Practical File

Contents:

1. Self-Introduction
2. Communication at work place
3. Formal presentations
4. Group Discussion
5. Role play
6. Interview

Self-Introduction
A self-introduction is a brief way to tell someone about yourself, usually including your name
and some basic information. You might give a self-introduction when meeting someone new,
starting a new job, or joining a group.
Here are some tips for giving a self-introduction:
 Be relevant: Keep your introduction short, simple, and relevant to the situation.
 Include relevant details: Share your name, where you're from, and any other relevant
personal information. You can also include your occupation, interests, qualifications, work
experience, and future plans.
 Highlight your achievements: Mention key facts that help others get to know you, such as
details about relevant experience or achievements.
 End with a transition: Conclude by leading into the next part of the conversation or
presentation.
 Practice: Practice your self-introduction in advance.
 Use confident body language: Use confident body language to make a good first
impression.
 Tailor your introduction: Tailor your introduction to the industry or person you are speaking
with.

Introduction during an interview

Meeting and greeting is an important part of the assessment during an interview. The initial few
minutes of greeting each other let the interviewer get an idea of how confident you are.

 First, greet the interviewer with a smile. Describe yourself stating your full name and a brief
introduction. Always keep your body relaxed with confident body language. Maintain an
eye-contact with them and nod at appropriate times.
 After you introduce yourself with your name and other basic details, brief the interviewer
about your educational qualifications. Be honest about your achievements and ensure that
you are not sounding overconfident while talking about your feats.
 For all the experienced candidates, it is vital to mention all the particulars of your previous
work experiences and all that you learned and achieved during that time. Talk about the
internships and workshops you have attended. On the other hand, for freshers, your
educational background and Extra-Curricular Activities are a big asset.
 Subsequent to experiences, do mention your hobbies and what interests you the most,
professionally and personally. Be careful not to take glide much into informality and
maintain the essence of an interview.
 After you introduce yourself in an interview, be prepared to answer the follow-up questions.
Hiring professionals ask these questions to test your honesty and integrity.

Sample Introduction:

My name is Anupam Mishra. I come from Mohali. I have graduated in CSE from PTU. I have also
completed a Java certification, 3 months course in SQL/computer graphics/animation and
multimedia/ artificial intelligence. I did an internship in XYZ software ……./project/ Web site
designing. I have taken some freelancing projects in website making for local clients. I like to plan,
organize and manage the things in a way so that there is no last minute rush. During academics this
helped me to submit my assignments on time, and during internship I completed my project within
the deadline. I follow some technology magazines, you tube channels to escalate my growth and
understanding of this field. I wish to utilize my skills, learn and grow together with your company.

Communication at Workplace

Communication is one of the major concerns in the workplace. Creating and maintaining a positive
work environment is what means effective workplace communication.

According to the statistics, 57% of employees report not being given clear directions and 69% of
managers are not comfortable communicating with the employees in general. From the statistics, it
is clear that there is a need to improve communication in the workplace. But first things first – what
is workplace communication?

Exchanging information and ideas within an organization is called workplace communication.

However, effective communication occurs when a message is sent and received accurately. In every
aspect of life (both professional and personal), effective communication is important to success and
happiness.

Why is communication so important at workplace?

 It avoids confusion
 It provides purpose
 It builds a positive company culture
 It creates accountability
Communication at workplace defines organizational goals and helps co-workers collaborate. In a
study, companies ranked communication skills twice as important as managerial skills. Here are the
skills that employers mostly seek in new hires, ranked in terms of priority.

 Oral communication
 Listening
 Written communication
 Public speaking
 Adaptability
Workplace communication is important to your growth and success. It allows everyone to share
their inputs and feel that their ideas are being valued.

How do you improve communication?

What are effective communication strategies we can use at work to increase productivity?

 Start using the right tools for your business-Fortunately, tools like ProofHub, Slack, Zoom
can help you boost company communication providing a total seamless communication
experience.

 Encourage two-way communication-Encourage your employees to ask questions or voice

their opinions helping them feel empowered.

 Tell people what they are doing right-It is a good idea to tell people about their good things
on a daily basis.

 Specific and descriptive feedback-Give feedback that is concrete. Give directions to the
person exactly on what they are doing well and what needs to be improved.

 Schedule a compulsory check-in-Organizing a short quick call with a very specific agenda
brings in a lot of advantages.
  Organize engaging team building activities-According to a 2017 report by Gallup,
companies with engaged workers generally earn 2.5-times more revenue. Team building
activities enhance productivity and engagement.

Communication can be formal, informal, internal or external. And within an organization, it is

important to develop a healthy and beneficial communication process. Effective communication is
the key to achieving long-term success, so make sure you follow the above outline strategies.

