EXPERIENTIAL

LEARNING
COM202: Business and Professional Speech

Term Project Fall’19

Written by:
Sameera Nadeem
Shereen Saleem
Osama Ahmed
Sohaib Sohail
Rameesha Asfa Ali
Shayan Nawaz
 Letter Of Acknowledgement

Ma’am Shumaila Omer,

Assistant Professor, Communication Department,

IoBM- Karachi.

It is an honor for us to prepare this report on Conducting Corporate Mock Interview

Session assigned to us by our respected instructor, Ms. Shumaila Omer. We would like
to thank her for providing us the opportunity to carry out the session and for providing
supervision all along in order to materialize our content for the report.

It was a pleasure creating and working on such a project, on a topic so enlightening and
realistic, which is bound to play a vital role in our professional lives in the near future.

Yours Sincerely,

Sohaib Sohail
Rameesha
Shereen
Osama
Sameera Nadeem
Shayan Nawaz
Students of COM202 Business & Professional Speech,
The Institute of Business Management, Karachi
Table of Contents
Vision of IoBM ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Mission of IoBM ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Background - Student Profiles ............................................................................................... 4
Introduction: ................................................................................................................................ 7
In the words of IoBM’s President, “The essence of IoBM’s academic programs
pertains to career focused education towards individual fulfillment, professional
excellence, institutional credibility, family welfare and social responsibility. The
net result is reflected in the net product. IoBM’s credibility speaks for itself. ......... 7
Reference Model: ....................................................................................................................... 9
Task 1: Contacting the Corporate: ...................................................................................... 10
Task 2: Designing Job Advertisement ............................................................................... 12
Task 3: Designing and Printing task. .................................................................................. 13
Task 4: Undertaking Job Application process ................................................................. 15
Task 5: Arranging Giveaways for guests. ......................................................................... 16
Task 6: Event Management: .................................................................................................. 16
Rameesha’s experience in arranging security passes and evaluation forms. ....... 17
Task 7: Interview Day:............................................................................................................. 19
Project Feedback ..................................................................................................................... 21
Conclusion: ............................................................................................................................... 23
Limitations: ................................................................................................................................ 24
Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 24
Appendix 1: ................................................................................................................................ 25
About the Institute of Business Management

Since 1995, IoBM has been engaged in building a Higher Education Institution the primary
concern of which is to foster initiative and entrepreneurial talent in its students. It has been
internationally ranked as one of the two top Business Schools of Pakistan and is now
aiming to become a leading Business School of Asia. With CBM as its flagship College
and Business Education as its primary forte, IoBM offers a wide range of programs in IT,
Health Management, Industrial Management, Actuarial Sciences, Media Studies,
Environmental Management, Education and Commercial and Professional studies.

Vision of IoBM
The Institute of Business Management aims to be one of the leading institutes nationally
and internationally for imparting knowledge, skills, confidence, and values to its students
thereby enabling them to become successful professionals globally.

Mission of IoBM
The mission of the Institute of Business Management is to foster a learning environment
where students are motivated to make learning an on-going life-long process. We see
ourselves as a multidimensional educational institution.
Our aim is to:
 Use the best teaching and training methodologies
 Prepare students to excel academically as well as in management skills to function
ethically and take effective rational decisions in all endeavors of life
 Pursue leading-edge research
  Engage in the development of innovative ideas and
analytical, interpersonal and leadership skills
 Allow freedom of thought and expression
 Encourage both faculty and students to be independent
and creative thinkers
 Commit to our students and other stakeholders to create
responsible future
global leaders

Background - Student Profiles

COM202 Business and Professional Speech Students

Sohaib Sohail
An Entrepreneur, Sohaib is a keen learner who currently owns an ice cream studio and
online store along with his university studies; and wishes to set up his own export
business in near future. He is currently taking supply chain elective to pursue his dreams
to start his own export business and provide fruitful result for himself and Pakistan. This
Business and Professional Speech course provided him an opportunity to polish his
interaction skills and achieve his of his dream by enhancing his communication skills.
Sameera Nadeem

