IBPS-INTERVIEW 2013-THIS WEEK-part-8

Clerical interview-2013
CANDIDATE-1    B.E (EEE)  PLACE: TAMIL NADU

1 What is banking?
2.What is -interference-?(engineering related)
3.What is IAS? Who conducts this exam? Who  is the collector in this district?
4.Tell me about your home town?
5.Famous people there?
6.Near by temples?
7.Do you know local language(because I am from  near by state)?
8.What are your interests? cooking!! Then what dishes?
9.What is optical fibre?
10. About family? Father's job? Places of postings? Specialty of those places??
11.Ready to work in North?
12.If you don't know local language, how will you manage rural postings?(positive reply needed)
13.Why did you study engg? Why banking?
14. Industries in native?
15. Did you take training for IBPS-exam?
16.What are the magazines you refer for exam.? Any web sites?

Candidate-2- experienced private bank employee:
1. Why did you quit your job?
2.Why should not you try for private sector again? Why public secior?
3.What did you do after resignation?
4.Job nature in private Bank?
5.Teams you handled?
6.What are the problems in CIBIL updation? How will you convince your angry customer whose name is default list even after repayment of complete loan?
7.What is the penal interest charged in your bank? Have you ever refunded it?
8.What are the languages you have known? (Checked the other language knowledge by asking questions)
9.About family and their jobs?

Candidate-3   BCA. MBA
1. Tell me about you?
2.Family?
3.Why Mba after graduation in computer application?
4.What team building?
5 Who is FM?
4. Budget specials (women related news)?
5.Place visited?
6.Importance of places?
7.Tell about your CM?
8.Who is Janata Dal leader?
10 Read this local news paper?( I Read it) Then they asked a question about 'Gundas Act'.
( Questions were mainly from what we had reported in Bio-data form- on our interests, subjects in graduation, experience in previous job- Atmosphere was very friendly and encouraging)


If you have not seen part-1 to 7 of IBPS-SBI  2012 questions, you need to go to previous posts inFEB 2013. Practice ...practice. Then you can solve even the unexpected questions.

Interview-13: Stress Interview

In Stress interviews people assess how you manage pressure! Mainly your psychological strength!

We were bored with the interviewing. There was a 5 minutes break. Philips, the HR man, told us “Why should not we change the type of interview?”

We seriously looked at him with our eyes full of weariness. He came up with an idea.

“Sir, why shouldn't you take up the interview in your own style? We’ll keep mum. Just prefer to watch you.” It was an invitation to the grand old man there. He was a retired General Manager. Once we  nicknamed him “Terror”.

He was a man of perfection; so nobody could get an appreciation from him; instead what we could receive were brickbats even for our best performance. I could foresee what would happen to the next candidate. I could not avoid the smile. We were ready to observe the drama.

“So, you would like me to play the bad boy and villain. Then enjoy.” He accepted the role given to him.

“Sir, it is not for enjoyment. Let us test them on stress. All of us are your students. We learnt not only the stress and also the methods to cope up with them” HR replied.

“But I doubt your intentions. You want some comedy. Isn't it? Okay! Ask the next man Vimal kumar to come in.”

 Vimal entered the room after the usual “May I come in, Sir?”

We deliberately avoided looking at him.

 Terror ordered him “Be seated, Mr.Nirmal”. He looked tough and no smiles.

The young man was looking for some support and moved uncomfortably.

“Tell me about you?” was the first question hurled at him.

“I’m Nirmal kumar…”

“That we know  Mr.Nirmal. Haven’t you noticed I used your name when I asked you to sit down? So you are memorizing your answers for ‘tell me about you.”

“Sorry. I didn't…” he was subdued.

“No. What is the use of sorry? what are we going to do with you people in our company?” He turned to us and shouted “Tell me, What is the use hiring this fellow, who starts his answer like a parrot?” He was completely in full form.

The candidate’s face paled.

I could see his hands trembling.

“Tell me at least how do you think that you are fit for this job?”

“..Sir…I am B.Com, MBA…..”

So… What? Then do you think we are uneducated fools without MBA sitting here and wasting our time with you?” Our ex-GM barked.

The harassed young man tried to start “No. no… sir. I didn't at all …mean it. Very

 very sorry…” He fumbled for words.

Our Lion roared again “How many 'sorrys' are we to hear? Do you know when MBA was started and  whose concept was this one?”

“I …I…I don’t know”

“Either 'sorry' or 'don't know'! But you are an MBA. Are you not ashamed? You do not know who founded this concept of Management course? What did you study in your colleges? Just go there and sleep or send SMS to girls or forward some foolish jokes???”

