Career Mobility Office Interviewing Tips & Techniques: Fill & Download for Free

For better clarity, I provide you the following:Tips for attending an interview for selection as probationary officers in commercial banks in IndiaA mock interviewTips for Interview for recruitment as Probationary Officers in banksThe purpose of the interview:The purpose of any interview is to select one suitable individual for the concerned post. The person to be interviewed may be having higher qualifications; however, he may not be having the requisite potentials or caliber in handling the job offered namely; better communication ability, leadership quality, emotional strength and effective interpersonal relationship. Banking demands people who are willing to work hard by mingling with customers freely and friendly apart from maintaining a cordial; social and friendly relationship with the colleagues and superiors.Phases of the interview:The interview is conducted in four phases namely;·the first phase during the course of which questions are asked about the individual and his specialization in any specialized area;·the second phase wherein the questions are asked about the bank for which the interview is conducted;·the third phase wherein the questions are asked about general banking, economy, finance and latest developments and·the fourth phase is the final round for the interview.The interview committee:The interview committee consists of three to five imminent personalities who are well versed in banking matters and normally the services of retired executives of various commercial banks and executives of commercial banks are utilized for the purpose of conducting the interview. The following system is adopted by the committee members during the course of interview process:·While one member poses the questions to the candidate, the remaining members observe the body language of the individual as to how he reacts to the questions and especially in respect of difficult questions;·They also review as to how the candidate comes forward in presenting his answers in a crisp manner thereby providing the relevant points expected by the committee members at the shortest possible time.·Basing upon the answering ability, communication ability, level of confidence, willingness to accept challenges etc., the committee members select the individuals by awarding better gradation.·When the candidate is found to be inattentive on account of low level of self confidence, health factors or some other factors, the committee members pose provoking questions so that the candidate is emotionally provoked and aroused to come forward with appropriate answers.The interview process:The interview process consists of the following stages:·Signing the attendance register or marking his presence by the candidate at the reception counter and filling up the requisite details in the relevant introductory formats;·Process of verification of the certificates namely; qualification certificates, experience certificates, certificates relating to extracurricular activities, community certificate, relieving orders received by the previous employer, if any, etc., by the reception committee members and obtaining the photocopies for such certificates duly compared with the original certificates·Candidate waiting at the reception hall for his turn;·Once called by name, the candidate entering into the interview room duly seeking permission of the team members;·Candidate thanking the interview committee members for permitting him/her inside the cabin;·Candidate sitting on the seat once offered by one/more members in the interview committee;·Candidate thanking the member who had offered the seat;·Candidate shaking his hands with the members, if offered;·Candidate eagerly awaiting for the questions from the members;·Candidate mentally preparing himself to attend the interview with full concentration maintaining regular eye contact with the committee members;·Candidate answering the questions posed by the members enthusiastically, till the entire process is treated as completed;·Candidate collecting all certificates and documents once the interview is treated as completed;·Candidate thanking the committee members and·Candidate politely raising from the chair, walking towards the entrance, opening the cabin door and gently closing the door behind him;·Candidate meeting other candidates awaiting at the reception hall cheerfully.Dress code:·Dress code is an important aspect and a person is judged by the dress he wears. Dress makes half man.·For men: Please wear a neat full length trouser and one full length shirt – preferably white or light shaded; Usage of “T” shirts greatly dampens the image of the candidate and the purpose of using any ‘T” shirt is to have better comfort during the course of walking, relaxing, jogging, running, partying and relaxing. As such “T” shirts are not considered to be a fit wear during professional meetings including interviews. Do not wear highly dark colored and checked dresses. A light colored shirt preferably white colored full sleeves shirt and dark colored pant will heighten the image of the individual to a great extent. The candidate has to wear a good quality shoes neatly polished. If possible he can wear a “tie” and this is purely optional and certain organizations pay more attention to the personality of an individual which gets improved by way of better dressing.