Your Final Hurdle..!!

Puja Mishra is an alumna of English Journalism from Dhenkanal Campus of 2012-2013 batch. She graduated in Journalism & Mass Comm. from Shri Shikshayatan College (Calcutta University) and has interned at The Times of India, Jaipur & at Prabhat Khabar. She is one of the top 10 rankers of English Journalism (All six campuses) and has won many awards for academic excellence. A book worm Puja currently working as a Business Developer and Marketing executive at Unity Creations- a Total Media Solution. 

So now when you have crossed your first hurdle of clearing the written test, it’s time for the second one. Well to me GDPI was not an easy task. Just like you all, I was tensed and nervous too. But it all went fine with that one smile which I had carried throughout my interview and with the confidence that I had build up within myself.

Cracking your interview seems a hard task. At times you get grilled by the panel. But a positive attitude towards the situation and confidence can give you fruitful results. So now when you are going to fall in the same trap, just like I fell last year, here are some tips that would help you during your interview.

Firstly build up confidence. Unless you are sure about your goals, your agenda and have trust in your abilities, no one can help you. You must have a fresh mind and a “YES I CAN” attitude. A positive attitude will always help you to achieve great heights. So do have one!

Secondly, your interviewers will often come up with tricky questions. They might even ask you questions related to current affairs. So be prepared. Keep yourself updated about the current events and news. Remember you are stepping in the field of journalism where knowledge about current events is a must. Also remember not to fumble while speaking. Polish up your vocabulary and English. For this you can read a lot of newspapers or novels and watch English news channels.

Thirdly, questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “Why did you chose Journalism as your career” are common. Try to prepare a brief summary about such questions well in advance. Also when they ask you something don’t try to deviate from the topic. Answer what they have asked you to!

Many interviewers would try to confuse you during your interview and that they will be doing in order to test your patience and confidence. So don’t panic in such situations. Be confident with what you speak and stick to your answer. Don’t worry if your answer goes wrong. That’s a learning time too!

If your interviewer asks you something for which you have no answer, let them know that you don’t know. There’s no harm in saying a “No”, it’s better than acting smart. Remember they are smarter!

Try to maintain eye contact with the panel. Once you start looking at the walls it shows that you are unsure about the topic and nervous. Also speak in a volume audible to them. Don’t let that “Scared you” appear in your voice. Speak frankly!

A well dressed candidate makes a great impression on his/her interviewer. So try to dress up yourself in formals. That adds up to your performance. You must also have a positive body language. When you enter the room, you will find more than one interviewer in front of you. They all will keep an eye over your attitude, your way of speaking and your body language. Make sure you carry yourself perfectly!

And lastly, try to carry a smile always. I know it becomes hard to smile and laugh in such situations. But trust me this helps. It’s a positive sign and helps you hide your tensions.

Cracking IIMC GDPI is not actually very hard. All you need is to be confident and have faith in your abilities. Think as if you are conversing with few people. That will make it easier. So friends, drink some water, calm down, tighten up your shoe laces, enter the room and give your best…. A bright new career is waiting for you!!

My best wishes to you all..!! Keep smiling!