IBPS PO/MT – IV Interview

Name – GAURAV KUMAR BALIYAN

Qualification – B.E. (Computer
Science)

Interview Date – 23rd
January 2015

Location – Syndicate Bank Training
Centre, Bangalore

Time – 08.30 am                        

Interview Panel – I

I
reached at the venue at 08.00 a.m. All candidates were allowed to enter only
after 08.30 a.m., and all the proceedings started by 08.45 a.m.

1st Stage – Document
Verification

They
had a list of all the candidate’s names, and so they allotted a serial number
to every candidate as per the list. Then the candidates were supposed to go
according to the numbers allotted to them, to document verification first and
then for the interview.

The
number allotted to me was 7. My Document Verification was over by 09.30 a.m.

The
Document Verification Officer was very friendly. Even if a person forgot any of
their documents, he was giving them time to bring documents from their home.
Also he provided a PC with internet connection for those who need to download
any of their documents from internet or from their e-mail Id. A Fax Machine was
also present there for those who can get their documents through Fax. In
addition to all these, a Xerox machine was also there to help those who forgot
to bring Xerox of any of their documents.

For
those who had confusions regarding validity of OBC certificate, all OBC
certificates issued after 12-08-2013 will be accepted, including those which
were issued after the last online registration date i.e. 11-08-2014 (contrary
to what was mentioned in the notification). Many of the candidates had OBC
certificates issued after last online registration date, and even one of the
student brought his OBC certificate of today’s date only, means his certificate
was issued today morning and he brought the same.

2nd Stage – Interview

I
was called for the interview at 09.30 a.m. It was my first interview and it was
not at all good. I didn’t feel that I made any impression.

There
was a panel of 5 members, consisting of 4 Gentlemen (G1, G2, G3 and G4) and 1 Lady
(L1).

All
the five were very friendly, the four men were continuously smiling throughout
the interview, but the lady had a strict expression on her face.

As
I entered,

Me:
May I come in sir?

All
of them: Yes, come in.

G1:
Please have the seat, and be comfortable.

I
smiled and sat down. Then I realised that I didn’t wish them Good Morning (So,
started on a bad note).

G3(while
looking in the some documents with him): So you are a native of New Delhi and
completed engineering in computer science with 69.9 % last year. OK?

Me:
Yes sir.

G4:
So why banking, as your background suggests you to enter into IT sector?

Me:
Yes sir I did engineering but still I didn’t join IT sector because I was never
interested in it, instead I wanted to serve in government sector. So, I didn’t
join any company and started preparing for government exams and banking is the
one to which I focussed.

G4:
If you were never interested in IT sector, then why you opted for computer
science?

Me:
When I had to make a choice regarding my future career after my schooling, I
opted for computer science as I felt that in today’s era when the world is
going digital, the knowledge of computer is a must.

G4:
Whatever you learnt in your degree, how it will be useful in banking sector?

Me:
In engineering, we were not taught only about computer languages, but also
about how to solve real life problems using various algorithms. It helped us in
developing an innovative and rational mind, and also kept us updated with new
technological stuffs. All the things which we learnt can be utilised in any
field, even if the field is banking sector.

G4:
Ok.

G1:
So tell me what is the importance of 26 January?

(I
started thinking and trying to recollect anything about 26 January, and
suddenly realised, Oh damn, that why am I thinking too much, its Republic Day
yaar.)

Me:
Sir, its Republic Day.

G1:
Tell me whatever you know about Republic Day.

Me:
Sir, our constitution was enforced on this date in 1950. Even if we became
independent on 15 August 1947, but still we needed a constitution to take the
country forward. The framing of constitution was completed in November 1949,
but still the leaders decided to bring the constitution into force only on 26
January, 1950. Because this date, 26 January, has significance in history. On
26 January 1929, the Indian National Congress passed the resolution declaring
complete independence of India.

G3:
Wait, when India became independent?

Me:
On 15 August, 1947.

G3:
Then why you are saying 1929?

Me:
No sir, I am not saying that India became independent in 1929, I am saying that
Indian National Congress, which was a political party, they passed a resolution
declaring complete independence on 26 January 1929, after which the freedom
struggle became more intense politically. That’s why this date, 26 January, was
chosen to enforce the constitution. (I felt as if my voice also became a little
bit more intense like an argumentative tone while justifying my point, I
realised it at the same time, but what was done was done).

G3:
Ok, ok… I got it. But why the constitution was needed?

Me:
Because constitution defines the points on which the country is governed. To
decide on the type of administration we need, and also to decide on various
laws on which the country will move forward, the constitution was needed.

G3:
Ok, good.

G1:
Is there anything special about this upcoming 26 January?

Me:
Yes Sir. Barack Obama will be the chief guest.

G1:
Any special preparations regarding it?

Me:
Yes sir, there is a lot of controversy between Indian Intelligence Agencies and
American Intelligence Agencies regarding security of Mr Barack Obama.As per
their protocol, the president of America never spends more than 15 minutes in
open, but here he has to stay in open for more than 2 hours during parade. Also
as per the protocol followed by India, the chief guest always arrives in our
President’s Car, but American Intelligence Agencies want their president to
travel in his own car.

G1:
What is the name of his car?

Me(After
thinking a little bit): I know but I can’t remember now. (1st time I denied for
an answer in this interview as I didn’t know)

G1:
The car is called ‘The Beast’.