·For girls: Under any circumstances girls should not wear provoking dresses namely; “T” shirts, jeans pants, trousers, half gowns and shirts with messages and blouses with low cuts. A neat chudithar is considered to be the best option and wearing of sarees improves the image of the individual.A.Questions during the first phase:·Initially the candidates are invited to tell about their personal life and interests, their family members, their ambitions, their qualifications, their achievements in studies, sports, music and any other extracurricular activities;·The second question is about the place to which the candidate belongs. In case the candidate belongs to Chennai, he will be asked to tell about Chennai and the importance of the place. Necessarily the candidate should have a thorough knowledge about the place from which he is hailing;·The interviewers will pose “ice breaking questions” in order to shift the focus of the candidate. This is for the purpose of finding out the reaction of the candidate during such “focus change”. (Banks demand people who are able to face any challenges);·During the first two to three minutes, more than 80 percent of the questions will be on the personal details and basic information about the candidate. It has to be remembered that – “The first impression is the best impression” and accordingly the candidate has to behave politely, calmly, courageously and confidently.Sample questions during the first phase:·01. My dear friend, now tell us about yourself: The candidate has to inform in a crisp manner about himself, his family, his qualifications, achievements if any etc. Unnecessary details should be avoided altogether and the candidates at no cost should provide information to the committee members with an intention to derive sympathy from the committee members. Such an attitude will prompt the members either to reject or award poor marks.·02. I see – you are from Chennai – please tell me about Chennai: Since the candidate belongs to Chennai, he is invited to tell about Chennai and he should have pre-hand information about Chennai and should come forward to tell about important places in Chennai namely; Marina beach, High Court, Kabaleeswarar Temple, Metro train facilities, Santhome church, International airport, Asia’s biggest bus station at Koyambedu and many more.·03. I find that you had studied in Presidency college. What was the reason for your preference for this college?. How was your life in the college? The candidate has to tell about the college; the achievements of the college in academic scenario as well as in sports and in other areas;·04. I find that you had studied “EEE” - why you had chosen the course? The candidate has to tell about the purpose and the potential available for the students who had opted to pursue EEE course.·05. You are in Chennai for a long period. What is your opinion about Chennai?·06. You are having “EEE” in engineering and why you are willing to get employed in banks? (Your reply should be – In fact by working in a bank, I can develop my relationship with public in a better manner; improve my knowledge and provide better service to as many people as possible since the banks are purely service oriented organisations. I find that I can have more career prospects in future by getting employed in the banks)·07. What are your strengths and weaknesses? – Your answer should be: I am always willing to work hard under all circumstances and since I have a good communication ability, I hope that I can surely develop friendship with my colleagues, clients and others in a fast manner so that I can contribute better to the society.·08. You are a highly qualified person having one MBA degree apart from a degree in Engineering. What is the guarantee that you will be in the bank without shifting your attention to some other employment potential after some time?: Your reply should not be: On account of unemployment problem, I am joining the bank; Your reply should be – even though I have better qualifications, I wish to work in the banking industry because I can have better opportunities to serve for the welfare of the society by working in the bank than any other organisations.Responsibilities of the candidates appearing for the interview:The candidate should do a lot of home work and he should always depend upon his positive straits namely; his strength, achievements and abilities and necessarily he should believe in himself that he can face the interview committee members boldly and fearlessly and he should altogether avoid any negative reply or angry reply under any circumstances; even when provoked or tempted by the interview board members and the candidate should remain calm and wear a broad smile during the entire interview process.A smile has the power to keep the individual in better spirits at all times.The following question may provoke the candidate –·Dear friend, considering your personality, I find that you look like a film actor. How do you feel yourself ?(You had not at all expected this question and you are tempted to provide an apt reply to them: Your reply should be– In fact I am fond of wearing a neat dress and I take care of my health by doing physical exercises regularly apart from eating moderate food and getting into the bed at the appropriate time. I always believe in the following proverb – “Health is wealth”. An individual may not be in a position to discharge his duties properly without adequate health. The habit of eating quality food, regular exercise and better dressing are the factors which are responsible for my personality.B.Second phase of the interview process:During this phase, questions will be asked about the bank for which the candidate is appearing for the interview and the following are some sample questions in case the candidate is appearing for a post in Punjab National Bank:·Do you know – where is the head office of Punjab National Bank?