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8 Tourist Traps That Are Un-BALI-evableImagine you have been offered a free holiday to Indonesia (ignore any worries about tourist traps). If you could choose two places you wanted to go to in Indonesia, would one of them be Bali?Bali is the most central and touristy island in Indonesia. It is the busiest, the richest, the most well known and the most full of tourist traps. While many of you may well of picked out a few other known names such as Jakarta, Java or Komodo National Park, we’d be surprised if Bali wasn’t on the list.However, Indonesia worked this one out years ago! They know that many tourists are shipped in by the hour to see this beautiful island and slowly but surely all of the attractions that once could just be enjoyed for their beauty are now becoming tourist traps.What Are Tourist TrapsThe term ‘tourist traps’ has been appearing more and more across the internet recently (April 2018). In essence it is a “scam” promising something to tourists, only if they pay far too much for the luxury of it. For example these could include:Adding additional surprise amounts to hotel bills that staff cannot explain.Adding foreign entrance fees which are different to local entrance fees.Forcing you to pay to engage in a fake religious blessings in order to enter temples.Charging tourists an extortionate amount to see nothing (but you don’t know that until you have paid).Charging tourists to walk around a natural space.The ‘Tourist Tax’ charge that appears in accommodation and in entrance to some countries.Setting up a fake “production area” right next to a shop so you are more likely to want to buy their shipped in goods.Charging tourists a completely different taxi fayre just because they will not know the local rates.These are a few of the tourist traps we have seen around South Asia on our travels and some of them occurred in Bali.Take a look at the following 8 tourist traps we were drawn into in Bali. Some of the experiences were still amazing and we’d recommend seeing them but make your own decisions and don’t get drawn into the bad ones!1. Silver UC Production Factory – Enjoyable Tourist TrapsWe knew as soon as our tour guide pulled into the carpark, we knew that Silver UC Production Factory was a tourist trap.Outside one of the entrances to the Silver FactoryTurning into this carpark, we were greeted by one of the most stunning buildings we have ever seen:The metal work had been sculpted and shaped creating waves and curls decorating the building.Golden dragonflies were attached to the walls outside.There were hundreds of frog statues all fitted with glasses.Ornate 10 foot high wooden doors fitted every entrance.We knew, this was just about money. However, we would recommend this as a worthy place to visit. The architecture was beautiful and the experience was overall enjoyable.What Happens When You Arrive?When you arrive, the staff will take you down to the production area. Here you will see loads of different workers producing silver jewellery. You can take the time to wander around and watch them work and take pictures (ask them first for the picture).The tour guide did not engage with us during this time. She did not offer any information which was a shame. It was clear that her focus was on moving us out of the production area quickly to get to the expensive shop.Inside the expensive shop, the staff become far more animated. They follow you around instructing you to purchase things. They constantly make suggestions of jewellery that would suit you and they harass you. There is no other word for this persistent badgering.Inside the production roomWhat Is The Tourist Trap?After spending some time being engaged in the production area and the methods, psychologically you just want to walk away with a souvenir and we did (although only one that the budget would permit). In any case, we spent some money and that is what they rely on. That’s Um-Bali-evable!Entrance Cost: FreeTime Spent: Up to an Hour2. Silk Barik Production Factory – Disappointing Tourist TrapsNext stop after the Silver Factory and we could see there was a theme developing on this Denpasar Tour.The Silk Barik Production Factory consisted of a similar make up to the Silver Factory. There was a production area and a shop. Only this time, the production area consisted of a few women sitting on the floor chatting around some silk production machines that looked like they hadn’t been used for centuries.What Happens When You Arrive?We were Tourist Trapped and bought a souvineerOn arrival, the shop staff hand you a leaflet and offer to read it through with you and explain it (its a particular silk process). We listened to the staff member explain the process by affectively reading the sheet and then she shepherded us into the shop. Overall, it was not worth the time or the price of some of the garments in that shop!What’s The Tourist Trap?Remember the tourist trap in the bullet points above? The one where they set up fake production areas in order for you to become some what invested in their culture. Therefore, you are more likely to buy their shipped in goods? This is what I meant! Silk Barik Production Factory was just a disappointing material shop with a few random Bali souvenirs thrown in and a clear set-up outside of unused textile equipment. That’s Um-Bali-evable!Entrance Cost: FreeTime