Tips to ace the RBI Grade B Officer Interview

Every year, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recruits officers at Grade B level. The selection process involves two written exams - Preliminary and Mains. After clearing the written stage, candidates are called for the interview round. This round can "make or break" your chances of being selected. Candidates have to do goal oriented preparation for the RBI Grade B Officer Interview.

So how can you ensure that you are preparing well for the interview? Following are some tips that can help you put your endeavors in the right direction. These tips and techniques on how to prepare for RBI Grade B Officer Interview are all that you need to crack one!

Before moving on to preparation tips, you should first understand what an interviewer is looking for in a candidate. Knowing what qualities are being judged can help you prepare well. Some of the characteristics that are assessed include your attitude, mindset, confidence and skills. Interviewers also assess your body language (like eye contact) and general knowledge.

In an interview, you simply need to show that you are the best fit for the job. In order to do so, the best strategy is to drive the interview. You need to be at the steering wheel that guides the whole conversation. You need to decide and start the discussion on topics that you are comfortable with. So be sure to mention those words and domains that you are comfortable with and have thorough knowledge about the content. Interviewers generally tend to ask questions from topics that you talk about.

For instance, if you feel that Accounting is your strong subject, mention it in the interview whenever you get the chance to. For instance, you can talk about accounting in your introduction, strengths, favorite subjects, etc.

Personal Questions: To start with, apart from the usual Personal HR Questions about your hobbies, strengths, weakness, career goals, and achievements and so on, you need to be thoroughly prepared with your CV or resume. Not only the CV, but also questions based on your value system can also be asked. Sometimes, the interviewer might ask questions like - where you want to see yourself in next 5 years and so on. In such cases, what they are primarily checking is your articulation and discriminating abilities.

Profile-based Questions: Based on your graduation discipline, you can expect basic level questions on the same. If you have work experience, then expect questions like - reasons for leaving your previous job and interest in the current industry. So what is needed here is a logical answer convincing enough to justify your shift.

In the RBI Grade B interview, expect a majority of questions which test your level of knowledge in different domains. These areas can be broadly divided as follows:

Banking and Finance: Questions on banking and finance test your basic knowledge about key concepts, historical evolution and the working of important institutions like RBI, NABARD and SEBI.

Current Affairs: The interview panel expects the candidates to have fair knowledge of recent developments in the fields affecting the banking industry.

Apart from above mentioned categories, there might be questions to see if you understand the kind of work expected from you as an officer and if you've applied for other jobs elsewhere.

To prepare for personal questions you should know the ins and outs of your resume. Along with this, gather information on your hobbies, achievements, strengths and weaknesses. As far as profile based questions are concerned, prepare your job description well, consisting of how it impacts the business and connect with other business functions or departments. You must also read up on the industry/ sector you were working in and know the recent changes and trends that it is witnessing.

Moving on to knowledge based questions; you must be thoroughly updated with structure, functions and latest developments related to RBI. The best source of information is RBI's website. Furthermore, fair knowledge of banking terminology is also necessary.

In order to stay updated with current affairs, you must read English newspapers like Economic Times and The Hindu with more focus on business and banking sector. You should also watch English news channel in order to improve your command over the language. It is always preferred to practice speaking in front of the mirror or try talking to your friends in English during your free time.

Thus, to prepare for RBI Grade B Officer Interview, personal interview preparation and the knowledge of current affairs is very important. Always keep yourself updated with first hand information to succeed in the competition.