·Who is the present chairman of the bank?·How many branches are there in Punjab National Bank as on date?·Can you tell me about the total business of the bank?·Can you tell me about some deposit schemes available in the bank?·What do you know about the logo of Punjab National Bank?·What is the punchline of Punjab National Bank?·What is the position of Punjab National Bank among the commercial banks in the country as on date?(It is the responsibility of the candidate to collect the necessary information about the bank for which he is appearing for the interview by visiting the website of the bank and by referring other material sources in order to get the required information about the bank namely; the headquarters, number of branches, total business, profit position, important schemes, tie up with other banks, achievements of the bank, if any; the present position and the ranking of the bank in terms of business, profitability, non performing assets, productivity of the employee etc., In case the candidate is appearing for a group of banks, he should have information in general about all the banks in the group)C.Third phase of the interview:During this phase, questions will be asked on general banking practices as mentioned below:The following are the questions regarding the banks in general:·Have you visited any bank branch? What was your experience?·What is the business of any bank?·What are the essential/primary functions of any bank?·What are the secondary functions of any bank?·Who can open a savings bank account?·What do you know by KYC guidelines?·Why banks insist customers in adhering to KYC guidelines?·What is the difference between Current deposit account and Savings deposit account?·What do you mean by CASA account?·Who normally opens a current account?·What do you know by a fixed deposit account?·Can a company open a savings account?·Can the director of a company open a savings account?·Who is the controlling authority for the banks in India?·What is a foreign bank?·What is meant by a public sector bank?·Which is the largest private sector bank in the country?·Which is the largest bank in the country?·You are working as an officer in savings department. The customer complains about the irritating behavior of the clerk who is working under your supervision. What will you do in this situation?·Your manager delegates some work and you are failing to complete the work within the allotted time and your manager is not happy with your performance. How will you convince your manager?·Today there is some news about annual credit policy. What do you know by that?·What do you know by reverse repo rate?·What is called as inflation?·What is rupee convertibility?·What do you know by gross domestic product?·What do you know by ASBA?·What do you know by Sensex?·What do you know by a convertible debenture?·What is an initial public offer?·What do you know by facebook and whatsapp – whether they are good or bad for any individual and what is your opinion?·What are the advantages and disadvantages of Whatsapp?·What is your opinion about currency demonetization and how far the process helps in improving the economy of the country?·Whether GST recently introduced will improve the development of nation’s economy?(The above questions are illustrative and not exhaustive and the candidate should know fairly well about many banking as well as general aspects)D.The fourth phase of the interview:Like the initial phase or first phase, this fourth phase is also important wherein tricky questions will be asked as mentioned below:·You are hailing from Coimbatore. In case you are posted to Chennai whether you will be willing to work at Chennai?. (Your answer: If I am posted at Coimbatore, I shall try my level best to bring more business to the bank since I know the place and people well and I can take care of family members who are dependent on me. Even otherwise, I shall discharge my duties to the best when I am posted at Chennai)·Suddenly on account of computer crash, you have to sit late – whether you will be willing to sit late and finish the job or leave early without informing your superiors? (Definitely I will never mind in sitting late and I shall always cooperate with my superiors in finishing the day to day functions of the branch. I am one among the team members and I have the responsibility to cooperate with other members during critical situations)·What information are you willing to tell about yourself? (If I am selected, I shall work hard and I shall discharge my duties to the entire satisfaction of my superiors. I shall always do the best from my side for the growth of my organization.)A mock interview(This is one imaginary interview session conducted with Mr. James for the purpose of guiding the candidates)Mr. James is an engineering graduate and he had completed his graduation from an engineering college situated at Chennai. Even though he wanted to get an employment in prominent companies, he could not get the job and on getting the information that banks are providing employment opportunities on large scale to all graduates in the country, he applied for IBPS officers’ examination and came out successful in the common written examination- final.He was informed about the interview process in the regional office of one prominent bank in Chennai and in order to avoid any tension and nervousness he came to the interview hall half an hour earlier to his scheduled timing.He started reading the day’s news paper and started relaxing himself so that he can answer the questions posed by the committee members calmly and confidently.Now he is called by the attending staff to enter into the interview room.Mr. James neatly dressed in white shirt with full sleeves wearing a dark colored pant walks inside the cabin after closing the door gently.