vol.10 Group Discussion-Job Hunting Guide for International Students
This is Living in Peace (LIP) Refugee Project. So far, we have been giving you tips on preparing resumes, entry sheets, and interviews. In this article, we would like to talk about “Group Discussions”, which is an important part of job hunting that you should know about.
When hiring new graduates, most companies proceed through a process of Information sessions>Document screening>Interviews.But in some cases, a task called Group discussion/Group work can also be included in the selection process. These two terms(Group discussion/Group work) can be used differently on occasion, but for this article we will just use the word "Group discussion"when describing its typical content and points.
In 2019, around 35% (*) companies have held Group discussions, but from 2020, due to the effects of the pandemic , it has become difficult to gather a large number of students in one room to perform. In this situation, some companies have stopped the Group discussions and some have switched to onlines.
Online Group discussions can sometimes seem more difficult than offline ones. But you can learn the common concepts and be prepared for both of them!
◆What is a group discussion?
Group discussion is one type of screening test in which students are gathered in one place and work for a given task in groups of three to five. The students discuss with each other to solve the problem while the interviewer evaluates both how they work during the discussion and their final presentation. This type of test is Often done as part of an interview or internship (*).
*Internship sometimes may be a part of the selection process. Learn more about internships in this article.
The explanation of the task is given on the day, so there is not much time for research and preparation. In most cases, students have to discuss within the allotted time, and summarize the group's opinions, then make a presentation. In some cases, students only have 15-20 minutes for discussion before the presentation, while in some cases students have several hours for preparation.
Some companies provide information on the recruitment page and job hunting websites about whether there will be a group discussion or not. Do the companies you want to apply to have group discussions for selection? If so, what kind of group discussion will it be? Make sure you do as much research as possible in advance.
◆Key Points for Group Discussions
In many cases, the process of discussion is evaluated more than the result or the presentation. For this reason, even if your group has given a great presentation, there’s still a chance that not the whole group but only some members passed the screening.
However, just like other interviews, group discussions vary from company to company in terms of what a company values. Be sure to check the company's recruitment website to see what kind of person they are looking for beforehand.The following are some evaluation criteria which interviewers generally look for, please pay attention to them.
Attitude to cooperate with others (cooperativeness)
・Are you able to express your opinions while grasping the whole situation?
・Are you flexible enough to take on the necessary role depending on the situation (e.g., leader, timekeeper, minute-taker, etc.)?
*Sometimes roles are decided before the discussion begins, but if a discussion begins without roles being assigned, the skills to fulfill the roles with adaptability will also be examined.
Listening Attitude (effective listening)
・Do you interrupt other people?
・Are you able to accept opinions that differ from your own ones?
Presentation skills
・Can you convey your opinions in a clear way?
・Are your statements persuasive?
Ability to think and imagine
・Can you think from customers' perspective?
・Can you imagine people in different positions?
・Can you come up with a variety of ideas?
Initiative and ability to take action
・Are you able to take action as soon as the task (group discussion) starts?
・Can you take a leadership role?
・Are you able to speak up?
In addition
・Can you work with a sense of time?
・Are you a good fit for the company's requirements?
・Would you fit in with the people who work at the company?
Keep the above points in mind as you actively engage in group discussions!
However, just being an active speaker or a leader may not be enough to get you through. Try to take on a role that suits both your personality and the situation.
Presenting yourself is important in some cases but in group discussions it is also important to show your cooperativeness while achieving a single goal as a team.
◆Topics of group discussions
The topics can range from familiar issues that everyone understands, to general business issues. For example, the following are some of the themes
(1) Problem-solving type
•Case studies on solving customer’s pain
First, find out what the customer's pain is and then discuss what services and products you can offer, or what kind of consulting you can do to solve it. Try to put yourself in the customer's shoes!
•Case studies on solving internal issues
In most cases, you need to get into the character of HR or managers, and work on tasks such as: “how to motivate our staff?”, “how to reduce employee's overtime?”. Think about what your company's challenges are and come up with a solution!
•General social issues
The questions may be based on SDGs or news, check out the current topics and summarize your opinion in advance!
(2) Business planning
This is a group discussion in which participants are given a budget, time frame, and other conditions to plan a new business. For example, "Making a proposal to a travel agency to start a new business” Or “Giving ideas on what business our company should start for the next year?”
The main points of the discussion are as follows:
1.Confirm the prerequisites and current situation
How much is the budget? How many people will work on it? When is the deadline? What is the target market? etc!
2.Clarify the goal of the project.
3.Find the bottlenecks in your business.
4.List the solutions.
Try to think from these points: How are the sales? What are the benefits for both you and your customers? etc.
5.Give your answers with all solutions prioritized.
In this type of work, your output (results and presentation)is more emphasized than in the Problem-solving type.
(3) Others
・Debate type
Students are divided into two groups and discuss whether "A" or "B" is better for a particular theme. It is recommended that you begin by explaining the reason for your choice. It is also important to listen to the opposite side’s opinions.
・Puzzle type
Puzzles like:"If you could only take one thing with you to a desert island, what would it be?” or given a set of paper and pens, and asked if you can sell it for one million yen. Something we don’t usually think about. It is important to be able to come up with ideas that other people might not think of, and to explain them in a convincing way.
◆Reasons for holding group discussions
Last but not the least, we would like to explain the reason for the Group discussions.It varies from company to company, but the main reasons can be thought as follows:
1. It allows the interviewer to screen a large number of students at once
While interviews are conducted with only one person, (group interviews can involve up to three or five people at the same time), Group discussions can involve multiple groups which include three to five people at one time.
According to information from 2015, about 37% of companies with more than 1,001 employees have held group discussions, while 24% of companies with 301 to 1,000 employees and 13% of companies with fewer than 300 employees did so. Less employees, more difficult to hold a group discussion.
2. To evaluate "Communication skills"
Many of you may have heard that "communication skill" is one of the most important skills when recruiting new graduates in Japan.
In a survey conducted in FY2018, ”communication skills”ranked first for the 16 consecutive years as the most important aspects of new graduate recruitment.
Although communication skills can also be checked at interviews, Group discussions where students converse with each other allow the interviewer to check the students' attitudes towards listening to others, reactions to opinions that differ from their own, and other aspects of communication that are close to their natural being.
There are many situations at work where you will need to discuss things with people who have different opinions, or express your opinions to multiple people. The interviewer will be evaluating your communication skills from a variety of perspectives, such as your ability to explain things clearly, your listening skills, and your attentiveness to group members.
3. To evaluate skills that are not visible in interviews
By holding group discussions, companies are able to see what was not conveyed in the application or interviews: If you can act independently, if you can organize your thoughts logically, and if you are aware of deadlines (time), etc.
In addition, there are some "negative points" that can only be seen through communication between students, such as people who don't listen to others, or who always disagree with everything, or who keep talking but without really understanding them.
It can be said that group discussions are held in order to evaluate from a different perspective to interviews.
Group discussions with people you've never met before can be nerve-racking, but It's important to remain calm and to work together with others to find out the answers in time, rather than only presenting yourself.
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In this article, we have explained about group discussions, which even students who grew up in Japan are often uncomfortable with. We will continue to update this page with useful information, including information about your status of residence when you start working, so please check our pages for updates!
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Author: Mayu Miyamoto
Translation: Qianyun Guan
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