Ad-PR | GD-PI : Sailing Through The Final Lap

Kunal Duggal: Just Blending the right ingredients and skill-set required to be Crazy, innovative and think business solutions that endear your clients and endures the organization where you work. I started my career into hospitality and later migrated to Digital media marketing. With almost 3.5 years of Work Experience & exposure across industries (worked with Intercontinental Hospitality group & Google India), I landed into IIMC in 2012 to continue my learning spree.  Post ADPR curriculum 2012-2013, at present I am working on some very exciting projects and brands with media major GROUPM as a BUSINESS MANAGER- Digital Insights and Strategy. Journey at IIMC was enriching, empowering and eclectic. Though never bothered about scoring, somehow learning was paramount but still landed to be 3rd topper in ADPR Batch 2012-13. Beyond Media and Advertising I am self-driven & self-grown entrepreneur, at present operating as COO for 2 of my young e-commerce ventures into fashion and Automobile sector. 

CONGRATUALTIONS for your mighty conquest over the ADPR entrance exam.

As far as I have understood the recruitment process at IIMC, they would combine your entrance exam & GD+ Interview scores and then bring out the final list of students.

To make things simpler and systematic for you folks I will share points some MACRO and MICRO level point.

MACRO points of consideration
• In order to prepare for GD and interview first of all recollect facts, figures and features about you. An arduous task but try to filter information of almost last 5 years in your life and build a grip on the most relevant, impactful & differentiating factoids. Remember there is going to be a clutter of talent and you need to exhibit your talent and core competencies.
• Read on topical issues in general and pertaining to the advertising industry. Try connecting dots or contemplate on information excerpts. The greater time you spend with data more facts and dimensions will be deciphered.  The  keyword is SPEND TIME WITH DATA (learned from a media planning Veteran)
• Try to delve into case-studies, prominent ad campaigns & major controversial issues in last 12-18 months and bring out some useful pointers and statements of debate. This will really help you in GD.
• Digital and Mobile Marketing are the next big cults in advertising, at least build some threshold level acquaintance with these subjects. This will be a value added.  Just to share, I was given a green signal to the course the moment I started talking about digital & social media stuff in the interview. It left a strong impact on the panelist.
• Just keep conversing and talking few hours before the event. It is somewhat helpful in removing hitches and glitches. One tends to get in flow and it also helps in curbing anxiety.
• Be well groomed and formally dressed for the D-day.

MICRO FACTS ON GD
• GD is conducted in groups of 6-8 people. In highest probability each group is a mix of over-aggressive, aggressive, tepid and introvertish people.
• The panel of evaluators will constitute of 3-4 members. Course director along with couple of Industry honchos form the selection panel.
• As a standard operating procedure, you all get 8-10 minutes to discuss the topic amongst the group members and then 1 minute each is allotted to all group members to self-conclude or share the crux of the discussion.
• The major scoring areas of GD as decoded by me are either to start or at the end one minute summarization session.
• There isn’t a sacrosanct or collection of sample GD topics. But the topics won’t be very outlandish or Greek to most of you. Panelists are just observing your confidence, communication skills and basic aptitude for the course. Majority of topics will revolve around social media, popular/trending industries, brand comparisons, brand ambassadors, etc.
• Just be aware of major happening in global, national and advertising front in last 6 months and have solid facts in place to support your viewpoint in GD. Do not make statements in thin air or vacuum. Have pointers to support when making strong interjections.
• Always make eye contact with your group members in the GD while sharing your point and do not look at the panelist. They simply get pissed.
• Try having a formalized discussion and not diverging into a boisterous outing. Argumentativeness and over-aggression can result in negative marking by the panelist.
• Don’t panic in case you receive a topic that isn’t your interest area. Just spend 2 mins and try to build a symbiotic relation with topic of your interest. Example) the topic for GD is impact of Facebook in India. May be you are not well versed with facts about social networking landscape and your interest lies in music. Simply try to connect growth in music trends via social media space and make some solid pointers on this. Just remembers each subject can get connected to other, provided you know the trait and trick. It isn’t difficult just need some common sense and presence of mind.
• Try to portray yourself as a pleasant personality and don’t enter yourself into phenomena of “ACHILLES HEEL”. Your exam score holds greater weightage. GD and interview share a smaller pie in terms of evaluation and selection process.  So play smart and no need to be overloaded.

MICRO FACTS ON INTERVIEW
• Interview is conducted post GD and there is no elimination in the GD round.
• Panelists conducting the GD also take care of the interview round.
• Be well versed with the details you have filled in the IIMC admission form during pre-admission process. There is a tendency of cross questioning from the panelist. In most circumstances it happens if the candidate details are very interesting or they seem highly dubious.
• Most of the panelists possess a work experience of more than the average age of candidate applying for admission into IIMC. So be candid and just talk about things that can be supported with facts. Do not get into superlatives, generic statements or platitudes.
• Make a note that the astute interviewers are industry experts and exposed to fathomic information & knowledge. Dodging them on facts or information can land you up into a meandering situation.  So just talk
- What you have done.
- What you know
- What are your key interest areas that made you apply into IIMC
- What you want to derive out the course & potential tenure at IIMC. These pointers are sufficient enough to make a mark on the panel.  
• If you are a mass communication graduate, brush-up your basics and technical terms. Panelist will examine your industry understanding and at situation this can be a pro as well as a con for candidates.
• Rather than simply answering or making it a linear interview, try to engage a conversation. That helps in occupying time and makes the panelist stick to your forte and zone of interest & strength.
• As far as my understanding first 3-4 min of the interview are very crucial as they contribute largely in forming an opinion about you. So you can make or break the interest of the panelist in those few moments.
• Conduct yourself well and behave little professionally. This is specially a caveat for fresh graduates who are still not exposed to the corporate culture and industry.

AT LAST I WOULD SIMPLY CONCLUDE MY SAYING---YOU ARE ALMOST THERE JUST FEW MORE MILES TO GO.

GIVE YOUR BEST SHOT & SIMPLY THINK THAT ALMIGHTY HAS GIVEN YOU THIS OPPORTUNITY BASED ON YOUR TALENT & EFFORTS.

SO MAKE THE BEST USE OF IT. DON’T PUT IN FRUGAL EFFORTS & SQUANDER THE OPPORTUNITY.

WISH YOU ALL BEST OF LUCK FOR A WONDERFUL CAREER AHEAD.