Bank PO Interview – Expert Tips from Retired Senior Officer of a Nationalized Bank

Bank PO Interview – Expert Tips from Mr. Gauri Sankar, Retired Senior Officer of a Nationalized Bank, Chennai.

The Purpose of the Interview

A candidate is considered as eligible for an interview once he secures the minimum cut off marks in the final examination. The purpose of the interview is to select one suitable individual for the concerned profession. The candidate may be having higher qualifications; however, he may not be having the requisite potentials and courage to accept the responsibilities related to the profession for which he is aspiring. In fact a candidate is expected to have good communication ability, leadership quality, emotional strength to face the challenges in his day to day work life and capability to develop effective interpersonal relationship.

Banking is a service oriented organization and it demands cadres who are interested in putting their best efforts in their profession; mingling with the customers freely and friendly apart from maintaining a cordial, social and friendly relationship with his peers and superiors.  

Personalized Interview Batch for IBPS PO 2022

Personalized Interview Batch for IBPS PO 2022

Two “1-to-1” Mock Interviews with Detailed Feedback from the Interviewer

First Mock Interview round with OB Interview Expert & Second Mock Interview with Ex-GM SBI & IBPS Interview Panel Member

25+ Sessions for All-Round Interview Preparation

Complete Overview of IBPS PO Interview Process

Special Coverage of Banking Awareness and Current Affairs Section

Special Sessions For Personality Development

Personalised tips and suggestions for Interview preparation based on the candidate’s profile

Personalised Doubt Clearing Sessions

Mock Interviews can be given in either English or Hindi

Interview committee

The interview committee consists of four to five imminent personalities and they are called as committee members or board members. Normally, the retired executives and executives of commercial banks are selected as members for the interview committee.

Stages of the Interview

A systematic approach is adopted while conducting the interview.

• During the first stage, candidates are expected to appear before the reception committee. The candidate has to produce the interview call letter along with the proof of his identity and mark his presence in the attendance register.
• The candidate has to wait in the reception hall till such time he is invited to appear before the committee members.
• Once called, the candidate has to enter into the board room duly seeking the permission of the board members.
• Entering into the board room on getting the permission and occupying the seat once offered by anyone of the board members
• Thanking the board members and occupying the seat
• Sitting comfortably on the seat in a relaxed manner with a broad smile on the face and getting ready to answer the questions posed by the board members.
• Once the interview is declared completed, the candidate should thank the entire board members and should leave the board room calmly and quietly
• Care should be taken while pushing and pulling the doors as well as in handling the chairs and unnecessary noise at any cost should be avoided.
• It has to be borne in mind that every body language of the candidate is keenly watched by the board members and they can easily judge the attitude of any candidate.
• The candidate should be open minded throughout the course of the interview and should not get provoked in the case of questions which weigh his patience and tolerance.

Responsibilities of the Candidate – Dress Code

Candidates have to keep in mind the following proverb = “The first impression is the best impression”

A person is judged by the dress he is wearing, his attitude, his emotional outlook and the level of confidence. On account of vast experience, the board members can judge any candidate on his first appearance itself.

For men:

• Please wear a neat full length trouser and one full length shirt. Preferably the shirt should be white or light colored. The candidate should wear neatly polished shoes. A neck tie can improve the personality of the individual considerably.

For girls:

• Girls can wear a neat churidar or saree as comfortable. They can choose either plain or minimal print clothing. Loud prints and color should be avoided.

The Interview Process

The board members have very limited time at their disposal and they used to spend ten to fifteen minutes for a candidate. The candidate should be confident enough to utilize the entire time earmarked for the interview in answering the questions posed by the board members politely, calmly and in a crisp manner. The answer should be upto the point and lengthy answers should be avoided. The candidate should keep his hands on his laps in a relaxed manner and the communication should be free and effective. The candidate can select the language according to his convenience; however, known to the board members. There is no need for the candidate to rush with many points for a single question. It has to borne in mind that the selection is based upon his answering ability, attitude towards the board members, involvement in answering the questions and above all good command over his communication ability. A candidate might have answered only few questions; however, he may be getting better marks on account of the qualities as mentioned above.   The following strategy is adopted by the board members during the course of the interview:

• Once the candidate occupies his seat, he is advised to tell briefly about himself. The candidate should utilize the opportunity to tell about himself, his family, his qualification, his experience and his strength.
• While one board member is engaged in posing the questions to the candidate, the other members utilize the opportunity to evaluate the candidate in regard to his attitude, level of confidence and communication ability.
• Sometimes, two to three board members will be engaged in posing the questions while the remaining members will be mere spectators.
• The candidate is awarded marks as allotted by the entire board members
• During the course of interview, the candidate should keep his eye contact with the entire board members in order to keep himself comfortable.
• Once the candidate completes his self introduction, the members used to pose questions on banking, latest trends in economy and any other issues related to politics and current affairs.
• The candidate should read a quality booklet consisting of banking concepts. He should spend some time in reading some business magazines and local magazines in order to know the recent trends.
• There may be one or two questions on the subjects in which the candidate has acquired his graduation or post graduation qualifications.
• In case the candidate is appearing for interview for selection in a particular bank, more questions will be asked about the bank, its performance, its headquarters, NPA level, ranking amongst other banks etc.,
• During the last phase of the interview, depending upon the answering ability of the candidate, the members can pose practical questions in order to evaluate the logical ability of the candidate.

In a nutshell, the candidate should be capable of utilizing the time in answering the questions in a best manner apart from maintaining a positive body language.

Sample Questions

Personal Issues:

• My dear friend, please tell us about yourself
• We find that you are residing in New Delhi. What are the places of importance in New Delhi?
• I find that you got your graduation from ABC College. What prompted you to join that college?
• We find that you had undergone “ECE” course in your engineering graduation course; why did you select the course?
• For a newcomer, would you recommend New Delhi for a safe and secure stay?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• We find that you are a post graduate with MBA qualification in human resources. What is the guarantee that you will continue to work in the bank in case you are selected?

Bank Specific Questions:

• Where is the head office of ABC bank?
• Who is the present CEO of the bank?
• How many branches are there in ABC bank?
• Can you tell us about the total business of the bank as at the close of last financial year?
• Can you tell us about some deposit schemes floated by the bank recently?
• What do you know about the logo of ABC bank?
• What is the punchline of ABC bank?
• What is the position of ABC bank among the commercial banks in the country as on date?

Subject Specific Questions – Commerce:

• What do you mean by balance sheet?
• What do you know by annual financial statements?
• What is known as authorized capital?
• What is the difference between general reserve and capital reserve?
• What are the different kinds of shares?
• What do you mean by ASBA?
• What do you mean by green shoe option?
• What is known as red herring prospectus?
• How working capital limit is considered for a business concern?

Questions on Banking:

• What do you mean by KYC and what are the documents considered for the purpose of address proof and identity proof as per KYC?
• What are the eligibility conditions for a minor opening a bank account?
• What do you mean by CRR?
• What is the difference between REPO and reverse REPO?
• What do you mean by CTS?
• What is known as MICR?
• What is the validity period of a stale cheque?

Miscellaneous Questions:

• The President of India is selected by whom?
• What do you mean by PMJDY scheme?
• For the purpose of getting rebate on tax, which are the investments are considered?
• What do you mean by GST?
• What do you mean by PMEGP scheme?

Hope this helps!