“…………..”

“Do you know that there was a crisis in US? Now people are studying whether it was because of entry of MBAs like you. Do you know what the crisis was? Do you know what ‘Occupy Wall Street’ is?”

The boy almost kept looking for words or tried a weak smile! A failing smile!

The interview went on like this for 20 minutes. We had shared our secret grins in between and enjoyed the onslaught.

 ‘Okay .the interview is over. You can go.”

“Thank you, sir” he moved fast without turning back...

“Almost he  literally ran away. So,  Guys, you had your entertainment? What do you say?”

“Sir, actually he could not reply you. He doesn't have the knack of managing answers. He could not stand up against your downpour!”

We gave him average marks based on the C.V. and for Interview part: fewer marks only.

Terror further told “The boy might have called me a sadist, egoist and egotist after going outside”.
He did not know that we also referred to him with the same words or sometimes in real worse words ( cannot be published) when he was our boss.
I asked him "Sir,  Who is the management guru who founded 'management course'?"
"Who knows? I don't remember."  ' Terror' casually responded!

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 Peter Trekker: is the managment guru who introduced "Management" as separate subject.

Vocabulary corner: 

Sadist: A person feeling happy about others’ troubles, failures etc.

Egotist: A person always talking proudly about himself; always projecting him as the best person.

Egoist: One who always looks after, takes care of or promotes, works, plans only for his advancement in life.( Never thinks about others ); selfish; self centered.

We can’t call our ‘Terror’ as egoist or egotist. 

Interview part-11: What are the qualities of a leader? Part-3

A leader should be strict when the situation demands!

The Hr manager and the union leader, though a rare sight to be seen together, came and explained the new pension scheme announced by the government.

“What do we get by signing these forms?” the worker asked again. The meeting was held to discuss about the benefits of the scheme. Every body accepted and put their signatures with their photos. Only one person refused and asked the same irritating question again and again.

Almost all his friends failed to convince him. The HR manager also attempted to persuade him.

“Comrade, you will get 50% of salary and allowances after your retirement. It also covers all medical expenses.”

The union leader said “Hey friend, this is a real good deal. You get insurance and pension just for not doing anything during your retirement life.  You need not come to office. Enjoy, man. If you do not sign, our company cannot participate in this scheme because the scheme requires 100% participation”

“No. I’ll not sign.” He went away without listening to any body.

The next day the managing director called him into the room.

“Please sign this form. This is for the good of everybody in our factory.”

“Why should I? NO. I’ll not sign” the reply came curtly.

“OK Man, this is the last chance for you. If you are not consenting, you are going to be fired….I mean dismissed from this company so that others can benefit from this pension scheme.”

Without even looking up the prodigal worker signed the form and coolly said “Nobody explained me about the benefits in the manner as you have done. Now only I could understand the entire thing.”

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A leader should have only one aim: success for his team; success for his country!

But no ego!

The party office was unusually crowded. There was an election for the post of chief minister. The people were disgruntled over the unexpected contest within the party.

“Will you win, sir?” the voice was very much concerned.

The old man in khadi dress looked at him, smiled and said “This is our democracy. Anybody can contest.

If he wins, surely, we would support all his activities for the development of the state.”

Again it was the same nonchalant smile.

But the old man won the election because of the simplicity and the common sense he had.

He announced the ministry on the next day. Every one was surprised to see the rival candidate C.Subramaniam in the ministry in charge of important portfolios.The ministry included not only C.Subramaniam, but also the other opponents like M.Bakthavatchalm and R.Venkatraman.

The old man was the then chief minister of Tamilnadu called Kamaraj who used the talents of C.Subramaniam, the architect of green revolution and R.Venkatraman, the pioneer of industrial revolution in Tamilnadu, in the southern part of  India for the welfare of the public.. The trio, as a team, succeeded in leading Tamilnadu to development.                               

                                     *****************************

Do you remember Obama vs Hillary Clinton in US presidential elections? Do you know what happened after Obama took over as US president? He requested Hillary to lead Foreign affairs in his cabinet. Now Hillary is the secretary of state.

Do we have such leaders in our country, now?

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Interview -part 10: Leadership-2

What are the qualities of a leader?

A common question asked in interviews. Here are some ideas.

