HOW TO PREPARE FOR MASS COMMUNICATION CAMPUS PLACEMENTS?
This article was updated on 15th June 2020.
WHAT IS MASS COMMUNICATION?
Mass communication, as the word suggests is an easy term meaning, use of media to communicate with a large population at a time. Media can consist of anything, your daily conversation, your writing abilities, audio and video, Television and movies, yes any medium that gives a large message to the community through media in mass communication. The history of mass communication started through the art and manuscripts in pre-historic times.
But as everything has evolved and is changing at a rapid pace, with the advancement in technology and the evolving generation the media and the mediums of communication has changed rapidly from letters to radio in the early 90s to emails and telephones in 20s and now messaging and video calls in 21st century, media worldwide has seen rapid growth. This field lets you use your skills and creative ideas. It is a good field for students who want to show their creativity and want to influence people.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
You can apply in any college for an undergraduate course in mass communication after completing your 12th standard. Admission procedure might vary from college to college some colleges require an entrance exam like MU-OET and SET etc.
For postgraduate courses, the candidate should be below 30 years of age and should have completed a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Some colleges look for work experience and some for an entrance exam like IIMC, IPU CET etc.
WAYS TO GET THE BEST CAMPUS PLACEMENT
There are basically 3 stages to a campus placement, campus placements are a really important part of a student’s life as they will get directly recruited by some big publishing channels or some multimedia company based on their overall college achievements and merit. Companies look for focused and skilled candidates who have relevant interests in their company, this may be a good opportunity for students who want to get experience and make a future in the media industry. This field offers a lot of job profiles and a lot of career opportunity for every student. This can be a life-changing experience for the students and candidates up for tiring days and no holiday should look forward to this opportunity.
THE THREE STAGES
Campus placements have 3 major stages which are the aptitude test, the group discussion and the personal interview a student that clarifies all the 3 stages gets recruited by the company, now lets talk about each of the stages in detail.
APTITUDE TEST
This is the first hurdle that you have to overcome to get a good campus placement. Questions for mass communication will be similar to the questions asked for their entrance tests, you should know about the history of print media, gather as much information as possible on digital media, current affairs etc. aptitude tests are based on Analytical & Quantitative Skills, Logic & Reasoning, Data Interpretation, Written Communication, and Subject Knowledge they have a similar course to these entrance exams.
The only way to ace an aptitude test to practice questions as many times as you can, you can look up to the company’s website and find a basic pattern of questions asked in previous years this will give you an insight of how you have to prepare. You should also be aware of your college material as many questions are asked from there too, you should make a schedule to study and revise and solve all the problematic question. Be confident you just need to put in a little hard work and everything will be good. For mass communication students, they should always be updated about what is going on in the world, as a question can be asked on anything.
GROUP DISCUSSION
This round may be a waste of time for companies whereas for some companies this may be an important part, a group discussion round tells a lot about the person and his behaviour while responding to other people’s views. There are certain DOS and DONTS that a person must keep in mind while preparing for a group discussion. You can impress the committee by your charm and personality while answering questions with intelligence and being polite to others; you should also have a through process and command over your language.
The most important GD mantra is to just “be yourself”. The more you try to twist things the more you will be in problem. The best way to go about things is to be natural and make sure all your responses are spontaneous. See a group discussion as extensions of your everyday conversation with people this will not put the burden on you.
Another important thing to remember in a GD is that it is not a seminar and the only way to make your presence felt is by speaking and taking a stand for yourself but that does not mean to scream, to make your point you must be polite and should have adequate knowledge of what you are stating in front of the committee.
PERSONAL INTERVIEW
This might be the toughest of all the above rounds but come but have confidence in yourself and may impress them with some of your charm and intelligence. The most important thing to remember while you are in front of the interviewers is to stay calm, focused and confident. Just be yourself and don’t interrupt the interviewer, you must be aware of the ongoing topics as they might ask you to give your opinions on them, be well prepared with your course material. Note down things bout yourself like hobbies, likes, dislikes, goals, how you get your motivation, where you see yourself in 5 years or who is your role model these are most likely the question they ask. You should also ask them questions about your job profile, the company and other information this shows that you take your work seriously and also shows your interest.
Don’t forget you will get plus points for your resume. You should have prepared all the certificates, mark sheets, internship stacked neatly. A resume is an important thing as it displays your achievements and potential, it should be crisp and clear people will not have time to read all of it, so put in the things that highlight you.
Do not arrive late for your aptitude test or interview, it’s better to reach the venue before time. Dressing suitably is also a very crucial part of the whole process. Wear formal attire and follow the etiquettes. Be calm and confident. Lastly always remember “MANNERS MARKETH MAN!!” to be polite, and have faith in yourself.
SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ASKED WITH THEIR ANSWERS
What are the basic functions and roles of mass communication?
The roles of mass communication can be broadly categorized into the following aspects:
- To Inform: The main role of mass communication is to inform the people off and make them aware of imparting information.
- To educate: The role of mass communication is not just restricted to impart information but to develop by instructions.
- To entertain: To entertain people which one of the major ways in which mass communication influences culture.
What are misleading advertisements and how do they affect the consumers?
Misleading advertisements are a common trend in mass communication. They make use of false or misleading statements to promote products and increase profit lines for a company or a brand. Such advertisements use deception to persuade people. Such advertisements completely deny the right to know for consumers and are banned in many countries. Still, they have been a trend by finding legal ways to deceive people.
Misleading advertisements have the following effects on consumers:
- Confuse consumers.
- Deny the right to know for consumers.
- Deception by the use of a false or misleading statement.
- In some cases even loss of money.
What is the pattern of evolution of mass communication and when did it start?
Mass communication originated from the publishing of newspapers. The origin dates back to the 19th century from around 1835 which was the year of the invention of the telegraph which made it possible to send long-distance messages.
However, with time mass communication evolved in terms of medium and styles both. The evolution of mass communication can be tracked as the publishing of newspapers. Which further evolved to the publishing of magazines with which also came the concept of advertising? This was followed by films, radio, television, and the internet.
What is grapevine communication and how can it affect mass communication?
Grapevine communication is a form of the communication channel used for communicating gossips. It bypasses the formal structure of communication and thus is an informal form of communication. These days such communication channels can be noticed easily on social networking sites and other mediums. The news revolved in these channels turns out as rumours and sometimes even make it to the headlines of papers.
The major disadvantage of grapevine communication is that it cannot be filtered and when on a large scale it is impossible to identify the source. Thus this form of communication mostly leads to mislead or deceive the end consumer by false news or rumours.
In what ways does the newspaper affect the development of a nation?
The newspaper is one of the most instrumental forms of mass communication to date. It influences the culture, mentality and the view of its readers in many ways. Today newspaper itself falls into many categories. From regional to national, newspapers have been evolving fast according to the needs of its readers. The local news comes up with depth information reports with local happenings for regional readers and the business papers feed to the ones wanting an edge in the market. Newspapers thus play a very important role in shaping the community by informing and educating the people of a country.
What are the current characteristics of the news?
The characteristics and trends and news change with time and the intended audience. The characteristics of news are majorly influenced by human interest, proximity, current trends, consequences, intelligence, current affairs.
The current characteristics of news are majorly based on entertainment to target a bigger audience. To increase the appeal of the news various trends are being followed to make the news more interesting and gain more attention from the readers. The news which is based on disasters, scams, crimes, war, violence, and drama are the one which is rated high by news firms as they gain more audience.