8/12/13

Share 0

My Civil Services interview: My civil services interview

More Next Blog Create Blog Sign In

My Civil Services interview

Frid ay , May 10, 2013 Blog Arc hive

My civil services interview

This post is at the request of one of my friend, who asked me to write about my interview on the blog, after I got 593rd rank in Civil Services Exam,2012. . My interview was in the board of Sh. IMG Khan on 9th April,2013. I was the 4th candidate to be interviewed in the Forenoon.I was interacting with other candidates of the Board and waited anxiously for my turn, which came just before Noon.I was quite nervous before entering the Board. I asked for permission to come inside.After coming inside , I wished Good morning to all.The Chairman told me to sit on the chair. I sat after thanking him.I sat upright with hands placed on the respective thighs with palms facing upwards. The Chairman was perusing through my Biodata and clarified about the nature of work and place of posting in earlier organisations.Earlier to the current job in Indian Railways as IRSS officer, I was working in Drilling at ONGC, in Marketing at Bangalore Airport at BPCL , and in Maintenance at RIL, Nagothane,Maharashtra. Then, the normal interview started, which I am trying to reproduce(according to my memory) as far as possible, as mentioned below: Chairman: You are a Mechanical Engineer.But, currently you are posted as Stores officer(IRSS). What is the use of being Mech. Engg. and opting for non-technical job? Myself:Sir, Indian Railway Stores Service(IRSS) is a technical job. By doing Mech. Engg., it has helped me to perform the job in a better way.Our prime job is to supply material to the user.Mech. Engg. has helped in supply of correct material through study of drawing of the material receipted. Also, Mech. Engg. has helped in procurement of right material by ensuring the correct description of material at the requisition stage. 2nd Member :But, you are not involved in Quality Assurance of the Material. It is being done through agencies like RITES,etc. Myself:Yes sir, but we are responsible for supply of correct material through inspection during receipt stage. Chairman :Mechanical Dept. is responsible for design of the material and not the Stores Deptt.Then, being a Mechanical Engg., how it could give you job satisfaction? Myself:Yes sir, Mech. Deptt. is responsible for design of material. But, we are responsible for supply of the right material so that production does not stop.This is a new type of job which has offered different kind of challenges. Sir, you can see I have opted different kinds of jobs in my professional career.(The Chairman peruses through my Biodata and says: Yes , I can see)This has given me different challenges and opportunities to learn. All jobs were satisfying. Chairman:Whether the Group C staffs are technical or non-technical? Who are better performers? Myself:Sir, some are technical and some are non-technicals.Obviously,the technical ones are better as it helps in better understanding of the technical nature of the job. 3rd Member :Why do you want to join civil services? Myself:Sir,I want to join the civil services because these give better career prospects. (One round of interview finishes.They grilled hard and by seeing the reactions on their faces, I observed that they were not satisfied by my answers.They were highly dynamic and were creating pressures on me, which was uncommon of Khan's board reputation.However, I realised that I did not buckle to their pressure technique, eventhough I could not execute the above answers to my best capability) 4th Member :Your year of birth is 1983.Why this year was remarkable for India? Myself:Sir, I play cricket so I can say about India's achievement in Cricket. Sir, India won the Cricket world cricket in this year. 4th Member : Oh, You play cricket also? (I had not mentioned Cricket in my Biodata.) Myself:Yes sir, I am the vice-captain of Railway Officers' team at Dahod. 4th Member : You have mentioned that you were President of Saraswati Pooja Committee. What was that?

