Interview A Great March Forward

I have picked this up from IAS_2003 yahoo group.. Where an IPS officer Satish had given us some of the tips for interview preperation .. In few days the results for the Civil Service Main Examination shall be out. As promised I am starting the series of articles on the preparation aspect. My endeavour is to tell you certain things from the perspective of a serving civil servant and a person who has faced the various interview boards, including the UPSC board two times. I shall be eager for your response. Similarly, please tell me about your own experience. Many of the successful candidates in mains join various interview coaching centres. Some coaching institutes are very good. Here candidates know many aspects of preparation including the grooming part. They also help to revise the current affairs. So I need not touch upon these things. I would like to tell you only one thing. In democracy, bureaucracy functions within the set norms of Constitutional Polity. The Constitution of India is the Bible of an administrator. While functioning within these limits, there are several constraints. Administration is not the simple but extremely complex thing. Many those, outside the administration are not able to appreciate these complexities & constraints. The UPSC interview board consists of such persons who have seen ups and downs in their administrative life. They want to recruit the candidate who can function within the limits set by the Constitution for promotion of Constitutional ideals. At the same time Board is interested to know whether the candidate is capable of grasping the complexity of the situation. Hence the interview. But I do not mean that the all those who possess these abilities shall be selected. What I mean that one has to display these abilities. That is more important. Some even fake these…. I shall quote a small example. One person was taking coaching at one of the prestigious coaching institutes in Delhi. He was knowing English and surfing the Internet for the study material. See how he delivers interview in Hindi. Chairman: - Mr. What kind of hobby you have “Padayatra”? Candidate: - I live in a remote village. Depend upon the agriculture for living. My fields are at a distance from my house. There are no transport means to reach there. I have to visit fields many times. Hence I have developed this hobby of Padyatra. Chairman: - Have you seen a city? Candidate: - Yes, I once came to Delhi for purchasing books and this time I am delivering the interview here. Chairman: - How you feel about Delhi? Candidate: - It very- very big place. Many times bigger than my village. Chairman: - Can you speak English? Candidate: - A little bit, I am learning English. Chairman: - and computers? Candidate: - I have seen computer but never got the opportunity to operate. Hope one day I shall learn that too! Believe friends, this professional God of falsehood, was not only selected but got the service he wanted, due to very high interview score. Why? The board chairman was known to give better marks to people from very rural background. Believe! this man had different strategies for different boards. I do not tell you to speak false before the board. His way is not at all appreciable. But his method is! He delivered what board wanted. You also do this. Start now… Step 1. Read this sentence by Karl Marx, “It not the conscience of the man which determines is social being, but it is the social being of Man, which determines his consciousness!” Read! Now Step 2. Go to UPSC site and check the names of UPSC members. Each member heads a board. Now open some good search engine like, yahoo, google and type his/ her name there. These way, collect information about his background, his views, his thinking etc. Take a notebook and divide it into various sections, precisely 9 sections and jot the information there. Meet some old golds, who know about the boards more, i.e. how they ask the question and what is the marking pattern. Step 3. Take out your mains form. Read every word you wrote there very carefully. This begins from your name, date of birth, school, preferences, hobby and anything you have written there. Now think about the possible question from the angle of each board member and think about the possible good answers! Write these questions and answers in different sections of your notebook. Step 4. Now go to some friend. Ask him to conduct your mock interview. You might be a student of economics but don’t get agitated when “no economics background” friend tries to grill you on economics. In interview board also you may face the same situation. And if you get selected; journalists, politicians, common people, NGOs shall bombard you with such questions. Step 5. After you visit so many friends, and write down the questions against each board member. (There are 4 members besides chairman, but chairman has the primacy). Write the answers you shall give. Now you have about 1000 Questions and Answers. Be comfortable. Step 6. Do like others. Read Magazines, newspapers, join coaching etc. I shall keep on giving you tips for the interview. In next few mails I shall deal upon the pressing security & disaster management related problems in India. In next mail I shall discuss the Naxalite Problem. With best wishes Satish Kumar, IPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I picked up this mail from IAS_2003 Group.. :-) thanx Satish.