All the soldiers were very busy moving the logs from one place to another. There were no bulldozers or modern equipments because this happened more than 200 hundred years ago. The men were struggling to lift and move those big pieces of log. The corporal who was looking after the task angrily shouted at them “I will give you only five minutes. Otherwise you will be put in night patrol and forget your sleep.” What all the men needed was just one set of additional hands to help them. Just one set! The corporal was not at all ready because he thought that he was their supervisor. He believed that his duty was to give orders and not supporting his men.

Suddenly a man came there and lent a hand to the tired and sweating men to lift the large timber. With his assistance they successfully moved the wooden piece. The corporal who was their immediate over seer smiled haughtily and ordered the group to move to the next assignment.

Before getting on his horse, the new comer asked the corporal “Whenever you need any help, you can call me.”

“Who are you?” was the corporal’s arrogant question.

The man simply replied “I AM GEORGE WASHINGTON, the chief of army.” And he went away on his horse.

The corporal found himself bowled over! All the soldiers stood astonished with a new respect on their Chief of Army.

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It was a hot January. In the southern districts of India there were only three seasons. That is what my professor used to tell us “We have hot, hotter and hottest seasons. That is all for the whole year.”

The village children were playing together on the road. A car crossed them fast but within minutes it screeched to halt. An old man came out.

He enquired “Children, why didn’t you go to school? Is it a holiday?”

“No, sir. If we go to school, who is there to feed us? There is no food in our house. We are shepherds. Our boss gives food and a small salary every month.”

The old man was thoughtful for a moment and asked with a sudden spark in the eyes “If food is there in your school, will you go to school?”

“We have to inform our parents.”

“I’ll take care of it, my children. You go to school. Study and find a job... You are the future of this country. Education is our strength”

Again the car started. The sudden spark in the eyes of the old man was the result of his creativeness that had come in his mind. It was the famous noon-meal scheme. It dramatically changed the school strength in this part of India from roughly 200, 000 to more than1000, 000.Then this scheme was followed worldwide in developing countries applauded by the UN.

The scheme was called mid-day meal scheme. The leader was Kamaraj. This happened in 1960s.

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Leadership qualities:

Help your team when they are in distress like George Washington.

Creativity: Move with all simplicity and interact with people to have practical knowledge and to find solutions with creativity like Kamaraj (who had never gone to any school for formal education!)

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  Here is some food for our Vocabulary:

Noon-meal:

It is simply lunch in Indian context.

But you can use the word ‘dinner’ for lunch or even for evening/night food. When it is the main meal of the day, you can freely apply the word ‘dinner’. There is no need to restrict it to night or mid-day.

In U.S, people generally call midday-meal as ‘lunch’.

                        Evening meal is ‘supper/dinner’.

TEA: Tea time is tea plus cookies/cakes etc.

High Tea: High tea is evening around 6’o clock with cooked food.

Supper: Night food.

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Intreview-part-7:Birbal's questions to us!

Birbal was walking around his garden. It was early morning. After his return from Persia,

this was the first visit to his garden. The birds had started chirping, and tweeting.He could feel the cool air carrying a smell of rain from west. There was a formation of clouds on the western horizon with thunders trumpeting the onset of monsoon. He felt happy at the sight of the clouds. The guard suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Sir, the boy who came here yesterday is at the entrance”

“Okay, allow him.”

Naushad hesitantly entered and bowed "Good morning Birbalji” He looked weary and sleepy.

“Did you sleep well, Son?”

“No...I could not sleep. I asked some questions to my uncle. He suggested me to meet you.”

“You are welcome. Firstly, do not feel uncomfortable or ashamed to raise questions. Secondly come with your own answers for the doubts, even if they are incorrect. Don’t worry. But it is important to think over them and have some of your own solutions.”

“I am confused when I think for apt responses to these questions…..     ‘Tell me about you? Then, what are your strengths and weakness? How do you think that you are fit for this job?’… Are they not overlapping one another?” Naushad wondered with an unsure look and tone.

“You are right, my boy... Now, let me give a series of assumed information about you. You have to sort and present them in three ways appropriately  according to the questions you face and the post you apply for. Okay…………...

These are all the things about you, you can add something more:

Education at different Gurukulas and schools;

Singing Gazals and writing Urdu poems from poet near your house

Administration from your uncle;

Archery and horse riding from parents;

Accounting from a merchant;

Chinese from Chinese traveler;

Warfare and hunting from a chieftain;

Certifications from local clubs for various games, contests;

Now imagine that some  vacancies are there for a junior minister for which you have been nurturing a desire for a long time since your boyhood. Another job is a group captain; apart from these two, there is an accountant’s post in the palace.” Birbal looked at him and closely observed that Naushad’s eyes were restless and he was on the verge uttering something.

