Sell yourself: why only you?
Though you are appearing for an exam to become a bureaucrat but during the Personality Test, in your heart, behave like a good salesperson. (Note the gender neutrality.) You have to sell; and here you have to sell yourself. When I say yourself; that means selling what you stand for, your ideas, your beliefs, your value system, your thoughts, your vision. You have to impress upon the Board that why only ou? Why they should take you? And this you have to do through your answers.
So let's understand and master this technique of answering the questions effectively.
Understand the question:
As soon as question is asked try to break down and decipher the question. First try to understand whether they are asking for ‘what' or 'how' or 'why' or 'when' etc of a particular subject. Secondly, try to understand that whether they want a fact based answer or an analysis based answer. Thirdly, you should try to understand whether they want you to respond in a particular fashion, for example whether they want you to go along the same line what they are saying or you have the liberty of taking a stand on a particular subject.
Also try to break down the subject into its logical, rational and conventional subsets. For example, if you are being asked a question on the education system of India try to treat it as education at three levels, that is, at school, college and the university level. Within the school again, at the primary level, at the middle level and the higher level. Once again, the education can be broken down into the rural education and urban education. Another way of classification can be technical and non-technical education. Another can be vocational education and non vocational education. Depending upon the question being asked, you should try answering.
Listen Attentively:
Whenever you are being asked a question, be very attentive and listen to each and every word very carefully. Very often a mistake or carelessness in hearing just one word can cost you dearly. Also don't try to think and frame your answer simultaneously while listening to the question. While listening, just focus on the language of the question, the body language and the facial expressions of the Board member. The only thing you need to process in your mind at that time is to retain the important aspects, words and paradigm of the question.
Once you have listened to the question and have understood it completely, only then start with the answer.
PPP Approach:
Pause, Process and Present.
Once they have completed the question, now you start the framing of your answer. You can and should take few seconds in this process. This Pause wm have twofold benefits. Firstly, you will be able to frame a good, structured, balanced and wholesome answer. Secondly, it will send a positive impression that you are calm and a stable person who thinks before speaking. This is a very important quality they are searching for.
There can also be a third and a very pleasant benefit. At times it happens that during the pause between the question being asked and you giving the answer the Board member himself /herself elaborates a bit on the question from which you can get more vital clues regarding how to answer and what to answer.
After this, process the relevant information in your mind. While answering the question, to the extent possible, always start with the important points first and then narrate the relatively lesser important points. This gives an impression that you have the capability of processing the information about a particular topic in a structured format in the real time in your mind.
After this processing, present your information in a structured format. If you have listened to the question properly, try incorporating some words of the question in the answer presentation. It will send very good signal to the Board that you have listened to the question quite attentively.
Don't give very long introductions:
The purpose of the introduction should only be to put your answer in a perspective. Many candidates try long introductions to make their answers 'bulky' when they don't know much about the question being asked. You should refrain from that. The Board members are too smart and intellectual and they can easily see through that 'plan' of yours.
Qualify the answers:
Let's first understand what "qualifying a statement means.
To "qualify" a statement means to provide more information about it, by adding some facts, evidences, phrase(s), a counter-point etc., in order to make it seem less strong or blunt; less generalized: and to indicate the conditions under which it wouldn't be true.
Now the question arises as to why should we try to qualify our answers? Well, dear Aspirant Officers, there are many situations in the public life where there are no outright rights and wrongs. When none of the viewpoints are absolutely right or wrong, subscribing to one viewpoint means that we are also subscribing to its negative aspects which definitely shouldn't be done. So here comes the importance of qualifying the answers. You are taking a stand but simultaneously bringing out the negatives or the exceptions related with it to signal that you have the ability of objectively analyzing the issue without being biased.
Certain words which can be used for qualifying can be "This part is right if...”, "This is true , except when.. “, "This might work it...”, "To some extent”, "Up to a point, "Almost , "Not entirely” etc.
*Qualifying a statement doesn't mean that you don't take a stand; it simply means that though you are taking a stand, but you are also aware of its flip side.
Value Neutrality:
Value Neutrality doesn't mean that one should have a neutral stand, that is, neither for nor against a particular issue. Absolutely not. It simply means that one should be strictly objective and non-prejudiced while analyzing a particular issue. It means deciding an issue on its merits and not on the personal biases. If you are value neutral that means you are not a communalist, a racist, a casteist, a sexist and so on.
