Details of interview experience of RANK 2 Anu KUMARI
My interview experience- I have got 187 marks.
I was very calm and smiling throughout the interview. I treated it as if I was talking to the elders in my family. I am not sure of the duration of interview. But i think it went on for 35-40 mins
I felt that my interview went well. I could not answer 3 questions but I calmly managed, smilingly said sorry I do not know it.
My Qs and answers
Ms. Smita Nagaraj Board:
– Why UPSC 12 years after graduation?- lack of internal satisfaction in the private sector, abundanceof opportunities offered by Civil services which can help me lead a fulfilling life. Earlier got busy with marriage and motherhood, now I had time, so started preparation and left the job
– U worked for 8 years in financial services sector, what was the motivation? What kept you going?- learning is on a bigger scale when we start from scratch; that learning kept me motivated and the fact that my work was instrumental in taking organisational decisions (since I was a part of Business Planning and Analysis department in the Finance function)
– There are a lot of unethical practices in insurance sector, what they are and why they are happening? Is regulator sleeping?- Yes, there are unethical practices like misselling by the agents; hidden charges, claims denial by quoting T&C which are generally difficult to understand by a layman…..they are happening due to the lack of awareness in the public and because the sector is in its nascnet stages…the regulator has taken several steps like cap on charges introduced in ULIP products, making persistency a key factor in individual agents’ licesnsing etc
– Recent NHPS helath insurance scheme, it is going to help private sector more than the citizens what should we do to stop such malpractices?- private sector participation is needed as infrastructure is weak in our country, in order to curb the malpractices we would need to take several steps such as ribust claims management, claims investigation, making cashless treatment mandatory in non emergency cases and defining the procedures and the applicable rates
– Thr will be a change in orientation while u move from pvt sector to public sector..how will u manage?- there will be a change on following accounts- higher customer centricity is there in private sector, defined procedures and turn around times in pvt sector, performance appraisals are more pronounced here. I will try to focus on impriving transparency and accountability in the public sector as well. Having said that, there will be several things that will be in continuation such as skills of time manegment, pressure management, stakeholder management etc.
– How technology has impacted these services sectors?- technology has brought about improvements in the way customers interact with the service providers eg online sales, sale through apps, customer service through IVR/SMS/email/Apps etc. it has brought in more transparency into the system, clarity to customers and brought customers closer to the service provider firms.
Other members
– 39 Indians got killed in Iraq, Do you think Govt handled the situation well?- Govt should be appreciated for the efforts that it took to find the Indians stranded in Iraq and bring them back safely but at the same time, Govt should have been more sensitive. Families of the emigrants should have been personally informed instead of the families coming to know of such a sad news through parliamentary proceedings – Facebook data leak issue- do you think these social media firms are taking users for a ride?
– yes, they deliberately try to keep T&C difficult to understand and the users are forced to tick on “I accept the T&C” or provide access to data in the phones before they can use any app. Soultion is that we need to have a comprehensive law on protection of user privacy and stringent action should be taken against offender firms. – Social media was created to unite (socialise) but it is dividing the society, Ur take?
– it depends on the use that we put social media to. If used for spreading fake rumours, to incite violence etc then it will divide society but if used rightly, it has immense potential to revolutionise our lives. So, we should make optimal and judicious use of social media
– Some misinterpretation of one of my answers by a member to which he asked me that I was earning pretty well already, still why I need more money , why? (Smita ma’am interrupted and corrected him)
– I only smiled – Marketing lessons to be learnt from entrepreneur turned Baba Ramdev marketing strategiesinvoking a feeling of nationalism to boost sales and capitalising on people’s preference for chemical free and herbal products
– You are from Hindu college, Which minister from Hindu college is there in the ministry today?- Sorry Sir, I dont know – Pink pyjamas are flying over Red Fort today, what do u understand by this?
– (smilingly ), its a very interesting question but sorry, I dont know the answer. Then sir explained the concept to me, I nodded and said yes sir, I thought so
– Narcotic problem in India today, how will u handle them in a district? What are the drugs consumed by the ppl?
