Personal (HR) Questions & Answers
Q. Tell me about yourself.
A. Good Morning/Afternoon, Sirs / Ma’m! My name is Prithvi Chouhan. I have a B.E. in Computer Science & Engineering
from Marathwada Institute of Technology, Aurangabad. I’m very hard-working and disciplined. I enjoy surfing the
internet and listening to music in my free time. I aspire to be a successful manager in a public sector bank.
Q. Tell us something about your family.
A. My father is a farmer and my mother is a housewife. I have an elder sister who is married and an elder brother who is
working as a clerk in a private company.
Q. How much land do you own? What do you grow in it?
A. We have 2 acres of land. It is not irrigated. We grow cotton and some jowar in it.
Q. Why do you want to join the banking sector? Why don’t you do a PG in your field? Why don’t you join an IT
company?
A. I studied engineering at a small college in Aurangabad which did not have any campus placements. After completing
my graduation, I appeared for off-campus recruitment drives conducted by various IT companies. Unfortunately, I could
not succeed. I realised that after spending four years & lakhs of rupees for my education, I was still unemployed. It was
at this time that I decided to prepare for competitive exams. I spoke to my seniors and also took advice from my
neighbour who was an ex-banker. After listening to a lot of advice & a lot of contemplation myself, I decided to prepare
for bank recruitment exams.
The banking sector today has many opportunities. As compared to other exams like UPSC/PCS (Provincial Civil
Services), the preparation time for bank exams is less and the recruitment process is also very quick, usually completed
in six months’ time. The process is also very transparent & completely based on merit. A banker not only gets excellent
remuneration & perks, but also gets a lot of respect in the society. An additional benefit of working as a public sector
banker is that by serving the people I shall get an opportunity to serve the country & participate in nation-building.
Q. Don’t you think you’re overqualified for this job / post? (This question is asked mostly to Engineers & Postgraduates who face clerical interviews)
A. It has been a year since I graduated and I’m still unemployed. I’m desperately looking for a job right now. In any case,
I believe in the dignity of labour and no job or post is below me. Also, this job can be a stepping stone towards achieving
my aim of becoming a successful manager in a public sector bank.
Q. Can you tell me something about your city.
A. Aurangabad is known as the “city of gates”. It is a city of historical importance. The UNESCO World Heritage sites –
Ajanta & Ellora caves, as well as the “Bibi ka Maqbara”, which is a replica of the Taj Mahal, are located here. It is also an
industrial hub, with MNCs like Skoda, Siemens, etc. and large Indian companies Videocon, Bajaj, etc. having their
manufacturing facilities here.
Q. You mentioned internet surfing as one of your interests. What websites do your visit? Do you use Facebook and
twitter?
A. I usually visit social networking websites, watch streaming videos & listen to music and read online editions of
popular magazines and newspapers. I have a Facebook account and I use it often to stay in touch with my friends and
extended family. I have a twitter account too but I don’t use it much.
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Q. What are your strengths?
A. I’m hardworking and disciplined. I’m also very optimistic about life. These qualities have helped me overcome many
adversities in my life.
Q. What are your weaknesses?
A. Since I studied in a Marathi-medium school, my English is not very fluent. However, I’m trying to overcome this
weakness by reading books and watching good TV programmes in English. I’m sure that in a few years, instead of being
my weakness, English will become one of my biggest strengths!
Q. Are you willing to work anywhere in the state / country? What if we post you in a rural area?
A. As I mentioned earlier, it has been a year since I graduated and I’m still unemployed. So I want a good job as soon as
possible, regardless of its location. In fact, I enjoy travelling & I can easily adapt to the life and work culture in a
different state or in a rural area. So I’m fully prepared to work with complete dedication wherever I’m posted.
Q. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
A. My immediate goal is to get selected for this post. If selected, my focus would be to learn as much as possible about
banking & finance, since I haven’t formally studied it earlier. I would also like to support my family financially and
provide some comforts to my parents who have toiled for me all these years. In the long term, I see myself as a
successful manager in a large public sector bank.
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Questions on Banking & Current Affairs
A few questions on issues of national importance –
Q. What are the major news events of today / last few days?
Q. What do you know about the Lokpal bill passed recently?
Q. Do you think the Aam Aadmi Party will be able to repeat its performance in the Loksabha elections?
Q. What is the Food Security Bill?
Q. Do you think India’s response to America was enough / appropriate? (Reference to the events happening with the
Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade)
Q. Do you think rapists should get death penalty? (Reference to the rape incident in Delhi last year)
Generally the interview panel checks the candidate’s awareness of & views on important issues by asking such
questions. Students should read newspapers regularly and form their own opinions about important national &
international issues.
A few questions on Banking Awareness –
Q 1. What is a Bank?
Q 2. What is Bancassurance?
Q 3. What is Repo Rate?
Q 4. What is CRR / SLR?
Q 5. What is CBS?
Q 6. What is the meaning of Financial Inclusion? What are Self Help Groups?
Q 7. What is the meaning of Cheque Truncation System?
Q 8. What are the functions of RBI?
Q 9. What is the meaning of “nationalization” of banks? What is the difference between nationalized banks and private
sector banks?
Q 10. What is NPA? What should banks do to reduce their NPAs?
Q 11. What are the challenges for the Indian banking sector?
Q 12. What is the difference between NEFT & RTGS?
Q 13. What are the differences between BASEL I, II & III?
The questions are usually simple and test the candidate’s knowledge of basic concepts in banking. However, for
candidates who have a commerce or MBA degree, questions may be asked on more advanced topics like balance sheet,
company rules, ratio analysis, etc.
A few questions related to work experience –
Q 1. Why do you want to leave your current job?
Q 2. What did you learn in your present job that can be useful to your job in a bank?
Q 3. Why do you want a government job? What’s wrong with a job in a private company?
Usually, candidates are asked a variety of questions related to their job profile in the company. Technical
questions may be asked on the industry or sector they are presently employed in.
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Questions on academics –
The questions are usually basic in nature. However, those with a PG degree may be asked questions on advanced topics.
Also, a candidate with a PG degree might be asked to strongly justify his/her decision to join the banking sector after
getting a PG degree in an entirely unrelated discipline.
A few miscellaneous Questions –
Q. Suppose you’re the manager of a rural branch of a public sector bank. How will you attract deposits in your bank?
What strategy will you use?
Q. Suppose you’re the branch manager in a bank. How will you deal with an angry customer?
Q. How will you resolve an argument between employees of your branch?
Such questions which put the candidate in the shoes of a banker are sometimes asked to test the candidates’ presence
of mind and practical knowledge.
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