Finance major, Sameera is a dedicated and ambitious individual

who is to embark her career development in the Corporate
World. Being a merit scholarship holder, her zeal to pursue her
masters in finance and banking will support her in future
endeavors. The Business and Professional Speech course not
only groom her personality but also have a beneficial impact on
her time and task management skills.
Rameesha Asfa Ali
A Human Resource major, Rameesha is a dedicated individual who ensures that tasks
are well organized so that the road to success becomes easier. Being the deputy director
of logistics and supply chain department for the marketing Society it has taught her on
how to deal with individuals and communicate within a team .The business and
professional speech course provided her with a learning opportunity through experiential
learning as well as the informative and persuasive speeches that helped her build her
confidence.
Osama Ahmed
A marketing enthusiast and an aspiring entrepreneur, Osama is a
passionate and hardworking student who wants to make a name
for himself in the field of marketing and ultimately owns multiple
businesses. He has a keen interest in learning more and more
about how startups especially internet based startups
work and how is digital marketing is revolutionizing the marketing
field ; therefore , he keeps himself involved in various online
learning courses related to personal development , digital marketing
specialization and content creation . He also has been in various
professional and community organizations and have held leadership
positions .He is a critical thinker and a keen observer . He also holds
an opinion that we as an individuals should do our part in making our
society and surroundings better and should raise our voice if we
observe anything unfair .

Shereen Saleem Chawla:

Being a major in Marketing I would describe myself as an innate

creative thinker. Creativity has assisted me to explore alternative
solutions to problems and have an open mind about what will work
best and has made me an effective team leader because I can
anticipate problems and innovate solutions. I love to flash my
intellectual vitality through poetry and plays. Since, my O levels I have
written and acted in many plays. Also, I was designated as the
president of the Dramatics Society at Cordoba School for A’levels. I
believe I can express my soul to the world through my poetry. Recently, I have written a
poem which is to be published in the newsletter of Department of Communication of IoBM.
Creativity assists me to explore alternative solutions to problems and have an open mind
about what will work best.

My second quality is of People Management. I'm a people person therefore I really enjoy
interacting and working with a lot of different people and am known for being a great
listener and clear communicator, whether I’m engaging with group members or friends.
People management is the quality which has been polished over the period of time. From
getting the title of a “forewoman” to taking initiative as a team leader I have always been
at the forefront. I strongly believe that people are the biggest competitive advantage a
company has because one cannot replicate them.
Shayan Nawaz Khan

Being a Supply chain majors, I’ve been an enthusiast of sourcing. My whole life I’ve been
interested in earning money. Buying and selling things is my hobby. Let it be antiques to
cars, equipment, furniture, mobile phones and etc. All my life I’ve looked to buy things at
cheaper prices and sell them at profitable rates. As a business, I’ve been buying and
selling cars for the past 5 years. I’m in the process of opening up my own Auto parts and
repair shop. My future goal is to have my own chain of car showrooms.

Business and professional speech course has giving me the confidence to talk to people
without hesitance plus it has allowed me to deal with people much better as I can
communicate better in terms of personal as well as work related principles. It has groomed
my personality and shaped me into an individual who can speak up for himself and convey
the message that needs to be delivered in the most appropriate and understandable
manner.

Introduction:

In the words of IoBM’s President, “The essence of IoBM’s academic programs pertains
to career focused education towards individual fulfillment, professional excellence,
institutional credibility, family welfare and social responsibility. The net result is reflected
in the net product. IoBM’s credibility speaks for itself.

The esteemed institution undoubtedly delivers what it promises through its organized
curriculum and faculty. This report is a minor yet substantial example of commitment and
experiential learning opportunity provided by the institute by offering it’s student of the
course, Business & Professional Speech. Our respective group was assigned the task to
arrange corporate executives and conduct a Mock Interview session under the
supervision of our course instructor Ms. Shumaila Omer. The project aimed to meet 2
core objectives:
1. To provide BPS students a
collaborative corporate
experience through
communication and event
management skill.
2. To provide the candidates a
corporate experience and help
them prepare for future
interviews.