Spent: 20 minutes3. Taman Ayu Luwak Coffee Gardens – ‘Well-Worth It’ Type Tourist TrapsEverybody goes to the Luwak Coffee Gardens in Bali. Do you know why?During the informative tour of the coffee plantationLuwak coffee is also known as cat poo coffee. Yes, that is correct. The animal (Luwak) is fed coffee beans and when he/she deposits them after they have been through the system, they are collected.They are put through a cleaning and roasting process of course and then they are used to brew this famous coffee.What Happens When You Arrive?On arrival, you are taken on a tour of the gardens. You see the Luwak animals and the coffee plants.The tour is in great detail and is very enjoyable and interesting. It is also personal: you don’t have to wait for a large group to show up. You will also see some staff members roasting the coffee beans for the Luwak coffee and you are allowed to have a go at that yourself as well.At the end of the walking tour, you are taken to the restaurant area where they provide a tasting sessionof 6 different teas and 6 different coffees. Our favourite was the coconut coffee and the ginger tea. All of the tasters were delicious and free of charge.Bali knows that everybody goes to the coffee gardens to do just one thing…try Luwak coffee! Therefore, they do not allow you to sample it. Although they offer an amazing tour and free tasters of just about every other kind of hot drink there is, you have to buy a cup of Luwak in order to try it. They also do not sell this for cheap. At over £5 a cup, one person buying it would possibly cover the cost of all of the tasters you thought you got for free. That’s Um-Bali-evable!The free taster selectionEntrance Cost: FreeTime Spent: 1 – 1.5 hours4. Uma Menuh Restaurant (view over the rice fields) – ‘A Bit Of A Sting’ Type Tourist TrapsView of the workers on the rice field from the restaurant.This one, you have probably never heard of and you might not even end up seeing it!Tourist Traps are usually beautiful!If you pay for a tour around Bali, you will have the delight of an air-con car. Your driver will wait for you for as long as you want outside each of the attractions and will of course drop you off at places to eat when you are hungry at no additional cost.However, no matter how clear that you make it that you want to eat at a normal priced local restaurant, the drivers don’t listen. They are offered commission if they take you to the most expensive restaurants they can find and that is the only thing on their mind.Our driver offered to take us for lunch. We asked for a local place and he drove us to this restaurant in the picture. The entrance was beautiful and the toilets were excellent so we knew that this wasn’t going to be cheap and certainly not local. Indeed, we were right. When you pay money for a meal you know you can purchase for a fifth of the price elsewhere, its harder to enjoy it.What Is The Tourist Trap?Not only is Uma Menuh the most expensive restaurant they can find. It is also the only restaurant in that entire area. There is no chance of just popping down the road to a place that is better value for money. Once your there and your hungry, you end up just dealing with the hit. That’s what they rely on! That’s Um-Bali-evable!Entrance Cost: FreeTime Spent: 1 – 1.5 hours5. Monkey Forest – Long Distance Tourist TrapsFor the locals, monkeys are just pests but for tourists, seeing monkeys in their natural habitat is refreshing and entertaining.I’ll just keep waiting for you to buy me bananas.. Don’t rush yourself…there’s no hurry. I’ll just wait…and stare!The Monkey Forest is in Ubud, another main tourist hub in the centre of Bali. It is surrounded by shops and again like the Silver Factory, as soon as you drive into the carpark, you know this place is about money.Towering statues and artwork surround the entrances. The ticket desks are massive and the toilets are clean and good quality. Oh dear you think to yourself…how much will the ticket be?What Happens When You Arrive?A typical example of using children to make humans feel sorry for you so they spend more money in the tourist traps! Even the animals are into the scam. How are we so blind?After you have purchased your ticket (fortunately only approx. £2.50) you are shown to a sign that explains a list of rules of how you should behave around the monkeys. Further steps are offered explaining what you should do to ensure your personal items are safe from these cunning thieves.Don’t attempt to outsmart a monkey if it wants something. A monkey was after our travelling companions water bottle. Another member of the group swiped the bottle from the bag when they thought the monkey was not looking. It took the monkey all of 3 seconds to jump onto her and get the bottle. They are quicker than us and their senses are a lot better. Don’t outsmart them.However, if a monkey does manage to get some of your belongings, the forest staff are very well trained! For a tip, they will shoot stones with catapults at the monkeys and physically engage with them to retrieve your belongings. It is sad and cruel to treat any animal in this way. However, you will get your stuff back. They specifically like phones and glasses.The monkey forest is unguided and is well signposted. At your leisure, you can wander happily around the grounds. The only downfall is it is well known and very busy. Therefore, the huge