An interview is a face-to-face meeting, especially for the purpose of obtaining a statement or for assessing the qualities of a candidate.

An interview tries to obtain a statement or opinion, as is done for e.g. when film stars are interviewed to get their views on any particular role, or when the Prime Minister is interviewed to get statement on the result of his discussion with another political leader. So as a student going for interviews, we need to understand the various topics of general interest in details and should be able to discuss them intelligently.

Another purpose of the interview is to assess a person on various personal attributes like honesty, integrity, communication skills, ability to handle pressure, ability to plan for oneself, etc.

It is a discussion by a group of people. The discussion involves an exchange of thoughts and ideas among members of the group. Group Discussions are largely used in the selection process for admissions into institutes and these days also in organizations, where there is a high level of competition for the talent. The number of participants in a group may vary from 8-15 people. In most cases a topic or a situation will be given, and the group members will have to discuss it within a given period of time.

All that one observes in a GD can be categorized into two broad areas: - The Content and the Process.

- The content is all about 'what' or the 'matter' spoken in the GD. Whereas, the process refers to the 'how', 'when' and 'why' of the GD.

- Both are equally important and need adequate attention at all stages.

- High quality contribution by one with no regard to the 'process' is as suicidal as another's contribution, which is high on packaging with little content.

Next part of GD to be continued..

In the current scenario, people have taken the term 'Cover Letter' in too a lighter note and have always preferred on clicking thru the 'Apply to this Job' tab once and more without paying any heed to the cover letter concept. There have been cases wherein the employer has shown the urge to enclose the covering letter but somehow this fast paced corporate life has taken this etiquette form of application out from the human habit.

So, lets take heed to the following points of 'letting our cover letter do the talking' while applying for a prospective vacancy..

1. Focus on what the employer wants or needs

2. Write to a person

3. Have a focus and a point

4. Keep it short and sweet

5. Communicate positive energy and personality

6. Don't restate the resume

7. Eliminate excessive use of "I" or "me

If the above points are well followed, there are more than 50% chances of atleast being called in for a personal interview.