“Son, always listen to the question completely. The first job is…..”

Before Birbal finished, the hasty boy began blurting out “For the first job which is a ministerial post, I think, I am completely fit…”

Birbal, in strong correcting tone interrupted “Stop Naushad, please. I thought you are quite competent for any job. I didn’t even inform you about which job you must reply first. You assumed that it is the post of ‘junior minister’, so you are impatient or over enthused. Now, let me digress a little. Listen to the story I tell you. Then, you will understand why we should wait till the other person completes his communication”

‘This is a Buddhist story which I collected when I had visited Himalayas. Once, a teacher from plains went to a monastery to meet a famous monk. The teacher was an expert in interpreting dreams. He thought that he had more knowledge than the monk. He was very much interested in proving this point. The monk welcomed him and told a dream “I had a dream where both of us had been in a strange situation. I hope you could explain the meaning of the dream. There were two pots in a dark cave in a dense forest. One full of dirt and another full of honey! We both entered the cave and dipped our hands in the pots, of course different ones. I found myself in an unfortunate position of having my hands in the wrong pot. And you were…” The monk was, suddenly, interrupted by the over confident teacher. The teacher commented “The dream indicates that I am lucky enough to get the sweet knowledge of eternity and you end up in nasty ignorance of darkness.”

The monk continued “My dear friend, you are a bit fast. I didn’t finish my dream. Let me complete it. We both came out of the cave. There was a growl welcoming us. The black bulky bear sniffed from a distance and attacked you to send you to the sweet eternity while it preferred to ignore me, the nasty one. Now tell me the meaning.” He stopped with a winning smile.

The teacher was astonished and speechless and eventually he became tamed.’

“Naushad, so please listen completely and then take a few seconds to think, sort and then come back with suitable and sensible replies. Don’t become a laughing stock of people like our teacher in the story.”

Shall we discuss the answers next week?

I welcome readers to help Naushad in preparing the answers for all the three jobs from the suggestions of Birbal in the following order:

Accountant

Minister

Captain

Question is: How do you think you are fit for the job?

Surely Birbal may also come with his ideas; sometimes we can also excel Birbal.

What do you say? If you come with any solutions, it will be published.

Birbal explains :How to tell 'your strengths and weakness'

        INTERVIEW-PART.6 

               Birbal was back from an important meeting with Akbar. He was very tired. Unexpectedly there was a guest waiting for him at the house. Birbal’s wife announced the evening menu and further informed “A boy has come here five hours ago. He is still waiting. So I gave him some food  and then snacks.”

“Who is it? Did you tell anything?”

“No. Finish your snacks and then go” curtly came the order. Birbal washed his face and chanted his evening prayers very quietly. He ate the tasty refreshments and went to the guest room to meet the newcomer.

“Birbalji, salaam alayukkum. I am Naushad. You have to help me. The interview is due in five days for the post of junior ministers. Please train me, Sir. My entire family will be thankful to you.”

Birbal, at that moment, understood that this was the young man recommended by Khan.

“What do you want, my son?”

“Please teach me how to attend an interview? My aim is to join our King’s court.”

“you are the nephew of Khan. Isn’t it? Then you are like my own son. Don’t worry. I will train you this week for the interview successfully. First let me know your strengths and weakness. This will help me a lot to shape you.”

“Oh…It is really difficult to tell my weakness. I know horse riding. I am an expert in archery. I can manage an elephant in wars. But one thing which I can call my weakness is: I am very much uncomfortable with questions like this. But I know I can’t obviously announce this as my weakness. How can I manage, then?”

Listening to this, Khan, the courtier entered “If you want a job, face the questions? Else go back to your village. Do you know what type of questions we have to face everyday?

Let me tell you, my son. Birbal and I visited Persia last month. We had been never there before.  Do you know what happened there?”

He narrated:

‘There were eight people on the throne. All were almost identical. One among them was the genuine king. A minister welcomed Birbal and us telling “Birbal, you have to find out the real King.”

Birbal immediately told “Sure I will abide by the King’s order. But one thing

surprises me. In our country if somebody sits on the throne, he will be immediately beheaded.” Saying this Birbal started looking at all the eight.

 Then he bowed to the seventh person and submissively requested “Your majesty, my salutations!”

The seventh man who was the authentic king stood astonished and replied “Welcome, Birbal, the wisest. How did you uncover the truth?”