crowds of people took away the atmosphere for us.What Is The Tourist Trap?Monkey Forest is the land of never spending enough money. If paying to get into the attraction wasn’t entertaining enough for you, never fear! There are so many more opportunities to give your notes away including:Pictures of you holding the monkeysPictures of the monkeys standing on your head.Paying the staff to get your belongings off the monkeysPictures of the staff holding the monkeysAsking staff to take a group photo.Buying bananas from the stalls to feed the monkeysMaking donations at the templesRenting religious clothes in order to enter the templesYes, the entrance fee may well be respectable for such a well known attraction. However, if you wanted to get involved with everything they offer, you would be walking out of there with a very light wallet! That’s Um-Bali-evable!Entrance Cost: 50,000 IRM (approx. £2.50 per person)Time Spent: 2 hours6. Tilda Lot Temple – The Worst Possible Tourist TrapsThis place is just ethically wrong and such a waste of money. It may well be beautiful but it left a sour taste in our mouths.Tanah Lot TempleTanah Lot is another well known touristy area. Originally, just charging for entrance to the temples, you could enjoy the beach and parks at your leisure. Now, they charge for entrance into the park and the beach as well. When I say charge, I mean fiercely over charge! That’s right, we paid the approximate of £5 each just to get into a park.What Happens When You Arrive?On the entrance, there is a huge range of heavily over-priced souvenir shops and food stalls. After battling your way through these you can enjoy a beautiful park walk over looking the sea. There are a few temples built on the piers however, you can’t enter any of them. The only one you can enter, you can only walk through the stone gate into the grounds. The actual building is shut. Sour Taste Develops.Additionally, they had a sign outside reading “If You Are A Woman On Your Period, Stay Away!”. I am not sure how they are orchestrating ensuring this rule is followed but at least men on their periods can get in! Sour Taste Grows Stronger!What Is the Tourist TrapThis place similar to the monkey forest had many possible activities and services to spend more money such as:Taking a picture holding a snake...we might have fallen for this one.Taking a picture with a snake in a cave.Buying worthless souvenirs from vendors that stalk you and harass you whilst you are walking.Having a guide to walk you around the park.The worst one: The Tanah Lot Temple itself.Falling for the Snake ScamThe blessing includes paying for a prayer to a Hindu God, having ‘holy water’ flicked in your face, something stuck on your forehead and a petal handed to you. After this procedure, they deem you ‘religious enough’ to enter the temple… Another group of ‘pious gentleman’ who stand by the stepped entrance to the temple will then allow you entry. Those gentleman refused our entry as we had not paid for the prayer to enter. Sour Taste Has Taken Over. We Will Have To Leave. That’s Um-Bali-evable!We believe that this is a mickey take due to the high entrance fee everyone has already paid and also ethically wrong. You should not have to purchase a prayer or blessing. Although, its not the first time we have seen that either. See our “Cathedrals in Milano” post where we searched Milano for The Most Expensive “Pay to Pray” Opportunities.Entrance Cost: approx. £5.00 per person (to the park area and beach only)Time Spent: 2 hours7. Jimbaran Beach – The Popularity Over-Charging Tourist TrapsSo, they have realised they can’t charge for the beach because it is too easy to get on to it from a number of different access points but they can over charge for everything else!Before we headed for a swim in the deceptively large wavesThis beach was actually really enjoyable. The sand is beautiful, the beach is busy and lively and the waves are amazing. We swam in the see right up to sun down and it was beautiful watching the sunset (when we could avoid being knocked over by the huge waves!).What Is The Tourist Trap?The beach itself is just a normal beach but every single restaurant, food vendor, snack stall, even wandering sales person is selling their wares for ridiculous prices. We bought a drink each at a small restaurant at the very end of a long row of food places and we paid more for those drinks than we did for all of our meals and food for the full day. That’s Um-Bali-evable!Entrance Cost: FreeTime Spent: 2 hours8. Taxi’s and Tour Transport in Bali – The Snobby Tourist TrapsWhy pay huge fees for a Taxi designed to rip you off when you can order a Grab!?These signs were everywhereThe simple answer is: Bali does not accept Grab as a worthy Taxi company. There are rumours that it is even illegal to be a Grab driver. While we are not sure if that is genuinely the case, there are signs everywhere outside tourist attractions, restaurants and even residences that say “Grab Drivers Cannot Drop Off Here”.What Is The Tourist TrapAs more and more people are put off using Grab due to the signs and the locals disapproval, people end up leaning towards relying on standard Taxi companies. This means, the companies also can whack on the price. They know, you have no other option if you want to get about so they might as well charge an extortionate amount to transport you. That’s Um-Bali-evable!