-May I come in Sir?-Yes – Please come in and be seated.-Thank you sirsMr. James sits on the chair provided to him and looks at the members for their questions-Mr. James, which place do you belong?-Sir, I am from Chennai-What about your father?-My father is working as an accountant in a private firm.-How many members are there in your family?-Myself, my elder sister since married; my younger sister studying in a College; my younger brother working in a private firm and my father and my mother-I find that you are an engineering graduate and why you are willing to join in a bank?-I find that career growth is found to be better in banks nowadays. Apart from the above, I can serve more people while working in a bank.-(The details namely; better salary, job security, comfortable working hours etc., are to be kept in mind and under any circumstances should not be disclosed to the interview committee members)-Can you tell me about Chennai?-Chennai is one among the four metropolitan cities of our country. It is fast growing. Chennai is famous for automobile production and health care. There are many reputed hospitals and a large number of automobile manufacturers in the city. Apart from the above in the case of information technology, Chennai ranks number two next to Bangalore and there is a lot of scope for people who are willing to work in IT industries. The population is around 98 lakhs and by areawise, Chennai is the largest among all cities in the country. Marina beach is world’s second largest beach.-Can you tell me about Repo rate?-Commercial banks can borrow funds from RBI against government securities at Repo rate and there is an implied condition that the banks will repurchase the government securities after clearing the loans. The present repo rate is 6.25%-What is the difference between bank rate and repo rate?-When the commercial banks borrow funds from RBI against discounting bills they have to pay interest at bank rate and presently the bank rate is 6.75%. Normally Repo loans are given towards meeting short term requirements and loans at bank rate are provided towards meeting long term requirements-What do you mean by non resident Indian?-Non Resident Indian is Indian national who has gone abroad for the purpose of business, studies or employment and stayed there for more than 182 days-What do you mean by Persons of Indian Origin?-Persons of Indian Origin are people whose forefathers are/were non resident Indians at any point of time. In other words PIOs are the sons/daughters/grandsons/granddaughters of Non resident Indians who had already settled in the foreign countries and PIOs are the citizens of those countries and not of India.-What do you mean by CBS?-CBS means Core Banking Solutions. Nowadays, the entire banking functions are carried out through computers in banks and branches of all banks are connected through common network and transactions can be done from one branch of one bank with another branch of another bank comfortably using internet banking or mobile banking.-What do you mean by Moratorium?-It is the repayment holiday permitted for repayment in the case of term loans. Normally organizations generate income after some period from the date of installation of the machineries and other inventories and they may not be able to generate sufficient income towards payment of instalments due to the bank and in this connection banks permit some cushion time called as repayment holiday or moratorium. The repayment holiday may be for three months, six months or nine months depending upon the nature and size of the industry. On completion of the moratorium period, the organizations start repaying the loans.-What do you mean by EMI?-EMI means equated monthly instalments. It consists of repayment of both principal and interest payable either at monthly or quarterly intervals. Normally EMI is permitted in the case of loans like housing loans, personal loans, white goods loans etc., where the borrowers have regular income like salaries or any other remuneration.-OK Mr. James, I find that you are highly qualified having M.E. in civil engineering and MBA. Whether you will continue in the bank?-Definitely sir. I am informed that a person who joins as a clerk or an officer in any bank can get promotion upto the level of General Manager by the time he retires from the services of the bank and I hope that I can utilize the knowledge acquired by me while discharging my duties in the bank and I shall definitely aspire for promotions in case if I am selected in the bank.-OK. Mr. James – thank you:-Thank you sirs for your nice company.James gets up from his chair gently, moves towards the door, opens the door slowly and after getting out of the room closes the door gently.(The interview with Mr. James is treated as completed.)Courtesy: Tips for interview for recruitment as probationary officers in banks in India by A. Gauri Sankar.