Formal Presentations

Presenting to an audience is an important professional skill to have. If it doesn't come naturally,

acquiring this skill is something that everyone needs to spend time on. As you work your way up the
corporate ladder this gets even more important - you need to be able to speak naturally with
gravitas to a wider range of audiences.

Good presentation skills are also crucial for interviews that require formal presentations. Again, this
happens a lot at the executive level. Senior leaders will usually be asked to present to the board, or
to demonstrate a particular problem-solving approach. Effective presentation skills get you noticed,
hired & promoted.

Plan, prepare and practice

 Know your target audience- You need to know who you are presenting to. Different
audiences need to hear different messages & tones of voice. Also find out if there are any
time constraints & tailor your content accordingly. The organization may have already
communicated these details but if not, ask.
 Set out your presentation- Think of it as a captivating story with a beginning, middle and
end that you are going to share with your listeners. Briefly summarize what the presentation
is going to consist of in the introduction, elaborate in the main body and finally tell them
again what you just told them.
 Practice, practice, practice!- Once your presentation has been brought life, hone those
presentation skills in front of a mirror, family and friends, or an independent party if you can.
Don’t be shy – they will pick up ticks and personal behaviours such as ‘um’s and ‘ahh’s you
will want to weed out.
 Scope out the room- Does it have the equipment you’ll need, e.g. laptop and overhead
projector? Can you do a dry run to make sure your slides are visible and your voice can be
heard from the back of the room? Getting a feel for the room can be a good method of
easing those pre-presentation nerves. Do not rely on technology – it notoriously lets you
down, so always have a back up.
 Dress to impress- Make sure you dress comfortably, but smartly. This will help you feel
confident and self-assured – you don’t want to be tugging at your too tight collar as you try
to make a good impression. Don’t let anything detract from your presentation.
Use materials wisely
 PowerPoint- Slides should not be used as crutches. They are there only to guide the
audience through your presentation, not to help you present – your planning, preparation
and practice will do that.
 Bullet points and graphics- Don’t put everything you want to say on slides or your audience
will be reading it and not listening to you. Only include the most relevant information that
can be read in a glance so you can truly engage the audience. Use infographics or images to
replace words where possible.
Showtime
 Arrive early- This shows professionalism. Set up your equipment if necessary and calm your
nerves.
 Greet the room warmly- A smile always relaxes people. Introduce yourself and the
presentation topic. Summarise the structure of your presentation and don’t forget the
language of presentations – ‘firstly, secondly, moving on to my next point...’ Leave time for
questions at the end so you won’t worry about losing your flow.
 Hide the slide- If you find that your audience is fixated on what is on your slide, temporarily
hiding it from view is a useful presentation tip – press the B key on your keyboard. Press it
again to bring the slide back.
  Maintain eye contact- Use a natural steady sweeping motion. Don’t focus your attention on
one person. This may make them feel awkward and the others feel left out. Try skimming
the tops of people’s heads, which gives the impression you are actually looking at them.
 Speak naturally and take your time- Pause during natural sentence breaks – speak clearly,
project your voice and don’t rush through the presentation. If you forget a point, carry on, it
happens – you can always come back to it later with a variation on ‘one point I should also
mention is...’ The main thing to remember here is that you always – always – talk faster than
you think you do, so slow down.
 Conclusion- Towards the end of the presentation, summarise your main points again as a
subtle reminder for your audience. Thank them for their time and invite questions.
 Question time- If you can’t answer a question – perhaps because it’s not directly related,
apologise and offer to find out or direct them to someone, or literature that could help.
Don’t ‘umm....’ but rephrase the question back to them to give yourself some thinking time –
this is not only an effective presentation skill to learn but an effective communication skill
too.

Group Discussion

Group Discussion (GD) in simple words means discussion among a group of candidates or people.
The group has 6-10 members who express their views freely in a disciplined manner on a subject or
topic for a specified time period. So, a group discussion is a systematic exchange of information,
views and opinions about a topic, problem, issue or situation among the members of a group to
reach to a desired conclusion. The main purpose of a GD is to find a solution to a problem.

Why are GD’s conducted?

Group Discussions are held because business management is essentially a group activity and working
with groups is the most important parameter of being successful as a manager. Apart from that, the
candidates are evaluated on the basis of their:

 communication skills
 knowledge
 leadership skills
 listening skills
 Reasoning ability
 Initiative taking ability etc.

GD can help in evaluating both the personality traits and group skills of candidates participating in it.