2013 (1) M ay (1) M y civil services interview

About Me

RAJIV RANJAN View my complete profile

rajivranjan1983.blogspot.in/2013/05/my-civil-services-interview.html

1/5

8/12/13

My Civil Services interview: My civil services interview

Myself:Sir,I was the Topper of High School and they wanted some respectable person to head the Pooja Committee. Students and teachers appointed me to head the committee. Sir, Saraswati Pooja was the biggest cultural function organised by the school,where nearly 6-7 thousands people used to come. 4th Member : Would you organise Eid-Milan?(The member looked towards Chairman Mr. Khan while asking this question.) Myself:Yes sir,I would organise Eid Milan also. 2nd Member : Why the PPP failed in India? Myself: Sir, I dont know ..then I paused for some seconds. I was still recovering from initial grilling..Then I said. .Sir, now I could recollect the reasons for failure of PPP in India. Sir, the Govt. was not able to select the right areas for application of PPPs. The investors will invest in those areas only, which would give a return of say 12 or 15 %...in the meantime , I scantly looked towards the Chairman..he was smiling and looking at me carefully while I was answering the question. 2nd Member : But, in road sector, PPP is a success at Tolls? Myself: Yes, sir, that is a success. The Govt. should select many such areas for success of PPPs. 2nd Member : Infrastructure has got a very important role in the development of the country. What do think about the percentage contribution of infrastructure in the GDP? Myself: Sir, infrastructure does not directly contribute to the percentage points of GDP. However, infrastructure must grow by 10% if the economy has to grow by 8%. 2nd Member : Can you elaborate on the role of infrastructure in growth of economy by comparing different parts of the country? Myself: Yes sir. We can take the example of Gujarat, where better infrastructure like road, electricity, ports, etc. have led to higher economic growth compared to other states with poorer infrastructure. 1st Member :Country is facing severe water crisis like Maharashtra drought. Also, development of water resourses is necessary for economic development of the country.How could we go ahead so that such crises does not occur? Land resources are very important for the development of the country. How should we fully utilize our land resources for the development of the country?(The member asked question after very lengthy explanation. I had listen very patiently and I was nodding my head regularly giving indication that I was listening him all the time). Chairman: You can give your answer one by one. I nodded my head in affirmation. Myself: I would like to answer first the first question. Water crisis could be tackled by proper utilization of rainwater. I would like to take one example. Just below my bungalow, there is a checkdam. The rainwater collected is still being utilized by surrounding Bhill tribes. In this manner, we can utilize the rain water. By rainwater harvesting and watershed management, we can manage the water crisis. 1st Member : What are these terms like rainwater harvesting and all? Myself: Sir, rainwater harvesting is proper harvesting of rainwater by way of pumping it underground. It is recharging the underground. The challenge of water crisis could be tackled by integrated development of underground and surface water. 1st Member : But building dams over Ganges ,is creating great problems? Myself: Sir, I am talking about small-small dams only. Big dams have its own problems. 1st Member : What do you think about interlinking of rivers? Myself: The Honble Supreme court has directed the Govt. to link the rivers at pan- India level. It plans to divert the water from water surplus regions to water deficit regions. I paused for some time. Then I thought that I would lead the interview and then replied. Sir, but there are some concerns. Then I stopped and waited for the next question. 1st Member : What are the concerns?(as I thought.) Myself: Sir, being a student of Geography, I can say that there are various concerns. It would result in great displacement of many people. It would result in environmental degradation. Also, it would result in inter-state water dispute. We have not been able to solve Cauvery dispute till now, then how can we think of going ahead with such a big project. Then the Chairman suddenly intervenes and stops the discussion and directs the 3rd Member to ask questions. 3rd Member : What are the top three problems of Railways? Myself: Sir, Railway is a very good organization. But the top three problems , which I think are as: First, lack of fund; Second, old and aging infrastructure raising safety concerns; and Third, high number of unskilled Group D staff, the training of which is challenge for better functioning of Railways. 3rd Member : The Bureaucracy of South- east Asia is badly reputed. What do you think are the problems of our bureaucracy? Myself: Sir, I do not think that the bureaucrats are bad. They are highly qualified and are considerate.

rajivranjan1983.blogspot.in/2013/05/my-civil-services-interview.html

2/5

8/12/13

My Civil Services interview: My civil services interview

Chairman: You do not think that all the people who are sitting are bureaucrats? Myself: No sir, I am speaking from my heart and I can say from my experience. I look up towards them for guidance. But, the problem is with the system, which is too slow. I can take the example from my work, where money of several investors are locked up for more than a year, because we have not been able to take decisions yet. 3rd Member : Do you think that the Judiciary contributes towards this inefficiency of bureaucracy? Myself: Sir, Judges are highly qualified. But, they are overloaded. The problem is of supply and demand the chairman intervenes. Chairman: I think you have not understood the question? Myself: My voice trembles and I speak very cautiously in a hesitant manner.. Sir, due to high number cases, there is often delay in justice which brings in inefficiency in the system. I dont know whether I could satisfy them fully. 4th Member : Your home district is Jehanabad. Can you tell why Jehanabad is famous and remains in news? By this time , I was feeling upperhand and I was at my best in humorous mood. Myself: Sir, famous or infamous? The board including the Chairman started laughing. 4th Member : Yes,Yes, I mean infamous. Myself: Sir, Jehanabad is infamous due to violence between the private militias like Ranveer sena and the naxalite organization like MCC. 4th Member : What do you think could be the reasons for this? Myself: Sir, the reasons could be traced to the Permanent settlement system started in 1793. Bihar being an agrarian state, it was one of the worst hit state. It resulted in accumulation of lands in few hands, leading to large number of agricultural and landless labourers. After independence, we could not successfully implement the land reforms. The naxalite movement utilized the ground level discontent among the landless. To protect against naxalites, the landowners formed their own militias and the violence ensued among them. 4th Member : What is BOT? Myself: Sir, BOT stands for Build, Own.or.Operate and Transfer. I was confused the middle letter O. Sir, in BOT, the Pvt. Parties build the infrastructure, then operate it and recovers its cost and makes profit, and then transfers it to the govt after some time, may be 20 yrs or 25 years or 30 years. 4th Member : Can you give an example of BOT? Myself: Sir, we can take the Sirs example of Toll tax .I indicated towards the 2nd Member while answering. 4th Member : Can you take the example from Rlys? Myself: Yes sir, in Rlys., BOT was adopted for first and last mile connectivity like linking ports, mines, ets. to the mainline. This answer might have been wrong, as according to the new participative policy of Rlys, the above examples were of non-government Railways. However, it might have been the example of BOT as per earlier policies. 4th Member : You are a Mechanical Engineer. What is LCD? How does it function? Myself: Sir, it stands for Liquid Crystal Display. I dont know how does it function. 4th Member : OK.. What is the difference between LCD,LED, and Plasma TV? Myself: Sir, LED TV uses light emitting diodes. The plasma TV uses ionized gas. 4th Member : Which one would you recommend to the customer and why? Myself: Sir, I would recommend LED TV as it has less power consumption and would result in power saving. Now, it was the turn for Questions from hobby: (I had lost the DAF and I had forgotten about these two hobbies although I remembered the other hobbies like Travelling and extra curricular activities/games like playing Badminton, Lawn Tennis and TT. I had prepared about the above four only. So, it came as out of blue about the two haobbies of watching movies and reading books.) 4th Member : You have mentioned that watching movies as your hobby. What kind of movies do you watch? Myself: Sir, I watch Hollywood movies, which are inspirational,Oscar award winning movies, 4th Member : What was the last movie did you watch? Myself: Sir, I could watch that movie half only, because on that day only the result was out. It was Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Chairman: Now,you complete the movie after the interview . Myself: Surely sir, I would complete the movie.