Gender Neutrality:
Be gender-neutral. eg. Instead of saying 'chairman' say 'chairperson'; instead of saying 'salesman' say 'salesperson' etc. Such an approach would reflect your thinking that you are not of the ilk who believes that the world is only for the men, of the men and by the men.
Be Humane:
Show the human concern, wherever possible, in your answers. Many times it happens that in their zeal of projecting themselves as politically correct and strictly law abiding and law enforcing, many Aspirant Officers end up projecting themselves as a 'mechanical' and a 'robotic' person who is devoid of the human emotions and touch.
For example, if you have to evacuate an illegal colony in your capacity as the OM, you can't simply go and demolish the buildings, bringing out all the inhabitants on the road. You have to be compassionate about the fact there might be elderly, women, children, ill people etc. That doesn't mean that you are not supposed to take an action. Rather it means that in your plan of evacuation, you should take these factors into consideration.
Be practical:
You should be very practical and pragmatic in your answers. Never try to suggest a solution which is practically impossible or very difficult to be implemented. The Board should not get an impression that you just have bookish knowledge and are devoid of the ground realities.
Be optimistic:
Your approach while answering should be very positive and optimistic. Never try to give a dismal and a sorry state of affairs about a particular issue. There is no wrong in mentioning the problems or the evils related to a particular subject but simultaneously you should be able to provide solutions and remedies for the same. Refrain from the phrases like "Nothing can be done about...", “lt can't happen in our country" etc.
Not just 'tell' but 'provide' the solution:
To the extent possible, try to provide a roadmap for the implementation of your solution; just don't stop at the solution itself. For example, if you are saying that more government funding should be done, try to give some examples that how the spending will actually take place, through which all agencies the funding will be routed, the sectoral breakup etc. This will exemplify the clarity of thought in your mind.
Hit the point:
While trying to find out the causes for particular problem, try to provide the basic and root causes; don't restrict yourself to the superficial or the secondary causes only.
Eye Contact:
While listening to the question, maintain an eye contact with the Board member. This wilt helps you in two ways. Firstly, it gives a positive impression to the Board as it means that you are giving proper and required respect to the esteemed member. Secondly, many times it gives you an opportunity to read the facial expressions of the Board member. It is important because sometime they have a catch in the question. So it may get slightly visible through a specific movement of their eyes or some kind of smile.
While answering also, maintain an eye contact with Board members. For a good amount of time you should look at the member who has asked you the question but in between you should also look at the other members. Simultaneously you should bear in mind that your head movement should not be very fast or very frequent. That'll send a wrong message.
While primarily looking at the member who asked the question it becomes very important to in between look at the other members as well. This is significant due to variety of reasons. Firstly, looking at the other members will help you in gauging their mind that whether they are satisfied with your answers or not. Secondly, it also ensures that the other members won't feel ignored. Thirdly, it sends a very positive impression that you can talk and engage simultaneously various people over a discussion table. This in-between looking at the other members becomes even more important when a particular member is asking you questions back to back.
Don't hesitate to clarify:
If, because of any reason, you were not able to hear the question properly, gently ask the Board member to repeat the question. But this should be exercised with utmost restraint and should not be repeated very frequently.
If you could not understand the meaning of a question then it is always better to clarify than to give wrong answer. But this entire thing needs to be done in a very polite, dignified and sophisticated manner. In this scenario, you can ask like sorry sir I could not understand", "Sir, does it mean...." etc. You should refrain from saying sir, do you mean...." because it can amount to questioning the linguistic ability of the Board member. This again should not be repeated very frequently.
Be exact and precise:
You should always answer exactly what has been questioned; never try to beat around the bush. Not only the answer should be exact, it should also be precise. Just mention the salient and important points of your answer without much elaboration at the first instance. If the Board wants you to elucidate or more explanation on any of the point they can always ask a supplementary question to you and only then you should elaborate on that.
Answer what is asked; not what you know:
Now this is something which you should never do. Very often we try to answer what we know rather than what is being asked. This sends a signal to the Board that comprehension skills of the candidate are very poor. Also it might give the impression that you are trying to fool which can obviously irritate the Board and can backfire on the candidate very severely.
Don't shy from "Don't know":
If you don't know the answer of the question, straight away politely convey the same to the Board saying “Sorry Sir I don't know about it”. Generally there is a feeling among the candidates that such a reply sends a wrong signal to the Board and negatively affects the score. This is not correct lnfact; now see the beauty of such kind of an answer.
