Interview Preparation Job Aid

Tips and Tricks to crack a GD-

 Skills that are assessed through GDs-

 Ability to work in groups
 Ability to keep your Stand
 Ability to lead and not let divert the topic
 Ability to reach a consensus
 Ability to being logical and articulative while making an argument or statement

 Types of GDs-
 Topical GD – Topics related to news or studies
 Business Case – Topics defining a business problem
 Chairman’s GD – Topics for assessing leadership skills
 Abstract GD – Topics like Black etc., to understand how candidates react to something that does
not make sense.

 Roles in GDs-
 Initiator - Commences the GD and gives it a structure
 Contributor – Makes relevant points on the arguments by facts
 Channelizer- Brings the group back on topic, if diverted
 Lone Taker – Borrows points of others and adds inputs to it
 Leader – Leads the group discussion
 Brings the other side of the coin
 Concluder – End the GD with one last try

 Candidate’s objective/ Behavior in GD -

 When initially time is given to think on topic, try to analyze the topic using PESTEL (Political,
Environmental,Social,Economical, legal) perspectives and factors.
 If the candidate begins with the GD, he should be able to grab the attention of all the group
members by defining the topic, I.e., explaining the meaning of the topic and not merely stating
the given topic. You can use the words like today’s topic is very interesting/ controversial etc. to
begin with. Give a proper structure to go about the topic, for example suggesting the discussion
on individual perspective, then at national level and finally at international level. After giving a
suggestion, it's better to begin the first step of the structure defined.
 Speaking at least 3-4 times in the 10 minutes of GD but also, not speaking too much because it
may seem like you are overpowering on others.
 Being relevant and Contextual while making a statement is very important for you to be heard
and noticed by the group members as well as the invigilator
  Playing multiple roles instead of one (leader, contributor, channelizer)
 If the GD consists of 10 people, trying to make a good point within first four speakers.
 Being an active listener and calling out names of people while agreeing to somebody’s point of
view
 Summarizing the discussion made so far in the mid-way can be a good idea if a lot of contextual
discussion is made.
 Considering the voice modulation and being crisp allows other members of the group to listen to
you.
 Backing up the statement or argument made with relevant facts and figures
 Looking at the group members while speaking and avoiding looking at the invigilator
 Being aware of the burning issues of the time, helps in getting a lot of data to quote in the GDs
 Candidate should avoid beginning the GD if he/she is not prepared or is not aware of the topic
as the initiator is responsible for giving a structure to the GD.

Tips and Tricks to crack an Interview-

 How to Introduce Oneself -

 Simple Formula can be talking about the past experiences, like high school and college, job
experiences and learnings from them, then talking about the current job roles and work, scope
involved in it. One can talk about their achievements and can also subtly tell them about their
hobbies and why you’re passionate about them.
 Go with a practiced answer and do not wait for the last minute to think on your feet but don’t
memorize and recite the answer.
 Your goal when answering, is to give a brief, concise walkthrough of your career story that will
show off relevant pieces of experience.
 If you’re a recent graduate: Start with the fact that you just graduated and explain why you
chose this career path or field of area of study.
 Break the clutter and tell your story like you own it.
 Figuring out how you can tell your story in a way that makes it crystal clear why you’re
interested and what you bring to the table that aligns with the role and company.
 Always include all the positive information from your experiences in the answer
 As you tell your career story, explain key accomplishments you’ve achieved, work you’ve done,
skills you’ve learned, and key career moves you’ve made.

