Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a statutory regulatory body established by an Act of Parliament. It protects the interests of investors in securities, promotes the development and regulates the securities market. SEBI is responsible to the needs of the issuers of securities, the investors and the market intermediaries.
SEBi recruits officers at Grade 'A' every year. The mode of selection for this highly sought after post includes both online examination and an interview:
- Online Examination: The online examination is of objective type questions, and consists of sections for English, Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning Ability and General Awareness. Candidates have to secure minimum marks separately for each section, based on group performance.
- The short-listed candidates become eligible for the interview process on the basis of aggregate marks obtained in the online examination, subject to clearing sectional cut-offs.
Explore what the interviewer is looking for
In the interview process, the board judges qualities like mindset, attitude, and confidence level of the candidates. Interviewers also assess the clarity of mind and general knowledge of the applicants.
Driving the interview
In an interview, it is critical for you to remain calm and composed and prove that you are the best fit for the job. So, steer the wheel and drive the interview to guide the whole conversation. Before the interview, identify the areas that you are most comfortable in. Such areas may include your favorite subject, current affairs, interests and hobbies like reading, etc. During the interview, be sure to mention these domains in the interview, say, in your introduction, strengths, interests, etc. This is very important as interviewers tend to ask questions from topics that you mention.
Key questions
Personal Questions: To start with, apart from the personal HR questions about your hobbies, strengths, weakness, career goals, and achievements and so on, you need to be thoroughly prepared with all the details given by you in your CV. Sometimes, the interviewer might ask you to tell something that is not mentioned in your CV. 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. In case you have prior work experience, then expect questions like reasons for leaving your previous job and why do you want to shift to SEBI. So what is needed here is a logical answer convincing enough to justify your shift.
Knowledge-based Questions:
In the SEBI Grade 'A' interview, expect a majority of questions which test your areas of specialization you are appearing for. These areas can be broadly divided as follows:
Academic Knowledge: This area is especially important if you are a fresher. You should expect questions on the core subjects of your specialization. For instance, a commerce graduate should be prepared with questions on Accounts, Business Studies, Organizational Research, etc.
Banking and Finance: Questions on banking and finance test your basic knowledge about key concepts, historical evolution and the working of important institutions like SEBI, RBI, NABARD, etc.
Current Affairs: The interview panel expects the candidates to have fair knowledge of recent developments in fields affecting the capital market in India and across the world.
Apart from above mentioned categories, there might be questions to see if you understand the kind of work expected from you as an Grade 'A' officer and if you've applied for other jobs elsewhere.
Learn from the experience of Anamika Sharma
Anamika Sharma, an avid mooter during her law school years was selected in SEBI as a Grade 'A' officer in 2014. According to her, being honest and giving direct answers will help you score good marks in the interview. Since she was from the law background; her interview consisted of questions regarding her internships. Some of the questions asked from her were-
- Tell about yourself - your childhood, life before your career in the field of law and educational background.
- Why and how did you choose law as a career?
- What kind of co-curricular activities did you participate in college?
- What was your experience at the internships in ELP, NDA and how do you think these internships influenced your career?
- What would you suggest a law student should do in order to land a job in SEBI?
The interview was more of the discussion rather than one-on-one conversation. She advises all the aspirants of SEBI to always strive for better and never let the sense of complacency overshadow the urge to grow and excel.
If you have any queries please feel free to ask them in the comments section below.
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