“It was easy. All of you were very still and statue like in your posture. But the one magic word –beheaded- changed things. Except yours, all the seven pairs of eyes began showing restlessness with a shadow of fear, though, otherwise unmoving. On the other hand, your eyes were fearless, peaceful and looking amused.”

“Great, you won.” was the happy response of the Persian King.’

Khan finished the story.

“Now think Naushad, it is the presence of mind which saved us. Birbal did not hate or fear questions. But he used them to sharpen his thinking further. He looked for solutions. That should be the attitude.”

Birbal interfered “So, Naushad, listen. If I were you, my answer for ‘strengths and weakness’ would be: I have proficiency in horse riding, martial arts and Persian language. I have won several contests in these areas. My weakness is fear for the great and respected people..not about battle field. Now in front of all people like you, I am afraid to speak. However I will surely overcome this negative quality.”

Khan encouragingly told “Naushad, Look at your words. Compare. How the same sentence is  cleverly changed by Birbal!”

“Naushad, sometimes you need not tell your negative side  if it has nothing to do with your job. If it is serious enough to affect directly the day to day duties of the office, you must accept them and tell them how you will try to overcome those faults. Persistence never fails. We can change if we think so and start changing.”

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Note on ‘Ago and Before’:

Ago     : From now; Example:- I heard a police siren five minutes ago. ( From this minute 5 minutes ago)

                   We can use it to explain a time from the point  ‘now’ that is present moment.

Before: usually used to explain a past from past. ‘Last night’ is past.

              Last night I met our ex-president.

             (PAST)

              Before that I never had a chance to meet him.

              (Before last night-goes into past-beyond last night) means: Before last night I never met
                        ex-president.

Interview part-5:About 'a few and few'- Thru Birbal and friends

After, Akbar left the place, one of the ministers came to Birbal.There was an expression of helplessness and shock on his face.

"Birbal, what is this nonsense called group discussion? Did you have any such discussion before joining this council of ministers? Think...why are you confusing the selection? Now i have a problem. I have promised a relative and made recommendations to Sha-in-sha. How will he get through?"

"Noushad, don't worry. Ask him to practice, gather things; let him seek knowledge.  Bring him to watch our meetings. If he has real stuff, he can end up as assistant to anybody here."

Another minister having grievances against Birbal  (he was also  a bald headed man) tried to corner him.

 “Hey, Birbal, okay, you have won this round. But you must answer these three questions because people say that you are the most brilliant among all of us."

“Let me shoot the first question: How many stars are in the sky?"

Birbal understood the atmosphere and could feel the animosity around him.

 With all the ease and confidence he asked "Let me have the other two. I'll prefer to answer everything in one go."  He decided that his answers should make everybody laugh and then nobody should dare any such foolish question in this court.

The minister fired the next ones “Which is the centre of the earth? Please note question number three: If you break this jar from China, how many pieces will it break into?" He looked at the ministers around him triumphantly. There was a satisfactory smile gleaming across his face.

Within seconds came the booming reply from Birbal “Dear Friend, The total number of stars is equal to the amount of sand in this cup. Open your palms. Receive this sand. Please count them. My equations are correct. When you complete the count you will accept my reply." The entire gathering had hearty laugh.

Birbal continued his AK47 of words “The centre of earth is there, where is the king's throne. Do you see it? If you doubt it, naturally you should have one, please take your measurements from that point. Go east.  Then, come back. Start from the same point, go towards west. Meanwhile, let your assistants move from the same point towards south and north. Do not forget to count the number of steps. When you finish these, surely you will understand the truth in my reply."

"Next one...ehrr... This jar if dropped would break into a few pieces. Let me explain. There are two possibilities. If I drop with little force, the pieces can be easily counted. That is equal to the few hairs on your head. If you break it, then we may get more pieces, that are as many numbers of pieces as your heart getting broken now on listening to this retort."

Suddenly a clap attracted them behind. Akbar emerged from the entrance.

“Real good answers and well said, Birbal."

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Note:

If you wonder why one should ask 'the number of stars and numbers of broken pieces of jars or number of steps you come up  the stairs’ ,  there is a reason behind it.

So don't get irritated.

 These are  called stress questions. They test your immediate response, patience and endurance. They don't look for your correct response. But they assess the speed of your thinking; It is a test on your attitude and  aptitude. It is a test on how you manage the situation.

FEW:

‘Few and little’ without 'a' : There is little water; There is nearly no water. It does not mean ‘no water’.

   There are few people= There are people but nearly zero. But it is not zero.

