After having cleared the SBI PO online aptitude test, you have to appear for a personality assessment round. The personality assessment round of SBI recruitment process constitutes a Group Discussion (GD) and a Personal Interview (PI). The marks allotted for GD & PI are 20 and 30 respectively. In the past Vidya Guru, which is among the best bank coaching institutes in Delhi, has discussed bank interview preparation. But, along with interview preparation you also need to focus on GD preparation. In this regard, you must go through the five aspects on which your performance will be judged in the GD. These aspects are as follows:
- Group Skills (Interpersonal Skills) – Your ability to work in a team gets reflected when you discuss an issue in a group. You must make an active effort to showcase your interpersonal skills. The panel judging your performance in the GD looks for candidates who can not only work effectively in a team, but also have the potential to lead it.
- Analytical & Problem Solving Ability – The topic allotted for the GD is such that it clearly brings out the way you approach and analyze a situation. Your approach must be logical and the analysis sharp and diagnostic. Moreover, while analyzing a situation you must think about the course of action which needs to be undertaken. You need to come up with a course of action which is feasible and can solve the underlying problem.
- Communication Skills – Quite often communication skills are mistaken for the ability to speak flawlessly in English language. This is a huge misconception because the essence of good communication skills is to express yourself clearly. You must be able to articulate your thoughts in such a way that others can understand them and get convinced by your point of view. Persuasive communication is required to perform well in a GD.
- Awareness of the External Environment – More often than not the topic for the discussion bears contemporary relevance. By assigning such a topic the panel tries to evaluate your awareness of the world around you. Thus, it is essential to remain updated on current affairs. To enhance your awareness of the external environment you can follow television talk shows and news debates apart from reading the newspapers.
- Confidence – The panel is looking for confident young individuals who can handle the work pressure of a dynamic industry like banking. Apart from verbal communication, the panel keeps a close watch on your non-verbal communication (body language). Your body language must be confident and positive. It should give the impression that you are a motivated individual who looks forward to taking on new challenges. If you seem uninterested in taking part in the discussion, then it is definitely detrimental to your chances of getting selected.
Valuable Tips
- In a GD, it is beneficial to discuss things out rather than arguing with people. You must remember it is a discussion, not a debate.
- GD is a one-to-many form of communication, where you are addressing not just one person but all the people who comprise the group. Therefore, you must avoid any one-to-one discussion.
- Your communication must be clear and to the point. There is no sense in beating around the bush. As there is only limited time in a GD, you must keep things short & simple while speaking.
- Listening is as important as speaking. You must listen to what others have to say and try to build upon what they have said. If you do so, you will be seen as a good team player.
- Don’t deviate from the topic being discussed. Whatever you speak must be relevant to the discussion. In fact, if the group moves away from the topic assigned for discussion, you must try to bring it back on track.
- While speaking, it is necessary to make proper eye contact with the group members. You must distribute this eye contact and not just look at one or two people who are sitting right in front of you.
- You have to get yourself heard both by the group and by the panel. At times, the discussion becomes loud and chaotic. In such a scenario, you must actively look out for the right opportunity to start speaking.
- Offensive gestures such as finger pointing and table thumping must be avoided. You must not become aggressive in the heat of the discussion; it will be counterproductive.
Finally, you must realize that reaching the GD & PI round is a great opportunity. You must not see it as a hurdle in your path. In fact, it is a golden chance to prove your merit. So put your best foot forward and ensure your position in SBI.
Summary
This article encapsulates the rich experience that experts of bank coaching in Delhi have in guiding candidates for SBI PO group discussion. If you wish to learn more from these experts, you can write to them at vidyagurudelhi@gmail.com.