HOW TO WRITE XLRI ESSAY QUESTIONS FOR THE PGDM (GM) COURSE

The Xavier School of Management, also known as the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), is one of the oldest and most prestigious business institutions in India, located in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. It also has a newly established campus in Jhajjar, Delhi. Ranked among the top 10 management institutions in India by NIRF, it is recognized for its modern and innovative curriculum. The institution prides itself on cultivating its students into the top professionals that modern industries demand. One of the most highly sought-after programs available is the Post Graduate Diploma in Management specializing in General Management (XLRI PGDM (GM)).

The applicants need to write some short essays based on some prompt questions as part of the selection process to gain admission in this highly competitive diploma MBA program. However, if you find the writing process to be difficult and do not know how to address the essay questions, you can take the help of the sample answers presented in this blog as your guide. The other option would be to get assistance from some of the best essay writing services such as Contentholic, known to have a team of professional essay writers who have years of experience as well as expertise in helping students with their college admission essay writing. We can help you overcome the writing challenge so that you can submit outstanding essays that meet the expectations and requirements of the admission committee.

The Purpose of the XLRI Essay Questions for PGDM (GM) Course

The purpose of these essay questions is not to test your writing abilities. These questions are framed to know about your skills and potential which their academic transcripts, XAT/GMAT scores, or CV cannot showcase. These questions are asked to know whether the candidate has any leadership potential, can they solve problems effectively, and how their past work experience can help them excel in this course. They want to know how your past work experience can also contribute towards engaging classroom learning. 

We have listed updated XLRI essay questions for PGDM (GM) course for your reference with sample answers so that you can get an idea about how to effectively and clearly answer these questions. Keep in mind that the word limit for these essay questions is 250 words, therefore, you need to write the answers using few words and still cover all the relevant details. 

• Please describe your current responsibilities, including your level in the organization.

You first need to understand what the admission committee wants to know through this question. The main purpose of this question is to know what your current profession is and what key responsibilities you have undertaken. To address this question, begin by detailing your present job role and the responsibilities you undertake. It’s advantageous to incorporate action terms such as leading a project, overseeing a team, etc. You might also highlight your accomplishments in this position.

Sample Answer:

I am a Senior Marketing Manager at GHY Limited who oversaw a team of 10 people. My team and I are charged with driving the digital marketing campaigns across all social media channels. My primary duties include crafting marketing initiatives, evaluating their success, and overseeing the budget allocated for these campaigns. One of our product initiatives led to a 15% increase in sales in the previous quarter. I also actively participate in the team-building activities conducted in my workplace. As a Manager, it is one of my duties to train and supervise the new employees in various aspects of our work, such as market research and analysis of the feedback received from our clients. Additionally, I also work alongside cross-functional teams, guaranteeing that our efforts align with product enhancements, sales, and customer service activities.

• Please elucidate your objectives and aspirations in connection with your participation in this program. Additionally, elaborate on the valuable insights, skills, and expertise you believe you can contribute to the learning experience of fellow participants.

This is a classic “why you have chosen this course” question, just worded differently. The admission committee wants to know why you chose the XLRI PGDM (GM) course and what are your expectations out of this course. They want to see whether or not you are clear about your vision of the future, and how will you grow professionally through this course. While writing this answer, you need to specify your aim for pursuing this course: is it career advancement, a career switch, or to gain new skills? Link the program’s strength with your future aspirations. The question also asks what would you bring to the table. To cover this part of the question, you can highlight your existing expertise or skills which can add to the learning experience of others. 

Sample Answer:

I already have extensive experience in product development management, but feel l still lack in some aspects of leadership skills. Therefore, my aim in pursuing the XLRI PGDM (GM) course is to enhance my leadership skills and advance my knowledge in strategic thinking so that I can effectively solve complex business challenges. As a manager, I want to take up higher responsibility roles and contribute towards the growth of my organization. The curriculum of this course focuses on practical learning, and I would be able to interact with other professionals; these aspects could help me to learn many new things about the business environment. In return, I believe that my experience in digital marketing and team-building skills can enrich classroom discussions. I can also share some real-world insights from my industry. I am confident that this program will help me grow professionally. 

• Drawing from your recent work experience, kindly highlight your top three accomplishments from the past three years. Additionally, provide an explanation for why you regard these achievements as the most significant in your career. 

