Cracking GDs
What is a GD a.k.a Group Discussion?
Group discussion(GD) essentially means that a group of people come together to discuss a certain topic. Many companies employ GDs as part of their interview process to assess candidates’ qualities such as communication, teamwork, leadership, social and behavioral skills, and test topic knowledge.
Typically, at the start of a GD, the moderators, who are members of the hiring team, introduce themselves and provide instructions about the process to the group. After being given the topic, the applicants would have a few minutes to think before the conversation, which would last around 30 minutes. At the end, one of the candidates would be asked to conclude.
These GDs can be of different types-
- Factual – discussions are about practical things, on day-to-day topics
- Opinion based – the candidates would be asked to put forward their opinions and views
- Case study based – the group must work together to address a hypothetical problem.
- Abstract – talks on intangible matters, when lateral thinking and imagination are most required.
How is a GD for Finance role different from that for FMCG?
In general, the topic of discussion in a GD for a finance-related role would be anything linked to day-to-day economic concerns that demand technical knowledge and current affairs. As a student, one method to stay current would be to read blogs and explore the news on browsers. In such cases, subscribing to sites like Finshots comes in handy (its free 😛 )
GDs for employment in FMCG firms, on the other hand, would be more focused on issues such as conveying ideas, maintaining decorum, and employing common sense. Technical understanding and knowledge of recent events are not required much.
QUICK RESOURCE PICK – The Ken
The Ken is a subscriber-only Indian business news website that publishes one story each day on Indian business, healthcare, and other related topics. In 2021, The Ken launched “The Stack,” a business newsletter bundle that produces newsletters focusing on certain areas such as Climate Technology, Financial Technology, and Personal Finance, among others.
Subscribe freely here – https://the-ken.com/
Don’t want to browse a lot of sites for tips and tricks? Here you go, an 8 minute watch to help you with GDs- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w32jIsRlsw
“ GD preparation absolutely requires practice – the more the better, and the more confidence you build with more diverse individuals, the better.
Learn how to construct your thought process along those lines, read more. It’s also crucial to determine what type of role you want to play in the GD (structure setter, someone who starts the GD, leads discussions, etc.)
– “ Breasha Gupta [ BA @McKinsey (present) , Summer Analyst Intern @Nomura (2021) ]
