Group Discussion in Banking
What is Group Discussion?
Group discussion forms the primary stage of
contact between the interviewer and interviewee.
In this methodology, the group of
candidates(may be in between 6 to 10, depends on the bank) given a topic or a
situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then asked to
discuss among themselves for 15-20 minutes.
What skills are judged in group discussion?
Ø Your listening skill.
Ø Your attitude and confidence.
Ø How you put forward your views.
Ø How you behave and interact with group.
Ø Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.
Ø Your leadership and decision making skills.
Ø How good you are at communication with others.
Generally
the GD is organized in round fashion that can be shown below:
The
10 things you have to remember while performing in GD:
1) Keep eye contact while speaking:
Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye
contact with every team member while speaking.
2) Initiate the GD:
Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in
mind – Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic
clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject
knowledge is bad impression.
3) Allow others to speak:
Do not interrupt anyone in-between while
speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their
chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your
turn.
4) Speak clearly:
Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and
understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are
disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.
5) Make sure to bring the discussion on track:
If by any means group is distracting from the
topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track.
Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at
the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.
6) Positive attitude:
Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone.
Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.
7) Speak sensibly:
Do not speak just to increase your speaking
time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and
relevant instead of irrelevant speech.
8 ) Listen carefully to others:
Speak less and listen more! Pay attention
while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get
involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.
9) No need to go into much details:
Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No
need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time
so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language.
10) Formal dressing:
Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny
dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture
and body language will make your work easy.
INTERVIEW TIPS
Banking interviews are meant to gauge the
potential of the candidate to see if he/she has the skills to be placed in any
suitable post in the bank. Banking interview questions are meant to measure the
attitude, skill and adjustability of the candidate, to draw a conclusion on
his/her suitability in the firm. The interviewers will ask as many questions
they think is necessary before recruiting any candidate as they are concerned
with the fact that the quality and skills of the employees will determines the
future of the company.
To become successful in the banking interview
process, you need to be well prepared to face the different sets of banking
interview questions. Banking interview questions also starts with some general
questions about the candidate such as his/her family background, education, and
interests. The second and third set of banking interview questions will be
meant to know the candidate's work experience, nature, capacity, ideology, and
ability to solve problems. Answering to the fist set of banking interview
questions related to your family, qualification, or future planning will be
quite easy.
Let us discuss some of the common but very
effective banking interview questions.
The interviewer may typically begin with 'tell
me about yourself". It is a common opener which is meant to set the ball
rolling for the next few minutes ahead. Even though this is the common question
which will be asked in most of the interviews you can score brownie points by
answering the question a bit differently, but at the same time not deviating
much from the context.
Other commonly asked banking interview
questions include:
General Questions
- Why did you choose banking as your profession?
- Do you have any previous experience?
- Why you left your previous job?
- Why do you want to work for us?
- How long will you stay with us?
- Where you see yourself in another five years?
Finance related banking interview questions
- If you could buy one stock today, what would it be and why?
- Can you explain the effect of rising interest rates on the United States economy?
- What are the main issues ABC Company has to face before entering a given industry (Porter framework)?
- Explain the techniques you use to value firms?
- What do you mean by cost of capital?
- When do you use a WACC versus a cost of equity?
Behavioral Questions
- Do you think you have leadership quality? Can you explain when did you show leadership?
- Have you think you can perform well in a group?
- What is your most noted accomplishment?
- What are your positive traits or strengths?
- What are your negative traits or weaknesses?
- What you can do for the company others people can't?
- Explain an example when you had a personal conflict and how you resolved it?
- Tell a time when you had an ethical dilemma and how you resolved it.
- What type of person do you find difficult to get along with?
The above mentioned are some of the common
questions that are used by most of the banking interviewers. Remember that for
a banking job interviewer, there cannot be a dearth for questions. So be well
prepared before attending the interview and answer all questions in a positive
way. Remember if you have the material they are looking for, you'll get it.
COMMON ANSWERS IN BANK CLERK INTERVIEW
A number of candidates who passed the clerical exams wanted tips on preparing for the interview. Business Line asked Mr V. H. Ramakrishnan, former General Manager, Bank of India, and someone who has been on interview panels, his experience of interviewing clerical candidates.
He provided a list of questions that are normally asked at interviews for clerical posts.
For good measure, he provided the common answers received (the wrong answers also). It is now up to the candidates themselves to pick up what is useful and avoid the common mistakes.
Here are the frequently asked questions and the usual responses:
Tell me about yourself and your family.
Normally candidates present a picture of a poor family to get sympathy. They should come out with correct information.
What do you know about the bank?
Thanks to Web sites, candidates usually have all the information.
Why do you want to join as a clerk when you have done engineering/ biotechnology/ computer science, etc?
For this, almost every one says that from childhood he/she wanted to join a bank. If you ask why they did a technical course, then they say that their parents forced them to go for engineering.
Why are you applying for clerical post when you are eligible to apply for an officer's post?
While some say they have also applied for the same, the others say they would like to start from basics.
What are the functions of a bank?
Almost all are able to answer.
What are the various products offered by a bank?
Many find this difficult to answer.
What is the difference between savings bank account and current account?
Most are unable to answer.
Why a person should prefer a bank rather than a post-office for keeping deposits?
Most are unable to answer.
What are the activities of a bank other than taking deposits and lending money?
Many candidates struggle to answer.
Why are you applying only to nationalised banks?
Security of service.
Will you work anywhere in India?
The answer is, of course, yes. Married women claim they are willing to work in rural branches leaving behind their husband and child/children.
They prefer to give the ‘correct' answer rather than the ‘true' answer.
According to Mr Ramakrishnan, “Very rarely do we ask questions on the subject they have studied. We try to find out if: a) the candidate is really interested in banking as a career; b) he will stick to the job; and c) ordinary graduates/undergraduates stand a better chance of getting selected rather than highly qualified technical persons.
“Banks also look for people from a particular region.”
No comments:
Post a Comment