Objectives of GD

 To examine a problem thoroughly and come out with new ideas to give a solution.
 To search for best alternatives and best solutions for a specific problem.
 To allow free exchange of ideas and viewpoints among group members.
 To provide a platform to develop the interpersonal skills

GD Process
An ideal GD process has been described below:
 You will sit in a room with 6-10 participants
 You will be judged by a moderator/panelist
 You will be given a topic by the panelist
 You will be given a time slot (5 to 10 minutes) to think and frame your points
 You will be given a time slot (15 to 30 minutes) to discuss the topic with your group
 To stop you from speaking beyond your individual time limit, your GD panelist might
intervene.
 Your panelist might signal the group (by ringing a bell) to end the GD round.

Common mistakes that you must avoid in a GD round

 1. Deviating from the subject: Focus on your points alone and do not let other candidates push
you out of the topic. Be poised and stay calm if they try to agitate you.
2. Losing neutrality and making personal attacks: Maintain your calm and keep your debate
down to earth. This is just an interview round, not a war.
3. Focusing on quantity rather than quality: As discussed previously, gather your thoughts and
give them a structure mentally before speaking.
4. Dominating too much: Do not sound bossy and snub everyone with unpleasant remarks or
too many points. This will only fetch negative marks.
5. Analyzing a topic poorly or starting in haste: Listen carefully, think and then speak. Speak
first only if you are confident about the topic. Don’t be in a hurry to start first. You may end
up speaking rubbish.
6. Staying tight-lipped: This is an interactive round to check your communication skills within a
group. So, speak up to add value to the GD round.

Role Play

Role playing means changing of one's behaviour to assume a role. In other words, role play refers to
acting like a particular person or character as per the given situation. It is an active learning
technique in which employees act out situations under the guidance of a trainer. In each scenario,
employees take on a role and act out the scene as though it were real. For example, two people
might simulate a meeting between an employee and an angry customer. The trainer and the other
participants can then give feedback to the role players.

Role playing prepare groups for scenarios that occur in real life. Not only does this exercise offer staff
a glimpse of the situations they may encounter, but participants also receive feedback on how
they’ve performed. The group can discuss ways to potentially resolve the situation and participants
leave with as much information as possible, resulting in more efficient handling of similar real-life
scenarios.

Advantages of role play

1. Different types of behaviour can be practiced.
2. Focus remains on the significance of non-verbal and emotional responses.
3. It can be motivational and effective due to different activities involved.
4. It helps in overcoming the gap between training and real life situations.
5. Trainers can work with individuals on their particular weaknesses.
6. Training can be provided for having better control over feelings and emotions.
How Role plays are performed?

The format of a role play exercise is generally as follows:

 You will be given 5 to 10 minutes to look over a document containing information about
your role and the type of situation you will be dealing with. You will be expected to take
notes. This is known as the ‘preparation phase’.
 You will enter a room containing an assessor and a role play actor, and will have to respond
to the role play actor in a way that is consistent with the role you have been given, and
meets the core competence and requirements as outlined by the employer. This is known as
the ‘activity phase’.
 The role play exercise will normally last for around 10 to 15 minutes depending on the
behaviour of the role play actor and how you deal with them.
 During an assessment, you will be given either 1 or 2 role play exercises. They will depend
upon the difficulty of the initial exercise.
 You need to make maximum use of the time allocated before the assessment phase, to
ensure that you are fully prepared for the situation. Remember that the role play actor will
not make it easy for you. It is your job to prevent them from becoming upset or aggressive.
 A failure to do this will lead to low marks from your assessor, and likely lead to you being
rejected from the process.
 If you can demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of the core competencies
required for the role, and that you know how to apply them in the workplace, then you are
far more likely to be successful.
Some Role play situations
 1. Angry Customer: You are a graduate trainee working in the customer relations team for a
large retail firm, a customer has come in to speak to a member of staff to make a complaint.
They are threatening to go to a consumer forum. Your objective is to resolve the issue with
minimum financial and reputation damage to the company.

2. Internal Negotiation: You have been working for the firm for 6 months as part of a team and
enjoy the work, but you feel you’ve not been given the same opportunities which others
with different managers have had. There always seem to be excuses from your manager.
Others have had regular performance reviews, action plan, projects to work on, extra
responsibility and have been forward for training. You have a meeting coming up with your
manager and want to resolve this. You want to persuade your manager to give you the
opportunities and have a confirmed action plan. You want monthly reviews, action plan,
work on project x, and have time to shadow others.

Interviews

An interview is a discussion or conversation between a potential employer and a candidate. It is a

selection process designed that helps an employer understand the skills, scrutinise their personality
and character traits and check the domain knowledge. In this formal meeting, the employer asks
questions to get information from a candidate. Usually, interviews happen during the last phase of
the recruitment process and help companies select a suitable candidate for a job role.

How To Prepare For A Job Interview: Pre-Interview Preparation

The following are some essential steps for pre-interview preparation:

1. Review the job description-Read the job description to thoroughly understand how the employer
has described the position and the type of candidate they are looking for. Carefully review the
keywords and key phrases the employer uses to describe their expectations.