My Bangkok Bath House Massage ExperienceThis type of Thai massage is a product, just like a ride at Disneyland.You can get it everywhere in Thailand, and probably other places as well.I had seen it in a couple of movies.The cab wound its way through the crowded Bangkok streets, down a mind-numbing sequence of alley's and ended up in an open parking lot in front of a nondescript six-story building with a uniformed doorman out front. His outfit was a white marching-band type drum major's long sleeved uniform with white drum major’s dress hat, and a tasteful minimum of gold braids. He smartly opened the door of the car, and bowed me and my lady tour-guide / translator inside. It was the late 1980s.Inside were more attendants in similar uniforms. The lobby had plush carpeting, subdued lighting, a bell-captains desk and two very large picture windows approximately 15 feet wide with a curved top, that came to a peak 8 feet high. Behind the glass were well lighted rooms with bleacher style risers, and several dozen beautiful Thai girls seated on the risers. All of the girls wore solid color floor length silk gowns, with deep scooped necklines, and long slits up above the tops of their thighs. Three fourths of the girls wore light blue gowns, the others, sitting off to the left wore gowns of varying colors. They all wore little buttons with two-digit numbers on them. Foolishly I asked what the difference in the gown colors was and was told that the girls in the varying colored gowns gave you a Thai massage, the others gave you a Thai massage them made love to you. For a few dollars more.On cue, the girls began to primp, and smile and project, although given the lighting conditions I must have been only barely visible behind the picture window glass. I must have stared at the candy store window too long, for the attendant who had patiently explained the menu to me, suggested that number 52 was an energetic and enthusiastic young talent. Upon studying his recommendation, I decided to take his expert advice and selected number 52. It was an excellent choice.Number 52 was informed of her engagement and she emerged from a side entrance and bowed to me smiling broadly. She lead me to an adjacent elevator lobby, where the elevator was waiting, held by another uniformed attendant. She selected the 5th floor and smiled at me and adjusted my tie as we rode up.Number 52 was petite and cute and very fit. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at me with her wide mouth full of straight white teeth. She walked with an athletic girlish bounce, in America this young woman would surely have been a cheerleader or a champion gymnast. I could not begin to accurately guess her age, since age in Asian women is a guessing game for white guys, even if you ask (which would be very impolite). She could have been 25, she might have been 16.On the 5th floor, she greeted the hall attendant, and lead me down a long hall with subdued lighting, past many numbered doors. There was a large industrial strength air-mattresses next to each door. Also next to each door was a five-peg clothing rack, with various articles of female clothing hanging from the pegs. I imagined that the workers slept in the rooms when they were not entertaining customers, but I had no Idea what the air mattresses were all about.Our room was about 20 feet square and felt very much like a small efficiency apartment with five distinct areas: the entry, the dressing table, the tub, an open shower, and a round bed.The entry was tiled with racks and hangers for shoes and clothing, a seating bench where you could sit while putting on your shoes. The rest of the suite was a step up from the entry, emphasizing it's isolation from the rest of the room.To the right through a framework, was a round bed surrounded by a half-circle headboard that was low enough to set drinks on. On the semi-circular wall around the headboard, and on the ceiling above the bed were mirrors.At the opposite corner from the door, was a low, very feminine dressing table where my hostess would soon remove her eye makeup and splash on a delightful fragrance. A modern desk type telephone sat on the dressing table.Behind a wall obscuring immediate viewing at the northwest corner of the room was a very large, very deep porcelain bathtub, surrounded by ceramic tiles on 3-sides with a one-foot wide tiled shelf that ran all the way around the tub.To the right of the tub on the Northern wall was a standard shower head on an flexible hose. The tiles around the tub continued onto the floor, and across the wall with the shower head and at least 10 feet past the shower head. The floor was tiled like a shower enclosure in a 10-foot quarter-circle from the shower head and floor drain. There was no shower enclosure. The tiled area of the tub and shower area was a half-step down from the raised carpeted area that lead to the round bed. One of those large air mattresses was leaning on the tiled wall, next to the shower hose.A lovely Thai woman appeared at the door, wearing a silk dress of similar fabric and color to those worn by the other women on the display bleachers, girls but cut short like a cocktail waitress uniform. She