The outlying objectives of this project

were great in number and might have
gone unnoticed. Alongside corporate
communication skills, the session gave an insight on the challenges faced by individual
group member also helped us build a strong teamwork. The session helped the
candidates polish their communication skills. The feedback will benefit them in future
interview sessions.
The interview was scheduled on November 26th, 2018, Monday in Room# 313, CBM
Building.
Corporate executives:
Ahsan Hayat- Manager, Operations (TCS)
Shayan Nadeem- Assistant Manager, Operations (TCS)
Talha Zuberi- Operations Analyst, Supply Chain (TCS)
Humaira Shahnawaz – Education manager, Abu Dawood

Program Schedule:
 Arrival: 10 a.m.
 Refreshments: 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
 Campus Visit: 10:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
 Interview session: 10:45 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.
 Souvenirs and Feedback: 12:15 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
Reference Model:

The reading session conducted by the Speech students were based on a systematically
devised Lesson Plan (Appendix A), which is elaborated on later in this report. The most
important factor to be highlighted is the reference that was used to assist the Speech
students in developing the Lesson Plan.
David Kolb, an educational theorist, published his learning styles model in 1984. He
proposed two levels in his experiential learning theory, one of which is the following four
stage learning cycle:
The activities included in the Lesson Plan developed by the Speech Students, revolved
around the model displayed above in order to ensure effective learning through these 4
stages (Kolb, 2010). Since the model is integrated and no single stage can be effective
on its own (Kolb, 1974), the Lesson Plan’s components were designed in a step-by-step
process that work together simultaneously and in tandem with each other.
Task 1: Contacting the Corporate:
Sohaib’s Experience: Contacting the Corporate:
Concrete Experience: Following Kolb’s model of experiential learning my first step for
contacting the corporate professionals for interview was getting the contact of corporate
people. I searched by first asking my friends and class mates for e.g.: I contacted Adeel
to get me some contacts of corporate guys so I can formally contact them and invite them
to conduct mock interview sessions but my try wasn’t fruitful then I visited alumni
department of IoBM and also browsed my own contact list and this attempt was fruitful I
got contact of seven people from organization which included Bogo, Vouch 365, Telemart,
Peekaboo, Eat Mubarak and FoodPanda. After getting the contacts I designed an email
telling the timing and schedule, their role on that day the benefits they and their firm will
get on showing up (template of email attached in appendix 1).
As our interview session was scheduled on a working day only two one of seven
responded positively rest apologized so I now followed the one who gave me positive
reply was company named Bogo. I contacted the person through email and visited their
office in defence to guide him about the interview and lock his presence.
Just a day before the interview after all the follow-up he sent me an email and apologized
that he couldn’t make up so we have to deal with 2 members in panel.
Reflective Observation: Understanding that getting corporate people on board is
absolutely not an easy task also you have to contact many and they may not entertain
you in the end.
Abstract Conceptualism: It was a concluded that one should always keep a backup
plan so the event is as per schedule if someone doesn’t show up also the days should be
feasible and should be weekend so more people show up.
Active Experimentation: In future events I plan to make sure that the following lacks are
fulfilled and one should have proper strategy or alternate plans.
Rameesha Asfa Ali’s experience:
Reflective Observation
My first step in the process starts with reflective observation. Due to lack of previous
experience in contacting people from corporate sector for any event I first observed and
took guidance from a friend who has done ample of events within iobm as well as outside.
After observing and understanding on how to approach individuals I moved onto the
second process.
Concrete experience
The second process of my learning began with actually contacting people from the
corporate sector to invite them for the mock interview session for the students. For this i
took help of some friends to connect me with some individuals in the corporate world.
Additionally, I contacted people from an Organization where I did my internship. The
individuals I approached were from various sectors including banking, insurance,
pharmacy and services.
After having a follow up with the people all of them declined. Unfortunately, the main
reason for all the individuals declining to my request was due to a working day that our
session was to be scheduled on.
Reflective Observation
Switching again to observation, I observed that it is not an easy task to arrange people
from corporate sector. The individuals position working in the sector also needs to be
understood, and many of the people are reluctant to come as they might not see any
benefit for their company.
Abstract Conceptualization
What was learned in this process was that one needs to have a proper planning of the
event. The date, timings and venue is of crucial importance to the guests being invited so
thought should be given to that.
Active Experimentation
In order to plan out future event’s, all of the shortcomings from the process i went through
should be looked into and should be minimized. Secondly, one should expand it’s social
circle so that a huge pool of individuals is available for events like these.

