(Bank Planner) Crack the Interview- Easy to Follow Tips

(Bank Planner) Crack the Interview- Easy to Follow Tips

The Interview is one of the  important part in  recruitment, since its where  the employer tests your personality, communication & problem solving skills.

1. Research - Visit the company‘s website & read about their history, products, achievements, services, management etc., You are sure to impress the HR if you know about their company and their working.

2. Start early - Reach the Interview spot in advance. Avoid rushing in the last minute, since it can create unwanted tension.

3. Dress Sensibly - Most organizations have a formal dress code, so stick with it. Light colored plain or checked shirts with dark pants for gents & Saree or Shirt/Pant for ladies would be a perfect costume. Keep it simple but professional

4. Be Calm - Look relaxed and stay cool while inside the interview hall. Nervousness decreases your confidence level & can make you stumble .Sit comfortably in an erect position, with hands on your lap. Avoid leaning on table or folding arms.

5. Greet the Interviewer - Most candidates forget to greet the person interviewing him/her while entering in excitement. Be polite in thanking when offered a seat to sit.

6. Use proper words - No need to show off your English knowledge by using unheard or difficult to understand words. Try using simple words and always answer questions looking into the other person‘s eyes.

7. Salary details - Don’t start a discussion on salary until asked for. It leaves a bad impression in the person‘s mind about you. The Interviewer will definitely ask your preference, so wait till then.

8. Say Thank you - Never forget to say thank you to the panel. Often, candidates are in a hurry to get out. Once the interview is over, thank the person, standup patiently & walk towards the door to leave. All these are noted in an interview.

How you behave inside an interview hall can speak volumes about your character. We hope these above tips would help in attending Interview boldly.

Common Interview Questions – How & What to Say

How to prepare for Interview ?

Perhaps, this is a regular question asked by candidates selected in written tests conducted by banks & government organizations. Interview sessions are considered tough by many, as it involves speaking out. Here are some commonly asked questions in Interview & methods to answer them.

Q. Tell /Describe about yourself ( you will be asked this 90% )

A. Don’t recite your resume. Tell about your education, experience, projects worked ,passion etc., Make sure you complete this within 2-3mins.

Q. Why should we hire you into our organization

A. This would be perfect time to tell about your strengths, achievements & assets. Compare your profile with the job role & justify that you will be a best fit for the job. Answers like ‘This is a best company’ , ‘I want a job in this field’ wont impress the interviewer.

Q. What are your strengths & weakness ?

A. Again this is also a commonly asked question to test how much you know of yourself. Make sure the Strengths you say have some relation to the job you applied.
‘I am very good in english’ can be said as ‘I have good communication skills’ .

Weakness - ‘I don’t have any weakness’ means you are not ready to talk about it. Similarly don’t say something like, ‘Im short tempered & get angry very soon’ – It gives an impression that you are not fit to work in group. Say something which does not affect the working & also describe about the steps taken to overcome that.

Q. Where do you see yourself after 5 years ?

A. This question would be asked to check how much you know about the career path.

‘After 5 years, I want to be in your seat’ wont work in any case. Think realistically, understand the growth opportunities of that job & put it across to them.

These are just few questions that can be asked during an Interview ,but the list is exhaustive. So be prepared to answer any question with confidence.

SBI Interview Questions - Candidate Experiences

The Panel: For most candidates the interview lasted between 10-25 mins. The topics were related to India, banking, economy, current affairs & from your resume. Many candidates informed us that the Interview panel (senior officials) were cool & the session was full of fun. Now, let us move to the questions -

Candidate I was asked about - 

  • Family background.  

  • Willing to relocate/ work in rural areas or not?

  • Reason for doing MBA after B.Tech (Candidate is B.Tech, MBA graduate)  

  • My MBA was in HR & Finance so they asked abt HR and Subjects in Finance  

  • About Financial Institutions, Share market, Mutual Funds, Nifty, BSE etc.

  • My SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats)

  • About my hobbies (in resume) 

  • Names of RBI Governor, President, VP & Deputy chairman of Planning commission 

  • Asked how will i judge a candidate if he/she is suitable for a job?   

  • Few questions on RBI,SBI, Recession, Subprime crisis etc.,

  • What is written on a 100 rupee note and whose signature are there on it?

Candidate II  shares his Experience as –

  • Tell something about SBI  

  • Questions related to hobbies  

  • What are monetary policies

  • Repo rate, SLR ,Addhar (The new name of UID Project) 

  • Why did you apply for clerk job in bank? 

  • Five years down the line u will be like to be at? 

  • Will the IPL controversy put a bad image to IPL? 

  • About Cut motion (recent issue in parliament)

Candidate III Says’ –

  • Asked about SBI.

  • Importance of March 8 & what happened on that day in Indian parliament.(answer is Women’s day & 33% women‘s reservation bill) 

  • Questions from resume/ biodata. 

Candidate IV Details her turn -

  • Asked about SBI & SBI associate banks 

  • Kinds of loan that SBI provides 

  • About savings bank account & rate of interest for them  

  • Difference between Private & Public sector banks 

  • What are the foreign banks in India 

  • About my hobby (Reading), I was asked who is the author of ‘Discovery of India’ 

  •  Headlines of today’s newspaper

Candidate V  Posed these Questions -

  • Selection procedure for Rajyasabha members

  • IPL results along with best batsman, best bowler etc...  

