Interview Experiences at SIESCOMS

opics that are often asked during a GD belong to either an abstract, based on current affairs or a problem statement.

At SIESCOMS, the interview rounds of both summer internships and executive placements consist of some or all of the following rounds:

• Psychometric Test
• Aptitude Test  
• Group Discussion (GD)  
• Case Study Discussion (CD) 
• Personal Interview (PI) 

General Nature of the Interview Rounds 

It must be noted that a PI too can comprise of multiple rounds such as a technical interview, HR interview, etc. which test the aptitude as well as attitude of a candidate. Some or all of the aforementioned rounds can be conducted on the college campus itself or at the recruiting company’s office. These rounds may happen within a few hours or go on over multiple days, as per the students’ participation and the company’s convenience. The entire interview duration can last anywhere from just an hour to more than a day, depending upon the total rounds involved as well as the total students shortlisted. The interviewers conducting these rounds could be a mix of the company’s HR staff as well as independent industry veterans who have decades of experience in campus recruitments. 

Group Discussion 

Topics that are often asked during a GD belong to either an abstract, based on current affairs or a problem statement; their nature varies from simple to complex and broad in its scope. Driving the discussion in a positive way, having good articulating, and listening skills, and exhibiting a participative nature become crucial in acing a typical GD round. One can make his/ her presence felt in the discussion by simply chipping in with two-three quality points and summarising/ concluding the discussion (if given a chance to do so). A typical GD begins with the panellists introducing a topic to a group of 8-10 (even more in some cases) and giving about a minute or two to ponder over it. Then the group is allotted 10-25 minutes to discuss the topic and try to arrive at a conclusion. Lastly, either the panellists give each participant a chance to conclude or allow anybody to summarise or conclude the given topic for a minute or two. Hence, a generic GD lasts for about thirty minutes. Things such as interrupting while others speak, voicing an opinion in an aggressive way, not pitching in enough with quality points, and straying away from the topic must be avoided at all costs. 

Personal Interview 

When it comes to a PI, the range of questions asked can vary from generic ones like “Why MBA”, “Why this specific company and job profile”, “strengths and weaknesses”, etc. to the ones based on past as well as current academics, work experience, career aspirations, current affairs, among others. Knowing everything mentioned on the CV and not faking anything is extremely important to fare well in a PI round. It is totally fine to not have answers to certain questions which are not related to your CV and are a bit complex in nature. In such a case, the interviewee should request to take a logical guess to reply to that question or politely decline to answer. Giving lucid responses to all the questions in a confident manner is of utmost importance in passing a PI round with flying colours.        

Conclusion 

In the event of multiple companies recruiting on a single or within a few days, there is a possibility of a student being shortlisted for all or most of such interviews scheduled back-to-back. Hence, he/she not only needs to be well-prepared for such a scenario but also analyse the shortcomings (if any) to avoid repeating them in the forthcoming interviews. The placement committee at SIESCOMS prepares its students well enough to tackle such situations with ease and see them bagging lucrative placements as soon as possible. 

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