The Interview 1

The Interview

Introduction

Interview technique is  aimed at a fair assessment of personality traits of an individual .Written examination test the knowledge of the facts ,intellectual ability and the attainment but the interview probes deep into the personality of the candidates .

What is an interview?

The oxford dictionary defines an interview as a face to face meeting ,especially for the purpose of obtaining  a statement or for assessing the qualities of the candidate .Interview is derived from the French Word entrevoir which means glimpse.It is ,therefore ,an interaction between two or more persons for a specific purpose.

Interview is a face to face interpersonal role in which the interviewer ask the candidate selected set of  questions in order to assess his suitability of admissions ,recruitment or promotion or to know logically the ability of the candidates if he/she suits for the job applied for .It is a psychological and sociological instrument .  It is a systematic method to contact with a person to know his views .In ssb ,it is regarded as the most effective tool for collection of data to arrive at the reasonable assessment of a candidate ‘s personality .

INTERVIEWER  AT SSB

Interview at ssb is called the President’s Interview merely because of the fact that it is taken up by the president of the ssb or by the deputy president of the ssb .Although the interviewing officer may have casually observed the candidate during the gto  tasks ,the observations and assessment is done purely on the individual performance during the interview.

In armed forces ,associated with the Intelligence tests,protective technique and gto tasks ,personal interview has proved quite useful in assessing the personality of the candidates .The presiding officer notes points of interest and gaps and description in information provided in the questionnaire ,which the candidates fill up on the first day.On this basis ,he attempts to assess in which direction the candidates  shows actual or potential interest and weakness .

REQUIREMENT AT SSB

Candidate being interviewed at SSB is not supposed to be very intelligent and an allrounder.In fact he is supposed to possess average intelligence  with other objective ,subject knowledge,self confidence and mental alertness fully balanced .The ssb is looking for the candidates who could be brought a balanced and intelligent gentleman by providing training.

SSB A STRESS INTERVIEW

SSB is a  stress interview for the following reasons

1)Being asked more than one question at a time.

2)Having his feelings provoked .

3)Being asked an unrelated bunch of questions .

4)Being asked in an interrogatory voice and tone.

TYPE OF QUESTIONS ASKED IN SSB

1)Leading questions

2)Open –Ended Questions

3)Probing questions

4)Close Ended questions

·       LEADING QUESTIONS –Normally an interview beings with leading questions .Such questions help a candidate to feel comfortable and confident to do well .The purpose of asking these questions is to make  the candidate feel at ease .The questions may relate with family background or education .

·       Open Ended Questions –Once the candidate has made himself comfortable ,the process of interview advances with open ended questions put to the candidate.Such questions let the interviewee deliever more information about himself and his achievements .

·       Probing Questions –Since an interview is an assessment of the total personality of the candidate .It is essential on the part of the interview to explore the implications of the behavorial pattern of the candidates right from the moment of his entrance in the interview hall.His disposition and other personality parameters are kept on a close scrutiny .

·       Close Ended Questions –The probing questions are followed by close ended questions which are primarily intended to seek information on specific items and to test your knowledge of facts and figures