  • Family background.  

  • 5 questions from subject of study in college

Candidate VI   Describes her Questions - 

  • Define Indian economy & how it emerges from recession 

  • What is a bank & who operates it 

  • What is SLR,PLR,CRR, Bank rate etc.

  • A situation was given & was asked how would i react to it 

  • Authors of any novels  

  • They also questions from UG & PG degree & why i chose banking  

  • News in today’s paper  

  • Chairman of SBI 

  • Why would u like to join SBI   

  • What is nationalization act? 

  • 3-4 questions were asked from degree subjects.

  • Why studied B.E and choosing bank jobs 

  • Some questions about my hobbies.  

  • Why airlines were stopped in European countries recently?  

  • Who won the IPL trophy & who is the chairman of IPL

Candidate VII’s experience –

  • What are the financial institution in India 

  • India‘s finance minister 

  • Asked about RBI & their services 

  • How to reduce inflation 

  • What new services are provided by RBI 

  • Why choose banking after engineering 

  • Some questions about hobbies & personal 

Candidate VIII says –  

Frequently Asked SBI PO Interview Questions and Hints

1. What is SLR?

The ratio of liquid assets to demand and time liabilities is known as Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).

2. What are Repo rate and Reverse Repo rate?

Repo (Repurchase) rate is the rate at which the RBI lends shot-term money to the banks.

Reverse repo rate signifies the rate at which the central bank absorbs liquidity from the banks

3. What is the difference between Bank Rate and Repo Rate?

Bank Rate is the rate at which RBI allows finance to commercial banks in India

Repo is a money market instrument, which enables short term borrowing and lending.

4. What is a bank?

A bank is a financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for    customers and to borrow and lend money.

5. What is Banking Business?

Banking Business is the business of receiving money on current or deposit account, paying and collecting cheques drawn by or paid in by customers.

6. What is Accounting for Bank Accounts?

There are two types of accounts  Debit and Credit.

7. What are the Economic functions of Banks?

  • Issue of money

  • Netting and settlement of payments \

  • Credit Intermediation

  • Credit quality improvement

  • Maturity transformation

8. What is relation between Inflation and Bank interest Rates?

The major factor affecting Bank interest rate is inflation. An increase in inflation leads to an increase of interest rate.

9. What are the different channels of Banking you use in your daily life?

A branch, ATM, Mail, Telephone, Online Banking

10. How many types of banks are there?

Banks’ activities can be divided into Retail Banking, Corporate banking, Business banking, Investment banking.

Tips to prepare for Group Discussion in Private banks

Group Discussion(GD) is not a common process in public sector banks, but most private banks, civil services exam & other competitive examinations have GD as an important parameter.SBI has GD session for Management Executive recruitment, so its better to know how, what to speak in Group discussions as it can help you in future jobs too.

GD is mainly conducted to study the candidate‘s communication, team management, listening & analytical skills. A team is formed with 4 - 8  candidates by the panelists & a general topic is given for a discussion. Given below are some tips to follow & clear the GD session successfully.

Starting the discussion: There is a strong feeling in GD that, the person who starts first has better chances for getting selected. It is true to some extent, since you will have more points to say & you have the option of directing the discussion to other area. So, even if you don’t speak thereafter, a good introduction can help you fetch more marks. But, if you don’t know anything on the topic, stay away from introduction.

Communication: You need not be a master in English to communicate. Use simple, easy to understand words without any grammar mistakes while forming sentences. Speak slowly & softly, since speaking fast can make you commit mistakes. Although topic knowledge is important, the way you speak also matters.

Preparation: Nobody knows what topic would be given but be prepared with knowledge about current events. You can include whatever you know about the given subject with the news you have read/prepared. Read various magazines, articles in newspapers & GK books to have a good knowledge in all subjects.

Listen: Most candidates fail to listen what others say & end up repeating the same point. This can be avoided by listening carefully to other members. It will give you more points to speak & you can also voice your opinion on their speech, showing you are attentive, active & will gel with the team

1. Global Warning – A threat to mankind
2. Euthanasia – How ethical it is?
3. Conversion – A continous process or a sudden burst?
4. Corruption
5. Non- aligned movement losing relevance
6. Is there any need to privatese the doordarshan?
7. Is worker’s participation in management necessary?
8. Migration : A natural Process or a imposed phenomenon?
9. Can divorce and remarriage be encouraged in India?
10. Should religious and moral lessons be parts of education?
11. Can cloning be Considered ethical?
12. Is censoring of films essential?
13. should surrogacy be justified?
14. Democracy in India : A success or a failure?
15. Is India a soft state?
16. Land reforms in India is still an incomplete and unfinished task
17. Should planning commission be abolished?
18. Is it time to reform UN?
19. Should the uniform civil code be implemented in India?
20. Is Rajya Sabha relevant?
21. Abolition of article 376 can only solve the Kashmir problem.
22. Is mass media invading our culture?
23. Is it ever possible to attain gender equality
24. Politics and student should remain apart
25. Is independence a state of mind?
26. Can empowerment alone can help our women or not?
27. Should Capital Punishment be abolished?
28. Is presidential form of government a better alternative to parliamentary form of government in India?

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