GD/PI Tips by Prabhat Pankaj - Director of Jaipuria Institute of Management

However, all the efforts made by students in the GD can come to a naught during the Personal Interview. Dr. Pankaj says that’s because the two are completely different processes. “GD is about your ability to put forward points, contextualizing them, and convincing others,” he explains. “The PI does not depend so much on instant preparation, but a lot on how you have been thinking about those questions. Besides that, body language is important: sit straight, look into the eyes of the interviewer while answering questions. Dress appropriately and wear a smile.”

For those who tend to go blank during the interview, Dr. Pankaj has some helpful tips as well. He suggests, “Never look blank, or scratch your hair. The best way is to ask for time to recall the answer. Keep your cool and focus on finding the answer; but if you can’t, accept the fact that, unfortunately, you are not able to recall the answer just now. The interviewer will move on to the next question and it will not be considered a negative, especially if you could answer subsequent questions.” Now, that’s pretty helpful advice that management candidates can benefit from.