First of all, it will convey to the Board that you are an honest person, honestly admitting that you don't know something. Second, it also conveys that you are a courageous person because it takes a lot of courage to accept that you don't know something; that you are weak at something. Third, it reduces chances of irritation on the part of the Board members because if you answer something which is totally wrong or irrelevant, it might annoy the Board and then it'll have a cascading negative effect on the subsequent questions as well. Fourth, you are saving the precious time of the Board. Five, by admitting that you don't know the answer you are giving yourself more chances to be asked questions by the Board in which probably you can prove your worth.
Partial Knowledge:
If you know the answer partially or have some idea about it but not very sure then you should always convey the same to the Board saying "Sir though not fully sure, I can try answering it with your kind permission". In such scenarios where one has partial information about the answer, generally it has been seen that the candidate feels that he should not answer the question at all thinking that why to take a risk or probably that the if the answer is not correct the Board might feel otherwise.
I feel this is not the right approach because when you don't know the answer fully or proper1y you are conveying it to the Board at the very start and are answering with their permission only. Now the question is that at the very first place what the logic behind giving a partial answer is. The answer is that what we think as 'probably correct' or 'partially correct' might be 'actually correct' or 'fully correct'. Now if you won't take that chance, you have left no scope of scoring on that question.
Secondly, even if your answer is partially correct, the Board comes to know that at least the candidate has an idea about that thing. Also it gives a very strong and positive impression to the Board that you are a person who is willing to go beyond your comfort zone. If you have some idea about a thing you have the guts, the will and the capabilities to move further in that direction. This is a very important trait that they are looking in a prospective bureaucrat. It also sends a signal to the Board that you are a person who has the ability to take a calculative risk; another significant attribute they are looking for.
Never try to circumvent the question:
Many times it happens that a question has been asked on one dimension of a particular subject. Now the problem is that we know the subject but not that particular dimension which has been asked. So we try to fool the Board by speaking on the same subject only but answering some other dimensions of the subject. This is what is termed as circumventing the question and is a strict no. You should never try to fool or belittle the people who are elder, wiser and experienced than you.
In such scenarios, you can politely convey to the Board that though you know about the topic, you are not aware of the particular aspect being asked.
The silence after your answer:
Many times it happens that once you have answered, there is no question immediately asked by the Board. In such situations, many times the candidate starts speaking further thinking that probably the Board wants him to speak more. This can or cannot be the case. Hence what rm trying to emphasize is that you should try to figure out the reason behind this silence. At times, it can happen that they want you to go for further elucidation. You have to judge it from their body language and if that is the case move further with explanation. But it could also be the case that they are satisfied with your answer or probably pondering over what you have said and just thinking about the next question. Also at some other times this silence could be deliberate and. in fact, is there to test you. The Board basically wants to check whether you will panic during this situation or can you act calmly. This is a very peculiar situation and you should tread forward very cautiously.
Feedback:
Always reciprocate immediately to any kind of feedback been given by the Board members. If they compliment you on your answer express deep and sincere thanks. If they correct you on a particular thing express your thanks. If, God forbid, they rebuke you on something say sorry very politely and don't show that it has hurt your ego.
Taking a stand:
Many times there are questions where the answers are not binary in nature i.e. there are no strict white and black, there are no strict yes and no, right and wrong. In such answers we have to take a stand and there is a possibility that that particular stand is not the best stand. So while taking a stand always leaves some room for difference in opinion. Never become totally adamant. This should not mean that you should not take a stand or take a very waver1y stand, it simply means you take a stand but paraphrase your answer in such a manner that there is some room for you to maneuver at a later stage.
Difference of opinion:
Very often there can be a difference of opinion between you and the Board. Several situations can arise. There can be a situation where you have expressed an opinion, the Board then expressed a different opinion and you have realized that more or less your stand is wrong. So simply admit your mistake and subscribe to their opinion citing the reason why you have done so.
* A word of caution here. While changing your opinion and subscribing to the opinion of the Board you should ensure that the Board should not get an impression that you have done this thing because you are a very indecisive person or that you did this just to please the Board or that you can easily be subjected to pressure. On the contrary as I have already said, you should cite the reason that why you have changed your opinion. So you tell them "Yes sir I feel that your opinion is right. I think I was wrong there because..”.
