profile included rolling out online marketing campaigns for the some of the biggest Hindi films, as well as product lead on several key projects from Eros Digital group. Currently Prithviraj is associated with FOX STAR STUDIOS as Senior Manager.

Armed with a very keen interest in films, and totally abreast with the changing trends in media, specially in the film and TV space, Prithviraj is also has been dabbled extensively in stage- as actor, director and writer, during his graduation days in St Stephens College, Delhi and post graduation phase at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. One day, he plans to open his own restaurant serving exotic food from across the world, and write and direct his own film.

Prithviraj is Vice-President of Maharashtra Chapter of IIMC Alumni Association.

Its been a good 7 years since I appeared for my GD and interview for IIMC New Delhi for the Radio and TV journalism course

Things must have changed a fair bit now in terms of the structure and format of the course, the syllabus and possibly the question paper format. But to my mind, the basic tenets of having a successful GD and interview remains unchanged. For these depend  on the nature and behavior of the individuals, and the ability of each one to face up to the questioning and grilling that might come your way.

The GD, to me, has always been a way of thinning the 'grain from the chaff', a preview of your personality, in many cases. Its meant to see the following:

How good you are at communicating with others?

How do you behave and interact within the dynamics of a group ?

How open minded are you  to listen to the POV of others, no matter how drastically different your views might be.

Your listening skills are tested. Do you have the patience to listen to others?

How do you put forward your views? Do you fall in the easy temptation of clamouring and shouting to make your point heard? Or do you know how to be forthright and clear without being aggressive?

Your analytical skill and subject knowledge, and the range of your knowledge?

Finally your attitude and confidence in dealing with situations

The above may seem like duly shortened management  tenets, but a GD in IIMC can be tackled easily with just pure confidence and a logical line of thinking and opinion in the topic chosen.

We are pleased to share the poster of Prithvi’s first feature film LOVE SONGS released in 2008.

Firstly initiate the GD.  Try to be the first one to step in and lead the discussion with your POV on the topic. Of course this doesn’t imply you shoot of your mouth when you aren’t clear on the topic or know little about it. Remember measured silence is better than a loud noises signifying nothing!

Always  allow others to speak . It will be tempting to cut in and speak your mind, especially when you feel the other person is talking crap and your view point is infinitely better (and mostly you will always feel that!!). But be gracious and let your group member finish the point he/she is trying to make. Listen carefully and patiently, make your points. Remember it’s a GROUP discussion, not an individual platform to vent your points. And while making your points, be clear and concise. Don’t think that this is a verbal boxing ring, where raising your voice will make your point of view the accepted one , rather be logical and factual in your thinking and put your point across calmly and with dignity.

You also don’t need to get into too much detail on the subject. Just cover the main points of argument, and move on.  Time is limited and the GD is not the place to show off the reams of research work you have done.

Finally, be positive and be confident. No wishy-washy statements, no furtive glances, just be sure of yourself in the group.

Now for the interview process. Everyone knows that interviews is the surest way of finding out what your real worth is – how much do you know and how much you can get by pretending to know. I don’t need to get into the obvious about knowing your subject, current affairs etc. It’s a given. So just a few key pointers on how you should behave.

An interviewer, I have always felt, is the litmus test of your personality. They know you know the knowledge from the books, but now during your one-to-one interaction they want to see whether you are somebody who can walk the talk , get a real feel of what makes you. First things, be confident, and look directly into the eyes of the interviewers. Sifting eyes or looking down is a sign of uncertainty.

Be and appear enthusiastic. A good smile right at the start sets the tone for the interview. Answer questions clearly and to the point. There might be questions that you might not know the answer to. Its ok to admit and say : “Sorry, I am not entirely aware of this…” and move on. Again appearing overtly aggressive in pushing your point-of-view will get you nowhere. While its always good to say what you feel, don’t get drawn into an argument for argument’s sake.

There will be the standard question: why do you want to join IIMC? What is your long term goal? So don’t sound too rehearsed like a Miss India Pageant winner here. Be honest, be spontaneous and try not sound like a martyr who is about to change the world.

Dress well please. Yes, clothes make a difference. Creased shirts and wrinkled trousers, coffee stains or reeking of cigarette smoke will not get you anywhere. Dress smart, dress clean.

And now you are all set … All the best… Take it easy and breeze through!