Shereen’s Experience:
Concrete Experience: Following Kolb’s model of experiential learning my first step was
contacting the corporate executives for interview session. I contacted my friends and
family working in renown firms, however they weren’t available on the respective day.
Followed a set email format mentioning the day and schedule, their role on that day the
benefits they and their firm will get on showing up (template of email attached in appendix
1).
As our interview session was scheduled on a working day many of the respondents
excused their arrival.
Availing the last resort, I requested my husband who is currently working in TCS as
Assistant Manager- Operations to conduct the session along with his colleagues.
Reflective Observation: Understanding that getting corporate people on board is
absolutely not an easy task also you have to contact many and they may not entertain
you in the end.
Abstract Conceptualism: It was concluded that one should always keep a backup plan
so the event is as per schedule if someone doesn’t show up also the days should be
feasible and should be weekend so more people show up.
Active Experimentation: In future events I plan to make sure that the following lacks are
fulfilled and one should have proper strategy or alternate plans.

Task 2: Designing Job Advertisement

Osama Ahmed’ experience: Designing the job advertisement

Concrete experience
I took the responsibility to design the job advertisement as I am good with digital media
content creation, poster and logo designing etc. Previously I had the experience to design
logos, posters and pamphlets, but I had never designed a job advertisement , so firstly I
had to look for samples on the internet as to how job advertisements should be made ,
what content does it require , which format is usually used in designing the job advert and
above all which layout and colour combinations should be used so that it gives an
impression that advert is actually designed in a way in which actual corporate companies
do .
The 2nd step was to select the positions which were to be offered on that advertisement
and their job specifications and descriptions. Managing to add all the necessary details
yet avoiding redundancy with a proper font size, which is properly visible was a hard task,
I had to redesign , reshape and cut down a lot of things to finally curate a design that
looks clean and has all the necessary information necessary to convey to the applicants
.
Reflective Observation
Having experience in designing posters and pamphlets is different from designing an
official document like job advertisement , in which you have to make sure that not only it
conveys all the necessary details , but it should also be free from redundancy and should
look formal . You are actually advertising the image of your company when you are
designing a document which is going to be posted on various platforms so you have to
be extra careful.
Abstract Conceptualization
I learned how important it is to convey your message in as concise form as you can
Active Experimentation
In order to make sure that I did not face such difficulties in making the text as less
redundant as possible I have decided to work on my writing skills.

Task 3: Designing and Printing task.