carried a tray and asked if I wanted a drink. Not wanting to be at all impaired, I ordered coke which appeared almost immediately. The Coke was not included in the admission charge, it came to 50 Baht (US$ 2.00) and I paid double that as tip.My Hostess bade me to me undress. Then after looking me up and down in an appraising way, she smiled like she approved of what she saw. Had to be customer courtesy, but I liked the gesture. She motioned for me sit on the bed while she filled the bathtub with warm water and scented bubble bath soap.When the tub was filled, she invited me to sit in the tub, and lay back on an air pillow. I must admit to being feeling a little awkward in a new and interesting situation, and perhaps more than just a little bit shy. But the warm water relaxed me. My now nude hostess gracefully arranged the position of the towels and lotions and flowers, then with a smile stepped into the tub, with me. She gently lowered herself into the warm water kneeling between my legs, facing me. Smiling into my eyes, she poured and sloshed warm soapy water on my body. With sweet smelling liquid soap in her hands, she washed my chest, my stomach, my shoulders, my thighs, my feet, then my thighs and torso againMr Happy had a natural reaction to all this attention. She washed him as well, which only made him grow larger and harder. She rinsed off the soap playfully, then pausing to look deep into my eyes for an instant, she took me in her mouth, all the way down in a single motion. Sweet heaven. I reveled in the sensation, but knowing that I would enjoy the evening less if I were to climax now, I enjoyed the sensation for a few moments then tapped her on the shoulder, and bade her continue.She poured out some liquid soap, and rubbed it on her own stomach, arms, chest and breasts; a rather pretty sight that. She then began to slide her slippery, soapy body all over mine. Up and back, back and forth, side to side, around and around. Not only did this feel extraordinarily sensuous, I was getting a pretty good scrub. Her body was young and firm and strong, with wonderfully tight skin. She scrubbed me with her chest, she scrubbed me with her back. She scrubbed me with her buns — just to make sure I felt clean.I was in a bit of a daze from all this stimulation. I remember her adjusting the temperature of the shower, then pulling me up out of the tub, and rinsing the soap off of my body with the hand-held shower head. She then took the air mattress which was leaning against the wall, and set it on the tiled floor of the shower area. She warmed it with the shower head, then directed me to lie face up on the air mattress. Pouring a new kind of soap with a new scent on her hands, she began to wash my body again. At first she used her hands, then her forearms, then her breasts. She spread more soap on herself, climbed on top of me, and started sliding her body all over mine in slow writhing movements which grew faster and faster until she collapsed panting for a short moment then she shifted to what my old my Physical Education teacher would call “The Crab Position” and began to draw figure eights and circles on my chest, stomach, and thighs; with her bottom. She must have touched every part of the front of my body with every part of hers, then bade me flip over on my stomach just to repeat this process.Tingling with sensory overload, I was rinsed, dried and lead to the bed. As I was being seated on the bed, the phone on the dressing table rang one short ring. She picked it up and in chattered with someone in Thai. I couldn't understand a word, but the tones and rhythms gave me to believe that it was a safety check. If so she told her managers she was fine. Perhaps we were running long. Perhaps she reported being pleased with her client, and willing to run overtime.She chatted for less than a minute, then shyly approached me on the bed. Unlike earlier, when she was totally in charge and doing everything quite skillfully, she now acted shy and demure. Unsure of what to do, perhaps? I knew what to do. My hands and tongue explored her tight, smooth body. Her bush, like most Asian women, was very lightly furred. When we connected she did not cry out theatrically, but only moaned softly and occasionally, like she was trying to maintain an aloofness and reserve, but some moaning would slip out. We finished with my sitting on the edge of the bed with her on the floor on her knees giving me a truly fabulous blow job. She didn't spill a drop. I was limp as a noodle.I tipped her 20% of the $100 ticket price. As she lead me out to the elevator, we were greeted by smiling and giggling girls in hall, all seeming to share in the splendid success of another satisfied customer.In the elevator, I met two other satisfied customers, an Aussie, and a Brit. It was just a little awkward, at first. But since we were all on the same elevator, and going the same direction we had all shared something. Not exactly male bonding, but what do you expect from an elevator ride? The conversation went:“Mmmmh?”“Hmmmmm.'“Nice night, eh?'”“Absolutely marvelous night.”“Hmmmh!”Smiles and nods all around.

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.