NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) is concerned with policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India. NABARD is responsible to look after the development of small scale, cottage and village industry, and other rural industries. NABARD also reaches out to allied economies. It supports and promotes integrated development.
Annually, NABARD recruits officers at the level of Assistant Manager, Development Assistant, (Grade 'A') and Manager (Grade 'B'). For these posts, an Online Exam is conducted. In the entrance exam, there are 3 phases:
- Preliminary (Online)
- Main (Online)
- Personal Interview
After getting short-listed in the online exam, candidates are called for the interview process. Before the interview process starts, you need to submit the detailed application form which includes your personal details and the professional details (if any).
Though the preparation of interview requires regular practice and constant focus, you can make it an easy task by following these basic mantras:
- Build up your personality and be confident to answer the questions in fluent English
- Your body language, the way of answering the questions, knowledge and skills are very important to succeed
- Also, you should be updated about contemporary issues and events going at national and international level as interviewers can ask your opinion on the same
- Prepare the topics not only from the general awareness, but also know about yourself
- Every point builds your impression on the interviewer. So, be careful with your body language, and attitude.
Preparing About Your Self:
- Prepare your introduction and the personal questions which range from location preferences to family background, about the city you belong, etc.
- Prepare in-depth about your hobbies, achievements, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
Always be patient and don't panic during the interview. The key to remain calm is to prepare well for such questions.
Prepare About Academics:
- Questions can be focused on the subjects that you studied in graduation, post graduation, or in any other course you have done.
- Prepare your academic subjects thoroughly. Do prepare one subject well so that when the interviewer asks for any favorite subject, you are in a position to answer the question.
- Prepare answers to questions like - "What is the use of your degree in an organization like NABARD?" or "How can your specialization help in banking?"
- If you have any gap in your academics then, be prepared with logical reasons for the same.
- If you belong to a stream like engineering that is not connected with banking, prepare answers to questions like – “Why do you want to join the banking sector after engineering? How will a degree in engineering help you in your job in developing the rural industries?”
About Your Job Role:
- You should prepare about the job role and responsibilities in NABARD as a 'Grade A' or 'Grade B' Officer.
- You should prepare question like "Where you see yourself in the next 5 years" and so on.
Question Types:
Profile-based Questions: For those with no work experience, be prepared for questions on your under graduation subjects. For those with work experience, you must be absolutely clear about your previous job role or job profile, the reason for leaving it and the experience with the work performed.
Knowledge-based Questions: In the NABARD interview, expect a majority of questions testing your understanding of the economy, industrial and banking sector, which can be categorized as:
- Banking and Finance: The most important part of preparation is studying the reason for establishment and functions performed by major economic and financial organizations like, RBI, NABARD, etc. To show your interest, try to read about terminology used in daily work environment, the current banking rates decided by RBI, the banking policy, about FI, FII and FDI, etc.
- Economy and Taxation: Apart from learning the basic concepts of the micro and macro economics you must also be prepared and aware about India's taxation policy, types of taxes and tax rates etc.
- Current Affairs: Most of the times, a candidate's knowledge of current affairs is given a lot of weightage in the interview. So, have a fair knowledge of not only the banking industry, but also those sectors that affect that particular sector.
Conclusion
Summing up, to crack the NABARD interview, focused preparation and knowledge of current affairs is very essential. Always keep yourself updated with the first hand information to succeed in the interview.