No one is gonna ask how much percentage you scored. What matters is how you communicate, how you resolve the answers, logical answers. – Shruti Srivastava
This is not an argument for ignoring academics; a reasonable record still opens the first door. But once you are in the room, the conversation is about how you think and how you express it. An interviewer is assessing whether you can reason through a question, explain your thinking clearly, and carry yourself with composure, none of which appears on a marksheet. A student who communicates well will consistently outperform a higher-scoring student who cannot express their thinking.
Ask a stressed final-year student what will get them placed, and most will say their marks. Ask a student who has actually been placed, and you often hear something different. Shruti Srivastava, an MBA student from Parul University, is direct about it: percentages matter far less than students think, and two other things matter far more. Her advice is worth hearing before your next interview.
Why Communication Is the Real Differentiator
Communication is decisive because it is what the job actually requires. Whether you are explaining an analysis, working in a team, or dealing with a client, the work is done through communication. Interviews test it directly, through personal interviews and group discussions, precisely because it predicts performance better than a percentage does. It is also, encouragingly, a skill you can build. Shruti credits structured group-discussion and interview practice, and her own experience coordinating a training programme, with steadily strengthening her confidence and communication until she could hold her own under direct questioning.
Also Read: Shruti’s Story of Getting Placed in US Taxation Field
Be Visible: Do Not Stay in the Background
Shruti’s second piece of advice is about visibility. Opportunities often go to the students faculty and coordinators actually know, so making yourself recognised matters.
Be desperate about what you want. – Shruti Srivastava
She means it as a call to be proactive: put yourself forward, take part, and make an effort to be known for the right reasons, rather than remaining an anonymous face in a large batch. Her own decision to become a training coordinator, rather than just a participant, is a perfect example; it kept her visibly involved and built her skills at the same time. Getting involved in campus life, activities, competitions, and responsibilities is not a distraction from placement; it is part of the preparation.
What This Means for You
The practical takeaway is liberating, especially for students anxious about their scores. You are not defined by a percentage. Invest seriously in communication and group-discussion skills, take opportunities to be visible and proactive, and prepare to think clearly under questioning. Do that, and you can outperform students with better marks but weaker presence, exactly as Shruti did. It is the same proactive, self-driven mindset that Parul University encourages through initiatives like Impact Training and its wider campus opportunities.
FAQs
Does academic performance matter for placements?
Maintaining a reasonable record helps with initial level clearance of eligibility. After clearing the initial round, you reach the interview stage, where not much importance is given to marks, and more importance is given to communication skills and thinking patterns. Interviewers are usually more interested in knowing about reasoning ability, clarity, and composure than percentages and marks. Strong communication can outweigh higher marks.
Why is communication more important than marks in interviews?
Every selection process tests candidates based on their communication. The reason for testing them on communication skills is to check whether the candidate can clearly convey and explain ideas to the team or not, and to see how they work with their team and other teams. To test this, the candidate has to appear in the group discussion and personal interview. It predicts on-the-job performance better than a percentage, which is why a strong communicator often beats a higher-scoring but less articulate candidate.
How can students improve their placement chances?
Focus on communication and group-discussion skills, practise thinking clearly under questioning, and make yourself visible and proactive, taking part in activities, competitions, and responsibilities so faculty and coordinators know you. Being recognised and proactive, rather than staying in the background, meaningfully improves placement readiness.