Me:
Ok sir.

G1:
Can you name any two movies which won more than 11 Oscars?

Me:
Titanic and Lord of the Rings.

G1:
Right. Name one more movie?

Me:
Slumdog Millionaire.

G1:
No, try to remember.

Silence
for 30 seconds from my side, I was acting as if I am thinking. (2nd
time I didn’t know the answer)

G1:
It was Ben-Hur.

G3:
You did your SSC and SSLC from Vadodara?

Me;
Yes sir, as my father works in Indian Air Force, so we have been to various
places due to transferable nature of his job, and therefore I did my schooling
from various different schools.

G4:
Which places you have been to?

Me:
We have been to Leh, Shillong, Guwahati, Jamnagar, Vadodara and Nagpur.

G4:
So how you come in Bangalore?

Me:
I got admission here in engineering college, so I came to pursue my graduation.

G1:
There is a famous lake in Leh. Can you tell the name?

Me:
I completely forgot the name sir. (I just remembered that the name is some
Chinese kind of name, so very tough to remember).

G1:
The same lake is also shown in the movie 3 Idiots. Try to remember.

Me:
Sorry sir, I don’t remember the name. (3rd time I don’t know the
answer)

G1:
PangongTso Lake. It was also in news when there were Chinese army’s incursions
on Indian land in Leh.

Me:
Yes sir.

G1:
Who was the founder of Apple Computers?

Me:
Steve Jobs.

G1:
Is he alive?

Me:
No sir.

G4:
When the tsunami struck Andaman and Nicobar Islands?

Me:
On 26 December, 2004.

G4:
What is the capital of Nicobar Islands?

Me:
Car Nicobar.

G4:
Except the tribal people who are native of the island, is it possible for any
other person to go and settle down there on Car Nicobar Island?

Me:
No sir, people can visit there only as tourists, but they are not allowed to
settle down.

G4:
But when tsunami struck, there were many shopkeepers and retailers on the
island who lost their everything in tsunami, were they legal?

Me:
Yes sir, they might have taken permission from government to do their business
there.

G4:
No, they were illegally doing their business, and that’s why they didn’t get
any compensation from the government.

Me:
Ok sir. (4th time I didn’t know the answer)

L1(remember
the strict lady): Who decides the monetary policy?

Me:
RBI governs the monetary policy in our country.

L1:
Tell me something about monetary policy?

I
was thinking to answer about the CRR, SLR, open market operations etc which are
used by RBI to control credit in market, but I was not sure, so better opted to
quit in this question also.

Me:
Sorry ma’am, I don’t know specifics of monetary policy. (5th time,
it’s happening more than expected)

L1:
Tell me types of deposit accounts?

Me:
Fixed Deposits, Recurring Deposits, Current Account and Savings Account.

L1:
What is CASA?

Me:
CASA stands for Current and Savings Account.

L1:
What do you know about KYC?

Me:
KYC stands for Know Your Customer. It is a guideline by RBI so that the banks
can have complete information about their customers. The documents required in
KYC are identity proof, address proof and photographs. It is a step to prevent
illegal practices such as money laundering.

L1:
What is money laundering?

Me:
In money laundering, the money travels through so many bank accounts and
undergoes so many transactions such that it becomes very complex and difficult
to trace the original source of the money. (They all reacted as either I was
wrong or they were not satisfied with my answer)

G4:
Which kind of money it is?

Me:
Black Money.

G4:
What is Black Money?

Me:
The money which is illegally earned.

L1:
What is AadharCard ?

Me:
It is a unique identification card issued to the citizens of India. It is
different from other identity cards because it uses biometric verification as
an identification tool.

L1:
How many digits are there in Aadhar Number?

Me:
Sorry ma’am , I never noticed the number of digits. (6th time, and
now I am like “are they interviewers or barristers, why so many questions”)

G4:
Do you have an AadharCard ?

Me:
No sir. (7th time, and I know what the next question will be)

G4:
Why? You should apply for it being a responsible citizen.

Me:
Yes sir, but I don’t have any fixed address from last 3 years, therefore I
don’t have even an authentic address proof also, which is required while
applying for Aadhar card.

G3:
You have been here for last 4 years, do you know kannada?

Me:
No Sir. (8th time, God why me?)

G3:
You should have learnt it as you are staying here from last 4 years.

Me(now
in Damage Control Mode): Its because I spent most of the time in college
hostel, and there were no students there with mother tongue as kannada, all the
students were from outside Karnataka, so I never got the chance to interact
with many of the kannadiga students, and the kannadiga students with whom I
interacted in my college were very good in speaking hindi, so we managed our
communication in hindi or sometimes in English as well. So they never gave me a
chance to learn kannada.

G3:
Ok, have the chocolate and you may go now.

Me:
Thank you sir. (yehehsaanmaikabinaibhuluga sir, thanks a lot for letting me go)

I
took one chocolate and came out of the room.

While
asking all the questions, they all were continuously smiling towards me, even I
answered everything with a smile, even while denying for the answers also, I
maintained a smile on my face.

The
interview went up to 25-30 minutes.

But
as I analysed my interview, I was not happy and felt it was one of the worst
interviews as my answer was “No” or “Don’t know” for 8 times, which is too much
I feel.

But
I learnt a few things and will try to get better from here, as the popular
adage says, “The show must go on”

Hope
it will help you in your preparations. Kindly give your reviews also.

Thank
You.

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