– Root of the problem lies in porous borders which facilitates drug trade between golden triangle and golden crescent regions via India. At district level, my focus would be on sound implementation of the laws, effective rehabilitation of drug users, enhancing employment opportunities for the youth and promoting better integration into the family life so that families act as a support system and prevent one from falling into the drug trap
– Children are committing suicide, why ? what should be done?
– Causes are- Excessive expectations by the parents, very intense competition in our country, problems with the education system which emphasises on rote learning and not on critical thinking or a holistic personality development. To curb this, we should revamp our education system and we must teach our students how to live a fulfilling life (and not just focus on enabling them to make money). A cost effective and yet efficient solution is having counselling facilities in schools and encouraging the students to seek help when in trouble. Parents should also be sensitised to not put excessive pressure on students
– Today’s girls (bahus) don’t want to live in a joint family, do u agree?- to an extent yes, with the rise of individualism in society, egoism is rising. Another factor is burden of excessive expectations from the bahu who is expected to do a double shift (in office as well as home)
– Are joint families good for women empowerment?
– of course they are, coz when others in the family help the woman with her familial responsiblities (say child care), she can focus on her career.
– You are a sportswoman, what do you think are the corruption related problems in sportsbodies in India (I have played throwball in college and some games during schooltime)
– problems are unfair selection, age related fudging, use of drugs and corruption in sports bodies like in BCCI. Some positive developments that are taking place in this field are
– recently Niti Aayog proposed ranking of sports bodies and linking the fuund devolution to the performance in ranking
– What are the groundlevel differences that you have experienced travelling in metro in Gurgaon and in Delhi- One is a PPP (public pvt partnership), other is Govt owned. (I said I have nt travelled in Gurgaon metro) He asked, others would have travelled n shared their experiences.. (I have been working in Gurgaon, commuting from Delhi)
– Sorry, I have not travelled in Gurgaon metro, so can’t compare. Sir persisted that some friend might have shared his/her experience. I replied sorry sir, I don’t know that
– What are the problems of PPP? Why is India not able to successfully execute them?
– Problems are- Opaque calculation of user charges, ineffective arbitration mechanism, lack of funds, delay in approvals etc…. we have seen execution problems in the past but now we are moving towards better models such hybrid annuity model
– I have lost money in Mutual Funds, convince me that I should still invest in MFs.
– Sir, investment in MFs should be made according to the age ,risk profile and needs of the customer. Secondly, these investments are long term in nature. So we should not expect high returns in the short term. Further, I would still advise you to invest in mutual funds keeping in mind your risk appetite and needs. There are debt, equity as well as liquid mutual funds.
– What is colonial hangover?
– Good or bad? Give Egs… Colonial hangover means those things that are a relic from colonial times even if not relevant to modern times. Egs are culture of red beacon, our obsession with fairness, education system, judicial system, democracy, constitution, police system etc some of these things are good and some are bad
Last question by Smita Ma’am
– You had said that Govt should have been more humane in handling killing of Indians in Mosul issue, but then also appreciated the Govt for their extra efforts to trace the Indians and bring them back. Is this your approach to all the things- saying this is correct but this is also correct, will you be able to take decisions based on this? What is going to be your approach as an administrator?
– Yes, ma’am this is how I take decisions in life after considering both- the good as well the bad aspects of any issue. I having said that, it does not mean that I vacillate in decision making. I consider both aspects and then arrive at a firm decision. Ma’am asked give some eg from ur life
– i replied that when I would appraise my team members in office I would tell them that these are the areas where you have worked well but these are the areas where you need to improve and based on both the aspects, I would arrive at a rating for them.
Advice– You may collaborate with like minded and serious candidates for interview preparation. Discuss with others to get a holistic view on important issues. Do prepare important topics like AFSPA, J&K issue, Reservation etc. Prepare your DAF really well- each and every word of it. Talk to your friends and coaching institutes who can help you with framing possible Qs from your DAF. Prepare your hobby, home state, your graduation subject really well.