 For example: 

 It is a conference hall of 1000 people. However, only ten people are there in that big hall. Now we can say that there are few people.

"Few and little " are to be used in negative sense.

 Now imagine, there are fifty people. Now you can say “A few people” are there. 'A few people' means more than nothing. It  should be used in a positive sense.

Interview Part-4 and Group Discussion: From Birbal

Everybody was in the prayer room doing ‘namaz’. After the ‘namaz’, there was going to be a meeting. The Emperor called for thisone to set a system for selection of junior ministers. So, he was expected at any time. Birbal, Raja Thodarmal and Raja Mansingh were there a few minutes before the prayer. One by one, other ministers: Rahim Khan, Fakir Aziao, and Mulla-do-piazo entered the room from the prayer room. Meanwhile the guard announced Akbar’s entry into the hall.

Everybody stood up in reverence and shared their ‘salaams’ with the Emperor. Akbar politely returned them and requested all of them to be seated.

He started “My dear ministers, we are here to devise a method to select junior ministers; may be we need 4 to 8 people. But we have received forty recommendations from our courtiers. Filtering them and selecting the best eight are the problems in front of us. I invite your ideas.” He looked at Khan who was his defense adviser.

Khan told “I feel that all ministers  should know all the arts of fight and have knowledge of commanding the army. So I recommend a field test.”

Akbar nodded “That is a good suggestion from you, Khan.”

Raja Thodarmal appreciated the idea “It is definitely necessary. If we find out otherwise suitable young men of enthusiasm and wisdom, we can train them even without this test.”

“Do you think we need not test them in warfare?” Akbar questioned.

“That is why I told the words ‘otherwise suitable’…Maharaj.” Thodarmal respectfully replied.

“We can conduct interviews for all of them.” This was Raja Mansingh.

Birbal interfered “Interview is not enough.”

“Then what is enough? Come out. However I tell you that Mansing’s idea is perfect. Though our questions may not be sufficient to understand the complete personality of the person, sure it will throw at least some light on who is he and whether he will be contributing his might to our beloved kingdom.” Rahim Khan opined.

“I think I am misunderstood. I am not against interview. I too, like you, feel that interview should be complimented with discussion among candidates. We will give a problem. Let them discuss, argue, analyze and decide. We will observe them and select the best ones” Birbal insisted.

Fakir questioned immediately “This is really a crazy idea. Youngsters do not have the patience to discuss but they have a tendency to convert the discussion in to a quarrel and wordy duel. It may end up in pandemonium.”

 Mulla Piyaza supported it with a big nod and told” Maharaj, we will have interview and nothing more.”

Akbar observed everything with a smile “Ha! Stop here! Though I am for usual interview, I would like to hear more about group discussion. Really a funny idea! Birbal, why should not you explain further?”

Birbal began “Yes! Thank you Sha-in-Sha let me tell about interview. In interviews we can surely get a glimpse of his personality: his education, character, hobbies. But if one presents that he has organizing skills and colorfully builds a story about how he conducted a festival in his town, we do not know whether it is true. Then  we have two choices. One, believe him and select or do not believe him and reject. Our decision is completely subjective.”

“Okay! Okay! We know all these things. What we want to understand is how GD is different from Interview?” Akbar pushed Birbal for a quick reply.

 “Yes, Maharaj let me talk about group discussion. Here our presence is silent, discreet and indirect. Candidates are encouraged to discuss and come out with solutions. Because of our absence, they openly try to compete with each other which is really wrong. We will select the one who gives arguments reasonably substantiated by evidences and explanations; who appreciates others’right arguments; who accepts and corrects himself when he is shown he is wrong; who accommodates and encourages others to talk; actually it is a group exercise.There can be different opinions. But all should be discussed and presented well. It brings out the leadership qualities, team work and, communication skills. We can decline the people who are aggressive, egoistic; who don’t have patience to be part of team.”

“Well done, Birbal, I accept your suggestion. This is a very new approach. Any objection?” Raja Mansingh declared.

Akbar “Really I enjoyed our discussion. Here you all gave your suggestions; opposed each other; substantiated your points; some of you see the right things and accepted opponents' views. Above all a patience and tolerance to others opinions are accepted qualities of our group. I am very happy, my respected ministers. Now, Listen to my decision: we will have a practical test, interview which is followed by group discussion. Further if anybody fails in practical warfare test he can be selected and trained. We part here, Bye.”

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Let us compare the meeting in previous post.

Akbar’s meeting:   Punctual

                              Leadership accommodating

                              Appreciative

                              Encourages discussion

                              Guides when needed

                              Decision making almost collective.