Osama Ahmed’ experience: Designing, Printing the Poster and Arrangement of

Standee:
Concrete experience
Having expertise in designing I took the responsibility to design the poster which we had
to display on a standee, but since I had not designed a poster for a size of a standee first
I had to find out at which pixel size the poster should be designed. I called few friends of
mine who are good at designing an asked for their advice. After deciding the size I started
designing the poster, but it took a little while to decide which information should be kept
on the poster and which should I cut out and posters are meant to contain less text and
more visuals ; moreover text should be large and due to lack of experience I was not sure
about which font size would be suitable for a poster for a standee.
After getting done with designing part the 2nd step was to find a panaflex printing service
provider, so I started searching on internet , but I could not find a service provider near
my home which could print the poster in such a short time since I had only 1 day to get it
printed as the next day was Sunday and all the shops are usually closed . Then I asked
around from my friends and finally went to a market and after roaming around for a while
I finally found a printing service provider , but the shop was actually closed , but thankfully
I found his contact number and communicated with him on phone , explained him my
requirements and emailed him the design , but there were some flaws , as I was getting
a poster printed on panaflex for the first time I did not know which format file is required ,
I mailed him a png file, so later he called me asked me to send him the psd file which
ultimately resulted in waste of time . He mentioned that I should have given him more
time to print and they usually do not fulfill such orders on such short notices
3rd and final step was to arrange a standee to display the poster. I asked my group mate
about where I can get it from and after getting to know that standee would available in
university and I can get it easily I rather than getting it a day before rather decided to get
it on the interview day , which created a lot of chaos for my own self . I got the poster
printed which I had to be displayed on a roll on standee rather than the one which has
hooks on it . On the interview day when I went to collect the standee I got to know that a
roll on standee was not available. I had to roam around the whole university to visit rooms
of faculty, student affairs manager, rector and sports head to ask them if they have a roll
on standee , but still I was unable to find one. Ultimately I had to make adjustments to the
poster at the last minute so that it could be displayed on the available standee type.
Reflective Observation
Before taking a responsibility one should do a proper research , I am good at designing
but I didn’t have any clue about printing service provider neither I had any clue about the
pixel requirement , font size and file format , secondly I should have confirmed about the
standee and collected it before the interview day . one should really not leave things to
complete at the end of the deadline and should start working as early as possible .
Abstract Conceptualization
I learned how important it is to manage and schedule your tasks effectively .
Active Experimentation
In order to make sure these shortcomings do not occur next time I have decide to do a
proper research about the task before taking the responsibility.
Task 4: Undertaking Job Application process
Sameera’s Experience: Communicating with job applicants and handling resumes.

Concrete Experience:
For the mock interview session, I was assigned one of the important tasks of
communicating the job application process to all the candidates. When once our job
advertisement was designed and approved, we posted it on class WhatsApp and
Facebook group to reach the audience. The next step was to collect the resumes. I
provided Iobm CV template to the applicants so that can help them in designing proper
acceptable resume. We allotted the deadline to collect resumes also. Students were
asked to mail and bring the hardcopy of CV on day of their interview.
Within a day, I received 20 resumes. The next task for me was to sort all of them by the
respective majors (Finance, Supply Chain, HR and Marketing) that would help to organize
the interview. Since, most of the students did not mention their majors on subject line of
their emails. Therefore, I had to read the entire resumes to figure that out. The other
aspect I witnessed while evaluating was that the resumes were not in uniformity. Some
were generic, not updated, and difficult to read and very few applicants followed the
template. I tried to communicate these shortcomings to concern applicants so that they
can make rectifications. We got limited time in hand, so far enough we were able to
accomplish this task before the final day of interview.
Reflective Observation:
Being a student and having no formal expertise on resume writing, it is not easy to rectify
your colleagues. Instead, they are more comfortable to follow the criteria as told in other
courses.
Abstract Conceptualism:
Based on my experience, I believed that designing resume is a difficult process. There is
too much information to show in smaller area. That’s the reason most of the students
failed to stand out in sea of resumes. One should consider key tips to make resume
polished and presentable.
Active Experimentation:
For organizing corporate interview or recruitment events in future, I plan to get a formal
interview training which will include the resume writing, presentation, behavioral conduct
and many other aspects to ace an interview. Then, I would like to forward my training to
the colleagues who are willing to apply for job interview.

Task 5: Arranging Giveaways for guests.

