Interview- A test of Your Authentic Self

The interview test is the last leg of a long race towards the dream of being a civil servant. After crossing two major hurdles, namely, the prelims and mains examination, a candidate sets himself up for the D-day (Interview Day) which would finally determine whether he is going to be selected for the coveted Civil Services or not. It also determines one's rank and his/her choice of services. In other words, if an interview creates a sense of fear, it also offers the final opportunity to boost success chances in the civil services.

The purpose of the interview is to 'assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service.’ It follows from this that the interview process is geared towards judging the personal suitability of the candidate for civil services. The process of the interview which roughly lasts 25-30 minutes, aims to judge qualities like mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, the balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, an ability for social cohesion and leadership and intellectual and moral integrity.

These qualities, to be judged during the interview session, cannot be understood as separate traits of personality. Rather, together, they present a sum total of qualities a candidate is expected to possess. When you are being interviewed, you are simultaneously being judged for your wide interests, leadership qualities, clarity of mind, a balanced approach etc.

Thus, contrary to the popular perception of the interview being a question-answer session, it is much more than that. In a setting which is formal but undirected (undirected means a natural course is followed at the interview rather than a structured session), the interview session seeks to evaluate a candidate on the above given qualities. A proper understanding of what s/he is going to be tested for will make a candidate’s preparation close to its needs.

BPSC Civil Services Exam Interview is NOT about (a) a mere question-answer session (b) a test of knowledge or plethora of information (c) a deliberate attempt to pin you down by difficult questions (d) having extraordinary expectations from you. Rather it is about (a) judging your authentic self (b) an interactive, friendly session (c) extracting your opinion and stand on vital issues (d) exploring the quality of honesty, integrity, commitment, leadership etc. and (e) testing you more on where you know rather than where you do not know.

It should be fairly clear from the above that the character of the interview is an engaging conversation with the board on a host of issues in a positive setting where you are encouraged to express yourself naturally without fear or pressure. This description of the attitude of the board should dispel your fears about facing the board. For most of the candidates, it is a frightening scenario to face the board and an unknown fear descends on them just before entering the venue of the interview. The reality is quite to the contrary. The board is usually very friendly and encouraging. If they find that you are not able to answer questions from one area, they will ask you different questions from those areas where you are supposed to be strong. In other words, they would provide you with full opportunity to bring out the best in you during the session.

Composition of the Board:

• 4 Members

• Background => (BPSC Members, Bureaucrats, Academicians, Scientists, Armed Force Officers etc.)

• They all are very experienced, seasoned persons with wide exposure to public life. This gives them the ability to frame very diverse questions and evaluate your responses accurately.
  

The beginning of the interview:

As you enter the board and occupy your place after greeting the board members, the chairman will initiate your interview by asking a few questions. Usually, s/he begins by asking questions related to the graduation subject or optional subject. He may also ask other questions or else, s/he would prompt other members to ask questions. This is how the interview gets to a start and in the next 20-25 minutes, you would be engaged in a conversation during which questions, counter questions, opinions, counter opinions are exchanged between you and the board. You may also experience some lighter moments during the session to keep you at ease.

Preparing for the interview:

Though in a strict sense, no specific preparation for the interview is required because it is a personality test and what you have accumulated and assimilated through your learnings, experiences, and exposures so far in life will be judged during the interview. Yet, some amount of grooming for the interview is definitely required.

The ingredients of interview preparation are:

• Learning manners and etiquette of interview:

(a) Be polite and respectful

(b) Greet the members with warmth

(c) Wear a decent, sober dress which is formal and suits the weather

(d) No fanciful accessories on your body

(e) Do not interrupt a member while s/he is asking a question or explaining a point

(f) An agreeable voice with the right pitch

(g) No frequent hand movement or neck movement while you are responding

(h) A body language which transmits self-confidence, resolve, and determination under the frame of humility.

• Covering up your Bio-Data:

Though members don't have your bio-data, still it is safe to be ready with the basics of your bio-data. Following things you should cover:

• Hometown

• Schooling

• Graduation

• Home State

• The place where you are currently living for exam preparation.

• Decoding the name associated with the above things and work upon them. For instance, suppose your college name is 'Person Name (X)' University. Then, ideally, you should study the core things associated with that personality. Similarly, try to decode the emerging chain.

Note: Generally, a panel would have the following information:

• Graduation Subject/Stream with passing year.

• Optional Subject (Core Things)

• Post Preferences (Be ready with justification for the first three preferences)

• Justification for Gap (if any):

Suppose, your passing year is 'T'. But, currently, you are in the 'T+3' year, so you should have an explanation for the same. Be honest with your answer.

• Covering expected current issues:

There is no way to anticipate what among the current topics they would be framing questions on, however, it is wise to cover recent current affairs and form your considered opinion on it.

Cover the macro topics of each subject. Ideally, you should be good with International Relations and terminologies of Macroeconomics, National Issues etc.

• Covering Bihar:

(a) Be aware of the history, culture, society, economy, and industries of the state.

(b) Having critical knowledge of recent developments. Try to cover the macro ones.

Note: Try to ask questions from yourself and prepare the answer for that. For instance, you ask yourself---- Why Bihar is underdeveloped? What are the hindrances which limit its potential? etc.

• Defending your hobbies:

If you mention any hobby during the course of the session (you may be asked), it needs to be defended and justified by showing adequate knowledge about it to the board. However, there is no need to become an academic master of your hobbies. You should just be able to prove that your hobbies are genuine and you have tried to pursue them in your real life as much as possible.

• Governance issues:

Since you are being tested for a job in civil services, some questions on emerging issues of governance are quite natural to be asked. This will include questions on present governance patterns and situational questions like if you are the SDM or DSP or PM or something then what would you do in a particular situation? So practice some situational questions and articulate your stand on them.

Some important tips:

• Present your normal, authentic self before the board:

You are supposed to carry your true self before the board. No need to wear a mask in order to appear what you are not. They are not expecting you to be an extraordinary person with extraordinary capabilities. All that board is looking for is your commitment to certain values, certain personality traits and how suitable you would be for a job offered to you in the civil services. You should therefore never project what you really are not. There should be no gap between your ‘appearance’ and ‘reality’.

• Be 'realistic' and 'honest' before the board:

The board is looking for these two prime qualities in you. Therefore, you must depict a sense of realism so that you are assessed by the board as a performer and not just a dreamer. Honesty is the best policy before the board. If you try to bluff, they are bound to catch it and punish you heavily for bluffing.

It is very common that when a candidate is asked why he wants to join civil services, s/he replies in terms of being patriotic and doing great things for the society and nation. Such superlatives should be avoided. It is better to accept the fact that job security, status, and prestige attract you to the civil services. You can, however, add further that civil services offer challenges and a dynamic career and you like diverse job challenges which makes civil services your choice.

• Do not rely on myths built around the interview:

Try to guard yourself against many myths surrounding the interview.

Many people would say, an interview happens like this or that. In case of such situations, if you have any confusion, try to talk with reliable people and most importantly, use your conscience.

• Practice before the mirror:

For a few days before the interview, stand up before a mirror in your room for 10-20 minutes and read from a newspaper. This will help you have a better command over your articulation. You may record your own conversation for self-analysis.

Hope this article has cleared many of your doubts. Still, if you have any doubts, you can ask in the comment section.

All the best!

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