rajivranjan1983.blogspot.in/2013/05/my-civil-services-interview.html

3/5

8/12/13

My Civil Services interview: My civil services interview

3rd Member : You have mentioned reading books as your hobby. What kinds of books do you read? Myself: Sir, I read inspirational books. 3rd Member : What was the last book you read? Myself: Sir , it was Ignited Minds by APJ Abdul Kalam. Sir, I could read it half only. 3rd Member : What is the gist of that book? Myself: It has stressed on the fact that how ignited minds of youths are necessary for the country to become a developed country. Then I further clarified.. Sir, I could give much attention to the hobbies as we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our second child which are expected within a week. In fact, my interview was on 9th April. I returned from Delhi on 11 th April and the second child was born on 12 th April. Chairman: No problem The chairman further said...You do not join IRS, because Railways are good, because I have been on deputation in Rlys. Myself: Yes sir, I may not join IRS. I had given these choices when I was just posted at my working post. Now, I am fully enjoying the posting. Chairman: How come? There was an sparkle in his eyes. Myself: Sir, I am getting better social recognition there. I am integrating well with the society. My status has led to social activities after my normal work. Recently, Bihari community there, called me for inauguration of cultural programme during Saraswati Pooja. Also, I am monitoring the Pulse Polio Mission in the colony. Sir, I am highly thankful to UPSC, who has transformed our lives. Chairman: You can go now. But, you have to organize Eid Milan also and not only Saraswati Pooja Myself: Yes sir, I will organize Eid Milan also.

I stood up and thanked everybody. After moving back some steps, I wished every body and came out.

Conclusion:
By observing the interest of members in me and variety of questions being asked , I knew that the interview has gone well. Finally the result was out on 3rd May and I got 593rd rank in CSE12. The rank was a bit letdown, however it gave me immense satisfaction that finally I was successful with subjects like Geography and Mechanical Engg as options. It also erased the bad memories of great pain that I , my wife and my son took due to hardships during the preparation all these years. It also reminded me that I should have persisted with my studies after I joined Railways in December 2010 as IRSS officer. Then , I might have got improved rank. Nonetheless, it feels good to taste success after so many near misses like missing interview in 2009 by 01 mark and having night out during optionals in 2010 due pressure. In 2009, I had got the highest marks (344)of UPSC that year in Mechanical Engg. Paper. This time I was out of touch , but was fresh before the exam and I was able to perform fairly.

Posted by RAJIV RANJAN at 12:46 AM Recommend this on Google

7 comments:
PRANAV MUKTIBODH M ay 10, 2013 at 2:55 AM Great interview, thanks for sharing!! Reply

Shamim Husain M ay 10, 2013 at 4:06 AM Thanks Reply

RAJIV RANJAN

M ay 10, 2013 at 10:24 AM

thanx everybody for going through the post..there are various typing errors..pardon me

rajivranjan1983.blogspot.in/2013/05/my-civil-services-interview.html

4/5

8/12/13
for that. Reply

My Civil Services interview: My civil services interview

Amit Agrawal M ay 11, 2013 at 8:19 AM Sir .... It was nice reading your interview Reply

satyam M ay 25, 2013 at 1:01 AM awesome sir..you really answered all the question very smartly..:) Reply

Bhanwar Singh August 11, 2013 at 10:58 PM Thanks you sir for this post. People like you who share their experience and knowledge enrich the internet. Sir, may I know your marks in interview? Reply

Mr. Harry August 12, 2013 at 1:08 AM Thanks for sharing .... Reply

E n t e ry o u rc o m m e n t . . .

Comment as: Google Account Publish Preview

Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Simple template. Powered by Blogger.

rajivranjan1983.blogspot.in/2013/05/my-civil-services-interview.html

5/5