Sohaibs experience for giveaways
Concrete Experience: One of the tasks given was too arrange a gift for our guest as a
token of appreciation. This task was allotted to me by our group leader. First it seemed a
simple task for me as I have past experience of getting these souvenirs done. I decided
to set Friday for this task. First I visited a souvenir shop in Bahadurabad, but unfortunately
the shop keeper refused to take the order so I decided to visit light house to get the
souvenirs done. When I reached lighthouse I got to know that due to anti encroachment
drive the whole market of souvenirs was destroyed and new market was yet to be placed
at a new place. I contacted the group members and they recommended Jafferjees’
keychain which was in our budget and was a valuable give away for guests.
Reflective Observation: It was a time consuming activity which in the end was done
successfully.
Abstract Conceptualism: We concluded that it was a better idea to provide the guest
with keychain rather than traditional shield.
Active Experimentation: We got to know how group work enables one to do task more
efficiently and effectively.

Task 6: Event Management:

Shayan’s experience of arranging the event
Concrete experience:
I took the responsibility of event management along with other group members. For
holding such an event the respect HOD needs to be approved. But that was done by
Mam Shumaila our instructor, which was already taken care of. From arranging the
class room, to getting the desks, it was to be made sure that student’s would show up
on time and assemble outside the class room ,everything had to be planned so it could
be appropriately set up on the actual day the event had to take place. Plus we were also
briefed if a particular guest doesn’t show up we’d have to place a substitute guest at the
last minute. This whole process required full coordination from other group member’s
fulfilling their part of work as well, and it cannot have been managed solely.
Reflective observation: I observed that candidates we’re scattered and most of them
didn’t show up on time they were asked to be there
Abstract Conceptualization: I realized that it is important to have a drill/practice of the
event before the actual one takes place to avoid delays and conflicts
Active experimentation: For the shortcomings, next time I would actually carry out a
trial event before the actual one takes place as I realized rehearsals are a better way of
getting the best results. Also synergy of the group members makes for the best output

Rameesha’s experience in arranging security passes and evaluation forms.

Concrete experience:
I took on the responsibility of arranging the security passes and for ensuring the printouts
of the marking criteria. Since the interview session was arranged on a Monday I went to
the university on Saturday to get the printouts and the security clearance. I reached the
university at 9:00am but at that time the security head was not available in his office.
After waiting for an hour I met him and told him about the event and that I would require
a pass, I provided him with the names of the guests coming and the organization that they
worked in.He at that point told me that an NIC number is also required of each individual
as well as a formal approval from sir Riaz Akbar contractor and Asad Haroon.
I called up Sheeren and asked her to arrange the NICs of the guests as she was the one
who was in contact with them. After arranging the NICs a formal email was written and I
waited for their approval, upon approval he wrote down the names of the guests and
passed it to the security guards for clearance.
Reflective Observation
I observed that a lot of time had been put into getting clearance and it could been easily
avoided.
Abstract Conceptualization
I learned that an email would have just done the work as the approval was only required
through an email by Riaz Akbar and Asad Haroon.
Active Experimentation
For future events I have to ensure that NIC is provided by the guests beforehand and that
and email should be sent a day or two before in order to avoid inconvenience.

Osama Ahmed’ experience: Receiving the guests

Concrete experience
On the interview day I along with my one group member were given the responsibility to
receive the guests, make sure they enter the campus without any inconvenience and
make sitting arrangements for them. While a group member of mine arranged the security
passes for them I made sure that guards allow them to park their cars in the campus.
2nd step was to take make sitting arrangements for them as they reached a bit earlier and
the room in which we had to conduct the interviews was not available for use at the time
, so we had to make them wait , but there I was not sure where should I take them to
because earlier we were informed that a tea room would be arranged for them , but
unfortunately it was not so I had to make the decision on spot , I had to choose a spot for
them where they could feel comfortable . I called my group member to discuss the
situation since I was really tensed about it and took an advice from my group member
and took them to cafeteria where later my other group member got the refreshments.
Reflective Observation
One should make arrangements earlier and should have alternative plans as well, things
always do not go as planned and sometimes you have to take decisions in a rush without
having to compromise your goal and image and a good team coordination and
cooperation can overcome any shortcomings.
Abstract Conceptualization
This experience helped me learn how to keep calm and do not get worried, keep your
focus and think of the solution rather than worrying and getting tensed and even if you
are unable to handle it make sure you have a strong team which can back you up.
Active Experimentation
For future events I will make sure that arrangements of rooms and other necessary things
should be done beforehand.