Interview   is about our aptitude (skills, education, hobbies, extracurricular activities etc)                   attitude (character, behavior etc.)

GD:

       Here they look for team behavior, leadership skills and communication skills.

       Don’ts:   No quarrel; No aggression; need not be louder and Egoistic.

       Dos:       Be understanding; appreciative; be accommodating; Strong arguments   

                     properly supported by evidence, explanation etc

                           

.

    

INTERVIEW part-3: Boss is always right: Leadership and Group discussion

Kishore looked at the message. It was from the M.D. An urgent meeting was convened to discuss selection of right candidates. The firm has just started its recruiting process through Campus hiring. and he was the H.R in-charge.

It was a small company with a work force of forty members. Another forty is to be added very soon.  Kishore had short listed 800 candidates on the basis of aptitude test from two colleges.

Kishore looked at his watch. He noted with relief that ten more minutes were there for the meeting to start. When Kishore reached the conference room, there was nobody. He waited pondering over some of his innovative ideas which he would be presenting in the meeting. He felt very uneasy because he had to impress the members. 

He expected that the meeting would discuss every aspect of his plan thoroughly. One by one people entered the room. Higher the designation , more the delay -which typically Indian! The project director came in. Then the CFO, who entered a minute after, announced (though nobody wanted to listen to  it) “Sorry for the delay, guys, engrossed in an investment note.” Everybody knew that it was an indirect boast, a show off and perhaps a lie too. Thirty minutes later the M.D of the company, an old man with silvery hair, showed up.

M.D abruptly started “All of you, there! OK. I finalized the recruitment of the forty new people with our H.R Kishore. I gave him some advice.” (Mark! No greetings or salutations! No good morning to you all)

Kishore was a bit shocked. Actually it was Kishore who came with those suggestions. Now it was MD’s advice to Kishore.

CFO felt that he should not miss the chance for creasing the ego of the chief (he never misses!) and just told “Yes sir, you are right!” To him boss is always right. Even he did not ask what the ideas were.

“Yes, my dear friend, the problem is that we have 800 boys. How to filter them? I think that we can have ‘one page essay test’ on coming Sunday. Select only 200 candidates from this test. Then… Kishore, Will you continue with what we discussed?” forgetfully MD passed on the responsibility to Kishore.
He blinked.“Next it is a group discussion, Sir.” Kishore went on “We will have 20 groups of ten candidates. From each group we will select 4 for interview. From this eighty we will have our forty.”

GM (technical) started to contribute something; but he was hushed by CFO.

“Why so many tests? Why not avoid group discussion?” asked the Information Director. A scornful look from MD silenced him.

“The meeting is over. Have a writing test, then group discussion and final interview. That is all. The whole process must be done within a day. There should be no more extensions and expenses. Let us go. Report me after everything is over.” Then MD left the place.

To his great disappointment, Kishore the young and enthusiastic man could not share his brilliant new idea. Kishore had a feeling that there was a knowing as well as understanding smile in CIO’s eyes when he left the place.

Now ,shall we have an analysis  of the situation that kishore went through?

 Do you think this is leadership? No.

 Isn’t this completely autocratic? Yes! Is there any time management? No.

Nobody was given a chance to speak out. Above all Kishore was completely ignored.No discussions.No appreciations.

Then let us see how Emperor Akbar handled such situations and what is a group discussion in the next post.

Why do we need group discussion while interview is an easier way out?

Let our Birbal explain it to us. Will you wait?

Interview part-2: Tell me about you

Let us have a recap of ‘Interview-part1: Apples, oranges and interviews’. It is a discussion on how to sell your skills in an interview. It is a personality test to understand your attitude, aptitude and experience in your field. Let me share my own experience.

An interview call came to me. I attended the interview. It was a complete fiasco. Are you interested in knowing about it? (Why not? There was a hidden pleasure in listening to others’ failures like these. Isn’t it?)   

To my dismay there was only one person present there to interview me. He was also busy in his phone instructing his wife to do this and that and getting instructed. Sometimes he kept his voice very low. I was growing nervous and impatient. I rested my weakening forearms on his table and watched him irritating his wife as well as getting irritated in the process. I could figure out that he failed in his discussion with his wife.

He suddenly boomed “Tell me about you.” It was a very unfriendly tone .Before starting my reply, he continued “Do you have manners? Get off your hands from my table.” Can we call it ‘wife effect’ or ‘phone effect’?

