During the boom, IT companies used to hire large numbers of employees. One of the major tools for selection or rejection was group discussion. These discussions were conducted on a mass scale, and more than 50% of candidates were typically rejected. The selection criteria varied, but common skills were usually assessed. Attached is the PPT to the best of my knowledge. Comments are welcome!
KS Rao
09959129888
www.corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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10KS Rao
09959129888
www.corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Mr. KS Rao,
I have gone through the PowerPoint presentation on group discussion. You have put in good efforts. However, the following points need to be addressed:
a) The types of group discussions have not been mentioned.
b) On slide 2, the response to the question "why group discussion?" seems out of place. Group discussions are conducted to test one's verbal communication skills, command over language, presentation of thoughts (including the use of proverbs, idioms, and phrases), coherence in thoughts, depth of thoughts, and the presentation of creative solutions.
c) Slide No. 16 states that a general group discussion lasts 20-25 minutes with 10-15 participants. With such a short duration, each member gets barely 2 minutes, which may not be sufficient to cover the content mentioned in slides 6-10.
d) It would be beneficial to include a section on teamwork. If a member is not actively participating and another member tries to take the lead, involving the non-participating member can demonstrate leadership qualities.
e) Adding information on maintaining group discipline would be valuable.
f) Time management is a crucial aspect of group discussions. Given the limited time, what is said holds more importance than how it is said.
Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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I have gone through the PowerPoint presentation on group discussion. You have put in good efforts. However, the following points need to be addressed:
a) The types of group discussions have not been mentioned.
b) On slide 2, the response to the question "why group discussion?" seems out of place. Group discussions are conducted to test one's verbal communication skills, command over language, presentation of thoughts (including the use of proverbs, idioms, and phrases), coherence in thoughts, depth of thoughts, and the presentation of creative solutions.
c) Slide No. 16 states that a general group discussion lasts 20-25 minutes with 10-15 participants. With such a short duration, each member gets barely 2 minutes, which may not be sufficient to cover the content mentioned in slides 6-10.
d) It would be beneficial to include a section on teamwork. If a member is not actively participating and another member tries to take the lead, involving the non-participating member can demonstrate leadership qualities.
e) Adding information on maintaining group discipline would be valuable.
f) Time management is a crucial aspect of group discussions. Given the limited time, what is said holds more importance than how it is said.
Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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Dear KS Rao, your PowerPoint presentation on group discussions is very good! However, I don't see the relation between IT recruitments and group discussions.
I have been in the IT industry for 7 years, and never have I seen group discussions used as a means for selection. The reason may be that IT employees are not expected to have excellent communication as a 'primary' skill, since most of their work involves working with computers, almost silently.
It may be more relevant to management-related fields!
From India, Mumbai
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I have been in the IT industry for 7 years, and never have I seen group discussions used as a means for selection. The reason may be that IT employees are not expected to have excellent communication as a 'primary' skill, since most of their work involves working with computers, almost silently.
It may be more relevant to management-related fields!
From India, Mumbai
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Mr. Dinesh,
Thanks for your constructive comments. However, I wish to clarify all the points raised by you. First, I made it clear that the GDs are related to IT recruitments. That is why I did not mention other GD types.
Second, my response to the question is general. Your points of response are specific to interviews.
Third, more or less all the parameters of GD evaluations of almost all the IT companies are (were) the same as I mentioned. The question of how candidates are evaluated in 2 minutes or less than that is frequently answered by them as experience and expertise.
Fourth, team work is covered under the leadership point; see it once again.
Fifth, the discipline you mentioned is covered under behavioral traits. Time discipline you mentioned is one of the presentation skills.
However, I thank you very much for your comments. Thanks and regards,
KS Rao 09959129888 corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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Thanks for your constructive comments. However, I wish to clarify all the points raised by you. First, I made it clear that the GDs are related to IT recruitments. That is why I did not mention other GD types.
Second, my response to the question is general. Your points of response are specific to interviews.
Third, more or less all the parameters of GD evaluations of almost all the IT companies are (were) the same as I mentioned. The question of how candidates are evaluated in 2 minutes or less than that is frequently answered by them as experience and expertise.
Fourth, team work is covered under the leadership point; see it once again.
Fifth, the discipline you mentioned is covered under behavioral traits. Time discipline you mentioned is one of the presentation skills.
However, I thank you very much for your comments. Thanks and regards,
KS Rao 09959129888 corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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Dear Mr. Shikha Singh,
Thank you for your comments. During 2005-2007, Satyam, Infosys, Wipro, TCS, etc., made group discussions mandatory in their selection process. Perhaps this was due to the large number of requirements for candidates and the significant number of candidates participating in campus drives.
The other point you made is also intriguing. Most IT companies emphasized communication and soft skills. These companies correctly recognized that many tech students lack the necessary communication and soft skills. While tech students may excel in their respective domains, they often lack the essential communication skills required when interacting with team members, leaders, customers, and the global community. This gap led many companies to conduct Faculty Development Programs in Engineering Colleges, especially in AP, to equip faculty members to train students in these vital skills.
Thank you and regards,
KS Rao
09959129888
corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Thank you for your comments. During 2005-2007, Satyam, Infosys, Wipro, TCS, etc., made group discussions mandatory in their selection process. Perhaps this was due to the large number of requirements for candidates and the significant number of candidates participating in campus drives.
The other point you made is also intriguing. Most IT companies emphasized communication and soft skills. These companies correctly recognized that many tech students lack the necessary communication and soft skills. While tech students may excel in their respective domains, they often lack the essential communication skills required when interacting with team members, leaders, customers, and the global community. This gap led many companies to conduct Faculty Development Programs in Engineering Colleges, especially in AP, to equip faculty members to train students in these vital skills.
Thank you and regards,
KS Rao
09959129888
corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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I think there are very few instances where recruiters resort to group discussions as a part of the selection process. In many cases, group discussions are used as a tool to reject or eliminate applicants. This practice is most commonly observed in campus recruitments. I believe that in many corporate recruitment processes, HR tends to focus more on eliminating candidates rather than finding the right fit for the role.
Regards,
Shijit.
From India, Kochi
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Regards,
Shijit.
From India, Kochi
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Dear Deepak,
Yes, you are absolutely right. A skill is something you practice repeatedly in a manner that leads to improvement each time. Soft skills are no exception to this rule. They are not merely a store of knowledge; instead, they require the practical application of that knowledge. Many students struggle to apply soft skills because they acquire them as theoretical knowledge from external training agencies. Only those colleges that invest in training programs or have dedicated trainers on their staff may successfully instill these skills in their students. It is concerning that some colleges fail to realize this crucial fact. When will they come to this understanding? Only time will tell.
KS Rao
09959129888
corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Yes, you are absolutely right. A skill is something you practice repeatedly in a manner that leads to improvement each time. Soft skills are no exception to this rule. They are not merely a store of knowledge; instead, they require the practical application of that knowledge. Many students struggle to apply soft skills because they acquire them as theoretical knowledge from external training agencies. Only those colleges that invest in training programs or have dedicated trainers on their staff may successfully instill these skills in their students. It is concerning that some colleges fail to realize this crucial fact. When will they come to this understanding? Only time will tell.
KS Rao
09959129888
corporatefokus.com
From India, Hyderabad
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Soft Skills.ppt
Hand book on soft skills[1].doc