You have to learn and understand the hidden rules of Social Class, which are similar to those dictated through race but porous enough to allow the mobility that the other posters are talk about.It's specifically called code switching, which is the race-social class term for being one way originally and another for a corporate setting. Its a difficult task to accomplish initially for people of color because below Middle Class most ethnicities have a limited, TV based interaction with White people and corporate America. Which of course is false.Clothing is the standard:slacks,shirt,tie,suit in black, blue, grey until you can afford/learn how to be stylish without being a stand out.Individuality is not in clothing, appearance, hairstyles, it's in ability/mentality.When I teach young males this, we've had ongoing discussions for weeks first then I take them to K&G and I buy them a two suit set up with shirts, ties, dress shoes. I'll take them out to a 4 star restaurant after a lesson on table placement/manners, as in a corporate identity you will have to dine out professionally---you must be comfortable with knowing place settings, multiple courses, the amount of staff and their attendants and responsibilities, and my students are to arrive in their suits. Then I take them along on the administrative, business or teaching consulting meetings I might have, to a community board meeting. Somewhere full of professional adults. I'm famous for providing them with basic business cards and off to a formal networking event we go.The point is to be comfortable in your professional garb and interactive, particularly here in NYC with a wide variety of women, ethnicities, White people.Your manners should be on point.Please,thank you,excuse meKnowing the difference between May I and Can I..?You don't have to be servile but you should be able to tone down. your politeness not be known as someone who has to increase it.Know some banal, non-offensive jokes and story. Don't try to "be friends" immediately.Have an ability and ask questions.I had a student at Columbia who I got an internship there, he arrived shirt and tie, looking good and discovered that though he was ready to do things with his MS Office skills he'd learned in my classes, an office can be a lot of look busy but be ready to do the work when it arrives, yet that includes the tedium of waiting. Yes, that means no phone, no texting, no videos.No PhonesI fire interns if I see your phone too much and you never see mine so if I see yours a few times a day and its not work related, you're done. If you suggest it is an emergency, someone is ill and you are not a doctor that's called there are those far more capable than you to manage that, they should be under their care, not yours. Take the day, the week off, solve the problem, don't bring your problems to work. I personally detest that and in my corporate life would regularly eliminate those people. Not Fair? Where do you work? The company is not called Fair, the closest you can get is the Justice Department and they really don't want to hear your bs.Tedium, waiting for work is normal, an inability to be patient, pay attention, quietly and productively occupy ones attention , is a sign of Poverty based emotionality and lack of self control.Arrive With Your Tools and A Neutral Set of Reading MaterialsThe years after undergrad when I temped I would carry a Vanity Fair magazine, a finance one like Black Enterprise or Forbes, my bible on MS Office, a flash drive and a journal. I could look productive or at least occupied. I once sat at Williams Communication at my cubicle for a thousand dollars a week for two months until they constructed what I could do. But one of the things I became known for at that job and others was my software knowledge. I could troubleshoot minor issues, which in turn gave me something to do and value in their eyes. That lead to being the lead on a forensic accounting embezzling case because I was the only one in NYC who knew their internal software, inside out, from having sat there and looked through it for two months.Race and ArgumentsI learned that race matters, yes, all the prejudices are present but that the corporate systems need a few, not a gaggle, but a few of us there to feel diverse. That's the hole in the dam.I approximate you get one argument every six months, you'll see White guys get three. You will also become the arbiter on all things racial because they are experiencing this as a chance to "ask". Trust me between race, sexuality, age, intelligence and not growing up Poor, I have been asked more questions by White people than ever in my life in offices other than standing in front of a room as a teacher.White PeopleMost White people are well meaning and racism's effect upon them is that its made them obtuse, oblivious, unaware of being offensive because they are just being White, acting with privilege and entitlement. Some of that self perception is useful for people of color to learn, adopt. I have always, in the corporate setting acted as if... I am not Black .....and never been admonished. Walk into an office, even of a superior, and stand in front of them, pass a discreet note to a person if you're the admin about phone calls, appointments, or text. Nothing shows professionalism like being helpful, on point but unobtrusive.Learn to write well or have a style guide templates. I often found because I had templates ready I could drop in work to a format, have it checked and would be told I could be less formal. But here's the point, none told me to be more professional.Never drink or fuck coworkers, period.Ginger ale, red straw, fruit slice. Your marital status is always " involved", no details on gender, sex, sexuality, problems, kids. keep it tight and private.Take at least a year before bringing in your personal business to an office .Make friends with every secretary admin office manager by doing whatever it is, their way. They are gatekeepers and the bosses eyes and ears, they have been tasked with watching you and everyone else. I once went back to my boss, a school Superintendent (she would