2. Consider your eligibility for the job- Assessing how the job fits into your career path and what
value you can add to the company helps you convince the interviewer about what makes you the
best candidate for the position.

3. Learn more about the company- Get in-depth information about the company through its
website, social media pages, employee reviews and other online sources. Find out about its mission,
management, work culture, the types of products it offers and the types of clients it serves. Get
some insight on its latest revenue, growth prospects and business plans. Most companies display
information about the management on their "about us" page, employment-related information on
their "careers" or "work with us" page and information for investors on their "investor relations"
page.

4. Prepare a list of expected interview questions- Make a list of common interview questions for
the given position and frame thoughtful answers. Prepare impressive responses to questions that
give you an opportunity to highlight your skills and interest in the job. In addition to position-specific
questions, here are some common questions to include in your list:

 Tell me about yourself.

 Why are you looking for a job change?
 Why do you want this job/Why should we hire you?
 What are your strengths and weaknesses?
 What motivates you?
 Where do you see yourself in five years?
5. Practice mock interviews- No matter how well you prepare, it is natural to feel anxious and
overwhelmed at the time of the interview. Mock interviews can be a great help in this regard. They
can create a real interview-like environment and help boost your confidence. Ask your friends or
family to conduct a mock interview for you. Consider recording the entire process to analyse your
performance. If you cannot find anyone to play the interviewer, you can rehearse the interview in
front of a mirror.

6. Organise your documents- Take a printout of your resume and cover letter. Put all the important
documents including your mark sheets, certificates, ID proofs and photographs in a folder. If the HR
has asked you to bring any particular documents like salary slips, relieving letter from previous
employer or bank statement , be sure to keep them ready as well.

7. Update your social media profile- If you are on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any other social
media platform, make sure you have an updated profile. Employers often check your social media
presence to get an idea about your personality and background.

8. Decide on your interview dress- Choose a formal dress that you would be wearing for the
interview. Make sure the clothes are clean and wrinkle-free. If you plan to spray deodorant or
perfume, make sure it is mild. Overall, plan for a neat and clean look with well-cut hair and shaved or
trimmed beard.

How To Prepare For A Job Interview: During The Interview

Follow these steps to prepare for a job interview when you are at the interview venue:

1. Reach the location early- Reach the venue at least 30 minutes before the schedule. It gives you
some time to rest and relax. Reaching early helps reduce anxiety and gives time to mentally prepare
for the interview.

2. Be polite- The way you hold yourself in the office tells a lot about you. Many companies use CCTV
footage to analyse your personality. Sit patiently in a good posture while waiting for your turn. Be
polite to the people you meet including the receptionist, security guard and other candidates.

3. Be mindful of your body language- Be firm and confident while speaking to the interviewer. You
can start practising it the very moment you enter the company. Be mindful of your body language
while interacting with the receptionist or HR executive. Pay attention to how you smile and greet
them.

4. Ask thoughtful questions to the interviewer- Most interviewers would give you an opportunity to
clarify your doubts and queries. Make mental notes during the interview to ask pertinent questions
to the interviewer. If you have any doubts regarding the position, company or any other issue, you
can get them clarified towards the end of the interview.

How To Prepare For A Job Interview: After The Interview

The following steps can help you after you have attended the interview:

1. Analyse your performance- After you come back from the interview, take out a few minutes to
analyse how you performed and what areas could have been better. Ask yourself whether you forgot
to mention something or whether you could have responded to any particular question in a better
way. This goes a long way in improving your interview skills.

2. Inform your references- If you have given any references in your CV or in the job application,
make sure you inform them so that they are not caught off guard when the HR calls them. Call up
your references and tell them about the company and the position you have applied for. Let them
know the skills and qualities you would like them to recommend you for.

3. Follow up with HR- If you do not get to hear from the company within the expected time, you
should follow up with the HR department on the outcome of the interview. You can do so through
phone or email. Irrespective of the mode you use, be sure to mention your name, position applied
for, interview date, name of the interviewer and other relevant details to help the HR staff recall
your meeting.

Interview Preparation Tips

Here are some actionable tips to improve your chances of success in a job interview:
 While you wait for your turn at the venue, switch off your mobile phone or put it on silent or
vibration mode. If you are required to take an urgent call, speak in a soft and low voice.
 Sit patiently in the waiting area. Loitering around in the office would give a negative
impression.
 Be careful not to ask any personal questions to the interviewer, HR staff or the receptionist.
 Keep your answers short and focused.
 Always talk positively about your current or previous employer.
 Be honest if you do not know the answer to any question the interviewer asks. If you need
some time to collect your thoughts, it is fine to pause and ask the interviewer for some time
to think.