Students’ Speak: Topics for GD need not be always abstract

By: Athira Anand

Athira Anand from Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management shares a personal account of her GDPI rounds.

Group Discussions and Personal Interviews are deciding factors of what the future holds for you. Here's my experience of how I cracked both of them. After getting shortlisted, I cracked the first stage of the placement process, which was the aptitude test, with 70%. The next stage being a group discussion, I was a bit nervous because the top contenders of the class were also there. The topic given to us was "Mining in India". I had notes and points written beforehand because the interview was for a techno-commercial role in coal and mining. Here's an important piece of information - topics for GD need not be always abstract. It can also be related to the post which you’ve applied for. So I was well prepared with solid points in counter and favor of the topic. The college also helped us with topics on the technical side, abstract ones, and general knowledge topics. Few among them were - Color Black, High-speed Rail Corridor, Statue of Unity, India in 2020, Infrastructure and India, Job Scenario in India, etc. There is a wide range of topics that can be asked for GDs. All of us were ready and everyone had their own viewpoints, rebuttals were strong and it was a good and peaceful discussion. 5 out of 10 got selected for PI and the others got rejected because of poor communication skills, irrelevant points and also because their points were not in accordance with the topic given. Few of them were also taking a lot of time to respond back.

The personal interview round was good for me and the questions were asked about the academic project work and internship that were mentioned on my CV. Apart from this, they also asked me questions about the company, how electricity is produced from coal, generic questions like tell me about yourself, what is infrastructure and how will it help the nation, what are your interests and also why would we hire you and not others. It's important to note that we must be well prepared about the company and other details regarding the post. Having complete knowledge about the job description goes without saying.

Generic questions are related to oneself and it differs from person to person, so one has to sit and spare time to think and formulate for the same. Apart from that, a thorough understanding of what you've written in the CV and also regarding the internship and project works are quite important aspects.

After two days the result came out and I got selected. The basic rule one has to keep in mind is to communicate properly what you have in mind. Beating around the bush over what you don't know will never help in GD or PI. It's easy to crack both if one has a strong technical base and communication skills. Also, do not forget to keep a smile on your face. Don't worry a lot over it because it's just another phase and everything shall pass over time.

 About the Author:

Athira Anand is pursuing PGDM in Infrastructure Management from Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management.