You can highlight how these milestones represent the growth in your career and how they have influenced your professional development. The key to answering this question is to carefully select the top three accomplishments that showcased some management abilities expected from a mid-level professional. As the question mentions, these accomplishments should be recent and not something that you achieved many years ago. Just listing down the achievements is not enough, also talk about the context and how these accomplishments impacted your organization’s growth or efficiency. 

Sample Answer:

In the last two years of my career, I have reached several remarkable achievements that have played a crucial role in my career advancement. My first significant achievement was implementing a marketing strategy that helped the organization boost customer engagement by 20%. This achievement also convinced me that I can devise innovative approaches to achieving my goals. My second achievement demonstrated my negotiation skills. I successfully negotiated with one of the organization’s key partners to reduce the procurement cost to 10%. I observed that my team was operating in a chaotic environment. Therefore, my third accomplishment is that I made a plan to streamline our internal processes. This improved our efficiency, and our productivity increased by 15% in the last three months. All these accomplishments led me to believe that I posses the leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving skills that can be improved with a little more push with the help of the XLRI PGDM (GM) course. 

• Please share the most challenging/difficult situation you faced at your previous workplace(s). How did you handle it? What did you learn from the situation?

This question aims to assess the candidate’s capacity for resolving challenges. This also serves as an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to manage tough circumstances with composure and address the workplace issues you have faced or may encounter in the future. To answer this question, you might take up one or two difficulties you faced and solve them successfully due to the word limit. Discuss why that situation was difficult, then outline each step you took to resolve the issue. You can also talk about how self-aware you became about your own capabilities while solving the problems, and what you learned from this experience. 

Sample Answer:

The most challenging situation I faced in my previous workplace was that our client requested some major changes in the product with just a few days left for the product launch. This sudden change made us work under tight deadlines which led to frustration and confusion among the team. My solution was to quickly gather my team and other department teams for an urgent meeting and identify the priority areas where we could immediately start working. With this strategy of doing the immediate tasks first and setting smaller goals to achieve each day, we managed to launch the product campaign within the deadline and exceeded our client’s expectations. This experience taught me the importance of quick decision-making, clear communication, and recognizing each individual’s strengths so that we can maintain a continuous and effective workflow even under difficult circumstances. 

• Please share one mistake from your work experience which really troubled you. Explain why it happened. What did you learn from that mistake?

This question is asked of the candidates to test whether they can learn from failure or mistakes. To effectively answer this question, you need to be honest about your mistakes and own them, i.e., take responsibility for those mistakes. When writing this answer you can start with the mistake you would be talking about, how that mistake took place; whether due to some miscommunication, lack of proper preparation, or any other reason. You can end the answer by explaining what you learned from this mistake to not repeat it again, specifically what steps you have taken ever since to make sure that mistake never happens again. 

Sample Answer:

When I had just started working for XXX, I did not know the importance of open communication with my seniors and team. When I was given my first project to oversee, I just agreed to the deadline given to me without being honest that the scope of the project could not be covered within that period. This led me to go through a series of unfortunate events such as my team being overworked and we still missed the deadline. My lack of honesty and clear communication led to the project’s suffering and it also affected the team’s morale. After this incident, I took active steps to improve my mistakes. I began to hold weekly meetings with my team, created a clear timeline for each of the projects we undertook, and ensured that each key point or expectation of the project was clear to each of my team members. From this mistake, I have learned that it is important to take accountability for a mistake to improve in the future and to always have proactive communication to achieve success.

Conclusion

As with any admission procedure, every part or round of the admission process significantly contributes to a candidate’s selection. The XLRI SOP questions asked in the form of short essays for the XLRI PGDM (GM) course also play a very important role in admission to this course. We hope that through this blog, you might have gained some ideas regarding how to demonstrate your growth and potential as a future leader by providing specific examples from your career. Remember that these answers come with a word limit, therefore, you need to be concise, clear, and honest. However, even the most seasoned professionals who have experience in writing reports or negotiating business deals can struggle with these essay prompts; in such cases, you may seek assistance from Contentholic’s essay writing services. Our professional essay writers will offer you a comprehensive approach to effectively highlight your career accomplishments and enhance your prospects of being accepted into this esteemed program.

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