Shereen’s Experience:
Concrete Experience:
On the day of the interview, I was constantly in contact with corporate executives and my
fellow group members. From arranging the contact details to guiding my group members
wasn’t an easy task. On reaching the café where the executives had already been seated,
I provided them with the refreshments and had an introductory conversation. After the
refreshments I guided them through the campus and gave a brief campus visit.
Abstract Conceptualization:
Through this experience I didn’t only polish my communication skills, but also got a
chance to explore my leadership qualities. The conversation gave me an insight of
corporate challenges and the interviewers’ expectations about the session.
Active Experimentation:
For future, I will make sure that the arrangements are better than this.

Task 7: Interview Day:

Sohaib’s Experience:
Arranging the Room:
Concrete Experience: As the interview was scheduled on a working day and our
interview timings were 10:30 to 12:30. Our group members divided the responsibilities.
Sheeren and Sameera were coordinating with our instructor and facilitating the guest after
Rameesha and Osama were receiving the guest I and Shayan were responsible to
arrange the room for interviews.
We contacted the logistic department and asked for two desks and table mat so we can
set up the interview table also we arranged the setup by taking the approval of the logistic
dept. adding further we both along with our other mates cleaned up the room move the
student chairs in the corner so the audience can sit in the corner which was called by our
instructor.
Reflective Observation: As the time was too short one of the guest was waiting outside
when we making the arrangements this was the miscommunication between our group
which made it a bit awkward.
Abstract Conceptualism: We concluded that it would be a more professional approach
to book an interview room before hand and get it ready so one could avoid these type of
situation.
Active Experimentation: We have understood that there should be coordination
between members so this awkward situation can be avoided and one can be seen more
professional when any other event is held in near future. We also updated the other
section persons so they can avoid this type of error.

Rameesha’s Experience: Arranging the room

Concrete Experience:
At first there was a slight misunderstanding of where the session was going to be held as
we were not sure if it would be in the same room as our speech course. Upon confirming
from ma’am and shereen about the room I started asking the security guard there to help
me arrange two peons so that I could arrange the desks.
Since our session had to begin at 10:30 we had to arrange the class before 10:30 but
there was already a class going on so we had to wait. I was later joined by sohaib and
shayan who guided the peons for the class arrangements and all of the group members
were present to help arrange the class so that it could be done quickly.
As our instructor wanted to ensure that there was some audience from her other class we
made sure that there was seating for the other class students as well.
Reflective Observation
I observed that it was not a good idea to had the session in the same room in which a
class was already being conducted, this slowed down our arrangement as we couldn’t
enter the class before 10:30 and had to start arranging after 10:30 with guest waiting
outside the class. Even after the session ended, the teacher for the next class had to wait
outside for us to finish.
Abstract Conceptualism:
We as a group learned that there should be separate room for this session to be
conducted so that the arrangements could be made beforehand.
Active Experimentation:
In future we need to ensure that the shortcomings of arrangement and room Booking
should be avoided and there needs to be no miss communication between members.

Shereen’s Experience:
Concrete Experience:
Invigilated the session, assisted the executives and guided the students towards the
respective panels. Took pictures and feedback during the session.
Reflective Observation
I observed that it was not a good idea to conduct the session in the same room in which
our regular classes were conducted. Also, I was disappointed by the non-serious and
casual attitude of few of the candidates who weren’t formally dressed and came just for
the sake of course activity. Irrespective of thorough instructions given by Ms. Shumaila,
students failed to follow them, thus gave a negative impression.
Abstract Conceptualism:
I learned that delivering the message is not enough, but making sure that the instructions
are followed is also the role of the event planner.
Active Experimentation:
For future, I will make sure that candidates who aren’t following the instructions shouldn’t
be allowed.