 Sample Introduction answers -

 Sure! So, I've always enjoyed writing and public speaking, even going back to high school. This
led me to pursue writing-related passions, for example in college, where I was an editor for our
school newspaper. In addition to writing, I got to learn how to manage a team and the writing
process. After college, I took a job at Acme as a social media manager, writing copy and social
content for the company blog, but I raised my hand to work on the communications plan for a
product launch which is where I discovered my interest in product marketing. After switching to
a product marketing role and managing the two most successful new product launches last year,
I realized I'm excited to take on a new role. I've learned I work best on products that I love and
 use and given that I'm a big user of your company’s products I jumped at the chance to apply
when I saw the open posting.
 Being born in an air force family, I had to switch between locations a lot due to my dad’s
transfers. So, I have been put from known environment to unknown environment a lot. Hence, I
have learnt the skills of adaptability and growth that are very essential in the person doing a job
of a sales employee. I have completed my graduation in the commerce field and I’m aware of
the nitty- gritties of a business set up. I was also head of Public Relations cell in my college that
helped me to gain in hand experience of negotiating with the people.
 “I graduated with a degree in Engineering two months ago. I chose that field of study because
I’ve always been interested in math and physics, and a couple of family members told me it
leads to great career options. One of my key accomplishments during my academic career was
speaking at a conference on the topic of energy-efficient window design, based on research I
had done for one of my senior-level classes. This led to an internship that I just wrapped up, so
I’m actively looking for a full-time position now.”
 “I graduated with a business degree in 2010 and was offered an account management position
from a telecommunications company I had interned with. I loved working with customers and
managing and growing my accounts, but the industry we were in just wasn’t very appealing to
me. After that, I stayed a full year and learned a ton about how to build and manage accounts
successfully and I ended up becoming a top performer in my group before leaving. I left at the 1-
year-mark to pursue a very similar position within an industry I’m much more excited about-
healthcare. I’ve been at this healthcare startup space for 2 years with this company and I feel
ready to take my career to the next level so that’s why I’m currently looking for a new
opportunity.”

 Using STAR format to answer the questions -

 In a behavioral interview, take a few minutes to frame your answer under the following
sequential criteria and then answer.
 The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview
question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are
describing.
 Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish.
You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have
done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation
can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.
 Task: What goal were you working toward?
 Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of
detail and keep the focus on YOU. What specific steps did you take and what was your
contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about
a project, but what you actually did. Use the word “I,” not “we” when describing actions.
 Result: Describe the outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit for your
behavior. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you
learn? Make sure your answer contains multiple positive results.
 Make sure that you follow all parts of the STAR method.
  Be always as specific as possible, without rambling or including too much information.
 Oftentimes students have to be prompted to include their results, so try to include that without
being asked. Also, eliminate any examples that do not paint you in a positive light. However,
keep in mind that some examples that have a negative result (such as “lost the game”) can
highlight your strengths in the face of adversity.

 SAMPLE STAR RESPONSE:

 Situation (S): Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper, The Review, and
large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.
 Task (T): My goal was to generate new ideas, materials and incentives that would result in at
least a 15% increase in advertisers from the year before.
 Action (A): I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the
benefits of The Review circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special
training session for the account executives with a School of Business Administration professor
who discussed competitive selling strategies.
 Result (R): We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special
supplements. We increased our new advertisers by 20 percent over the same period last year.

Preparing for the interview.

https://youtu.be/sq3pyauZRhI

https://youtu.be/GxCD7Q_qDpU

common questions asked during interview. Tell me about yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnqzM6FWgTE

how to introduce your self

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZK1MZwUyUU

Top movies to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBqKV1eD8aQ

Hobbies, strength and weakness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZK1MZwUyUU

Tips for online interviews

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGk3fBrQ28M

common questions during interviews with answers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5MxNjBJoXA

Accent training English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4NVPg2kHv4

tips for GD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BguYUJ7cWrs

Sentence starter for GD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuBAXrPGiXg

Stop translating from your mother tongue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USlu8LXZzT8

Basic English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERxUNtws5Q

1. Excel and advance excel, formulas and functions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rh2RpAjenQ

2. Data visualization excel chars and graphs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY8Q2QhKzZM

3. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services

4. TOTAL: CompTIA IT Fundamentals ITF+ (FCO-U61)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L9hjr3oNgM

5. Advanced Windows Performance Troubleshooting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFhw4usrrGM

6. Email Etiquette

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p12eb2ysAxA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spf7QfJqQTU