My hands were trembling (Trust me! it was because of anger rather than fear) I blabbered something fast about my name, town, my father, mother and brother.

He shouted again “I asked only about you.”

I believed that I was telling about me. I felt quite confused. Then again I made an attempt to restart.This time also my 'login' attempt failed.  Consequently he pressed the bell on his table. I also kept my mouth shut, because my mind had already gone blank. A woman with a smile entered the room filling the whole place with a smell of lavender. The smile and the fragrance seemed to calm us down a little. Even so he looked at me and barked.

“…You go. Please send the next one, Mary.” The next man was lucky.

 This next lucky man is a friend of mine. We usually have a hearty laugh over this incident till now. He has become the General Manager of the same company.

But...let us go back to the interview. Let’s see how my friend handled the interview.

He was also asked the same question and here is how he handled it.

“Sir, I’m Mukesh from Chennai. I‘ve completed M.A in First class. I was school-first in my 10^th and 11^th    and then completed Pre-university and B.A in First class with distinction. Further I have type-writing higher and short hand-lower certifications. I received first prize in All India Radio’s quiz competition. I…erhm…”

“Ok. What are your hobbies?” the interviewer asked.

My friend, very politely, replied “...Sir it is Cricket. I was the captain of our college team.”

“Who is the captain of Indian team?”    “… Pataudi, sir”

“What qualities do you think he possesses to be the captain of our team?”

And so the game continued with the swift balls and sixes on the right pitch. No doubt. He came out ‘not-out’. He captured the attention of the interviewer in the first answer itself. He did not tell anything which was not relevant to the employer’s interest. Remember! Employers are always looking for people who would earn profits for the company

He told about his education and achievements and nothing else. Look at the answers. Analyze. Apply when it is necessary. So here are the golden rules: “Do not tell anything which is not useful to interviewer. Try to be different from others.”

Interview Part-1:APPLES , ORANGES AND INTERVIEWS

                                

    

                                                                                     

               “ IN AN INTERVIEW, TELLING ABOUT YOU, IS SELLING YOUR SELVES”     
     

My grandson and I went to a fruit market. Hawkers and shop men were in competition with each other to woo the customers.

“Please come here Sir, apples  ...Simla apples  ... Tasty like honey and cheap like green leaves” saying this One hawker invited us. His shop was full of flies. Fruits were lying open.

“How is it, grandpa? Can an apple taste like honey?”

“Baby, they say this to sell their apples. Your question is correct. Honey cannot be apple and apple cannot be honey” He is now 6 years old. Would you allow me a small digression here? That is about my little grand son. He usually asks lots of questions. One of the questions, which his mother had had to face, was “You say God is kind,Mom. Then why are these people begging and sleeping on platforms and signals? Why is God not good to them?” She has been still looking for an appropriate and satisfactory answer. Could you help her?

Let us come back to our  topic-apples, oranges etc. We moved further in the market. The next man who was in a clean and bright dress offered “…Son, taste this sweet piece, if you like it, then buy some apples. These oranges have calcium and vitamin C. If you eat them regularly, my dear boy, you can become strong like Tarzan. Take a piece sir, vitamin-c strengthens our immunity” (We usually have a weakness for freebies, discount, bonus etc. Yes... I don’t deny I am also one of them. This fellow some how seemed to have understood this. I took the piece and enjoyed more his attitude)

He further continued confidently with an eye on me “Show me your teeth  ...My Boy!  Ha! You have got bad teeth. Isn’t it? Let me tell you about apple. if you eat an apple a day, it will prevent decay. Would you like to have an apple and better teeth?” 

Both of us decided to purchase not only apples but also some more fruits, of course at my grand son’s choice.

Let us analyze why I preferred the second seller over the first hawker.

The first person who called us was very brief in communication. His emphasis was on taste and money (I felt my self esteem was in question if I preferred to buy fruits because they were cheap. Neo-middle-class mentality?)

On the other hand,

The second one’s appearance was neat and clean.

Secondly his attitude: behavior and communication are descent. He directly addressed my grand son offered a piece of apple to prove the sweetness of the fruit.

Thirdly his knowledge about fruits is reasonably good.

Fourthly look at his experience in selling: Really a brilliant approach; he indirectly attracted me by addressing the child and leaving the decision of buying to me.

Precisely, what I could understand from his presentation was that we have to tell about ourselves in a manner which may not fail to address the needs of our interviewers.

Don't you accept that we have to adopt these methods when present (sell/rent/lease our abilities to the employers) ourselves in interviews?