Project Feedback

Sohaib Sohail –
It was one of the learning experience of my life in which I contacted more than seven
Corporate firms I also approached my university alumni department in order to get
corporate contact; although I am currently running an online business and owning an ice-
cream studio this event gave me a 360 degree approach to how organize a corporate
event. I would specially like to thank our instructor Ms. Shumaila Omar to provide this
opportunity to help me learn how to organize a formal corporate event. This whole mock
interview session was delightful as we were required to work in a group together and
collectively to contact professional corporate men. In the end I would conclude it was an
awesome experience I had.
Sameera Nadeem:
The mock interview session was indeed an impactful and wonderful experience I had in
my three years at Iobm. It not only helped us to understand the insights about corporate
setting but polished our interview skills. About group work, I would like to appreciate my
team members who were very cooperative and hardworking throughout the project. This
could never be pulled off successfully, without the team efforts and willingness to achieve
big.
Rameesha Asfa Ali:
This course truly had a continuous learning process involved. The interview session was
extremely helpful as it provided me with an idea of how the real corporate interviews are
conducted. Organizing and arranging the session required immense team effort and it
couldn’t have been possible without their help and support.
Osama Ahmed:
This project indeed provided me with some hands on experience of arranging an event
from planning to executing , which included usage of designing skills , time management
, interpersonal skills and above all it made me learn how to handle pressure and make
your way through in tough situations ; moreover , this project made me interact with
corporate people and gave me a real life overview of how interviews are actually
conducted , which things we should be careful about while giving an interview and how
people are actually judging the applicant. This project required coordination and strong
teamwork and successful execution of this project would not have been possible without
it.
Shereen Saleem Chawla:
This experiential learning task didn’t only polish my skills, but also gave me an experience
to talk about. The whole task required immense team work and I am proud to have a team
of people who are good listeners, coordinators as each one of them gave their best in
their respective domains. Meeting corporate executives and having conversation with
them gave us a valuable chance to enhance our knowledge about the corporate world.

Shayan Nawaz Khan:

It was a very different and challenging course. This project/ event proved to be very
learning full experience for me. Managing an event like this was quite new to me but I
realized that it is never a one man show, but a team effort makes for everything to
function. Solely we can’t do a lot. I learned how to coordinate and make decisions which
I don’t remember doing in the past. It made me more confident as I had a responsibility
assigned to me, and I had to fulfill it by all means. Without the coordination, help and
understanding of my group members, nothing would’ve been possible

Conclusion:

On the whole, this experiential learning project assigned to us proved to be remarkable

and impactful for our course, Business and professional Speech. The mock interview
session was our great accomplishment providing us with immerses valuable knowledge
and insights about corporate world. The students got the opportunity to meet corporate
executives in professional environment and had a healthy interaction activity. We as
team members and students, look forward for more such opportunity to organize and
experience such events in near future.
Limitations:

We students aimed to gain and provide full benefit from and to the sessions as it was an
experiential learning activity. However, despite the maximum effort put for conducting
sessions, some of the following challenges were faced:

1. Candidates were not given full fledge time for interview as there was time limitation
of our section time slot.

2. The guests were not given a proper time for feedback as other faculty was waiting
outside the room.

3. Candidates were not trained to apply for corporate interview.

4. Resumes submitted were not in uniformity.

5. The students were thoroughly briefed about the dress code and conduct by our
respective instructor, however few interviewees adapted a very casual attitude.

Recommendations

This project can be improved:

1. The session should be arranged on weekend so corporates can more easily send
their people for interview.

2. The interview should have taken place in auditorium for better ambiance and
professionalism.
3. The session time should be of 4 hours rather than 2 hours so event could be more
smoothly functioned.

4. Candidates should show more responsible and serious attitude and avail this golden
opportunity to polish their interactive skills.

Appendix 1:

Attachment of communication between corporate People and us.