routinely walk by interview candidates and say such and such could go, which meant pre interview them but by looks alone) because she would not be hiring them as they didn't present as professional enough .One time she said no of a lady but I went and told her to give the lady a chance, she had good energy and a great resume. I promised I would talk to her about her big hair, miniskirt and heels. She saw her, liked her, hired her at $100k a year, she's now one of the best principals in NYC often cited in newspapers and awarded. And they became great friends.Be More Multicultural As a Black PersonI've been to Seders, Asian events, Hindu, etc. You have to get comfortable being the only Black sometimes in the room. One of the things I do is openly acknowledge that. White people are waiting for us to signal and direct them and gently but firmly correct them when they make an error.I think of them as big four year olds with guns, credit cards and nuclear weapons socially, most of our or the preceding generation just don't understand because we have integrated on TV, not in person.Make Hooking Up Your Corporate Wardrobe A PriorityI got my first suit and tie job at A&S department store in high school. I had gotten a messenger job across the avenue but wandered in after the interview to the Manhattan mall, knowing I could do better.I got a sales associate job, yes a thousand a week, because I was in a suit and tie and had a resume. My resume had Charles, a restaurant I did deliveries for, Pathmark, cashier and Wendy's, all around guy. It included typing, letter writing, customer service and photocopier experience. My mother had taught me how maintain a resume. He, John Johnson, said I had taken the time to be professional over older candidates. He took an hour and convinced me to take the job, I was leery because I didn't understand the commission structure.Working in the Boys and Men’s Department taught me how to have an on point wardrobe and presentation skills at 18.Best Times to Interview and Spare Clothing1 tip is to go on interviews as late in the week as possible and after lunch. Preferably Thursday or Fridays. The reasoning is that by the end of teh week people are wrapping up their work for the week. They generally have to/want to make a decision so that it’s a done deal come Monday morning. I’ve gotten more jobs from this trick alone.Always have an extra shirt, tie, in your desk, put up racially mixed pictures, use scenery not teams or celebrities as screensavers.Dummy InterviewsGo on as many interviews as possible to master that situation but when aiming for a position, I only interview seriously with 2-3. Others are just practice. I have gotten about 97% of the jobs or been offered. I've even been suggested for other careers, which is how I detoured from securities litigation to non profit management to teaching.Be on point. Be authentic. Be political and compassionate. Be smart and thoughtful. Be the perfect spy.The Spook Who Sat By The Door.

My question to you coming out of the gate is why you would want to do such a thing as crime scene investigation. Generally, a specialization in crime scene investigation is a dirty, relatively thankless job with little or no career advancement. Thanks (or no thanks) to modern television shows, there is a lot of glamour and adventure associated with these jobs that, by and large, simply does not exist. The entire notion of the modern "crime scene investigator" (CSI) in the United States was mainly concocted in the 1960s by detectives who convinced police chiefs that the department could save a lot of money by hiring "paraprofessional" crime scene investigators that could process crime scenes with limited training and did not have to be sworn police officers. The detectives had a secret agenda for suggesting these money-saving "helpful" changes. Simply put, searching crime scenes is dirty, often distasteful work that detectives would rather not do and engage in the more exciting work of chasing down clues and suspects, conducting interviews and interrogations, and orchestrating the solving of the case. Accordingly, generally today the role of the CSI is rather a dead end career where, even in a large department, these unsworn positions have very little upward career mobility. Likewise, a "forensic science technician" may be nothing more than another word for a CSI. In a crime laboratory, the majority of crime laboratory examiners are bench chemists (requiring a bachelor's degree in chemistry) that perform continuous drug examinations, and may get in a little more complex work in instrumental analysis. Other crime laboratory specialties are in a considerable minority in the overall staffing of a laboratory, and are often trained by apprenticeship (firearm and toolmark examiners, print examiners, questioned document examiners, forensic photographers). There are other forensic science fields that require extensive education and training in specific fields, such as forensic engineering, forensic behavioral sciences (psychology and psychiatry), forensic pathology, forensic nursing, forensic jurisprudence, forensic toxicology, forensic anthropology, forensic odontology, forensic digital and multimedia sciences, as well as others. So, for example, to practice forensic odontology, one must first be a dentist and to practice forensic anthropology one initially needs a PhD in physical anthropology.Often, police officers or police criminal investigators (detectives) are detailed to perform crime scene investigations, but these duties are either temporary assignments or duties in addition to their other tasks. Although various science courses may be useful for a future in law enforcement work, my main advice would be to concentrate upon communications skills, such as English grammar (e.g. using the term “want to” versus “wanna”) and composition since such skills are essential to effectively dealing with the public and the administration of justice. Beyond that, essential technical skills in law enforcement and investigative techniques are taught in law enforcement academies, colleges and universities.