There can be a situation where the opinion being expressed by the Board is different from yours but there is no clear right or wrong opinion. In that scenario you should stick to your own opinion while understanding sincerely the perspective of the Board as well. After listening to their perspective, to the extent you agree with their perspective you should accept it and for the rest you can politely say that “Definitely Sir, I think I will revisit this entire thing in the new perspectives been shown by you."
Through such a response you will be able to convey to the Board that neither you are a very adamant person who is reluctant to hear anything else than his own neither views; nor are you a person who can be readily forced to change his views on a particular subject. You are conveying that you are a judicious mix of confidence and accommodating others.
There can be another type of situation where the Board members express an opinion which you feel ls totally wrong. Generally when the Board subscribes to such an opinion which seems to be out rightly wrong, there are chances that they have done it deliberately just to check whether you will, under the pressure, toe the same line which they are telling you or you have the competence and the guts to say 'no' to a thing that is wrong. So in such cases, continue with your view point but ensure that you should not seem like an arrogant person.
*A word of caution here. You should be very smart to judge whether they are actually deliberately subscribing to a wrong opinion or it is that you are not able to appreciate the opinion being taken by them.
Accept the mistake:
If you feel or the Board has pointed out that you have committed a mistake while answering, immediately accept the mistake. Committing a mistake is not a big thing. It happens and can happen with anyone, anytime, anywhere. There is nothing unusual about it but what indeed is unusual is to persist with the mistake even after understanding and knowing that it is a mistake and then it does not remain a mistake it gets transformed into ego and arrogance. This is a blunder which you should avoid at any cost.
Be absolutely firm:
You should be firm but it should not mean that you should be arrogant. There is a difference between the two. To be firm means that you take a stand; you believe in that stand and you will not change that stand unless and until you are convinced rationally. To be arrogant, on the contrary, means that even if you have come to know that your stand was wrong; even if logic and reason have been given to explain it, you still are adamant, out of your ego, that you will not change your stand. That should be avoided.
Maintain equanimity:
There can be situations when you have been asked a very difficult or controversial or provocative question. You should not panic in those moments. In other scenario, you can be asked a question which you have prepared very well. Even in those situations you should not hurry up in your answer. Equanimity of emotions should be maintained throughout the Personality Test. This does not mean that you should act like a robot and should be devoid of any kind of emotions or facial expressions. It simply means that you should be able to give an impression to the Board that irrespective of success or failure you can be composed and calm. This trait of composure and calmness is very important and the Board is seriously looking for it.
Nervousness:
One of the most common issues with the Aspirant Officers is how to control the nervousness and anxiety. Before I answer that question, let's first understand that being nervous is not bad after all. You are sitting in front of highly qualified, meritorious, experienced and wise people. It is natural to feel slightly nervous in front of them. I would even take the risk of saying that Board would infect appreciate that 'slight nervousness' as it appears to be more natural. But needless to say that this nervousness should be within the limits and should not project you as an over-scary person.
Now coming to question of how to avoid anxiety. The most important technique is never to lie. If you are being truthful in your responses, a major cause of the stress and anxiety ends there itself. Then if you find yourself in some difficult or tricky situation, please gently remind yourself that if you will panic the things will only become worse. Hence the best way is to be calm.
Don't try to be over diplomatic:
Very often the candidates feel that they will give balanced answer, they will be diplomatic while answering wherein they won't be taking a stand either for or against a particular issue. Friends, I feel this is wrong approach. I'm not saying that you need not be balanced or diplomatic or that you take a rigid stand; absolutely for or absolutely against something. What I am trying to impress upon you is that if you are smart, the Board members are much smarter. Don't try to be over diplomatic with them. Moreover they don't require the people who have no stand as the bureaucrats.
There is no wrong in taking a stand on a particular issue. What is wrong is when you take a stand without considering the other aspects.
Some important Do's related to answering:
- In all your answers be objective, moderate, balanced and unbiased.
- You should always try to remain cool, calm and composed even when some kind of provocative questions have been asked.
- Be very polite with the Board members. You should give the utmost respect to them
- Reciprocate the gestures of the Board members. If they smile on a particular thing you should also reciprocate with smile but it should be a smile and not a laugh. Similarly if they show some kind of shock on a particular subject you should also respond in the particular fashion. You should not give a signal as if you are copying them or taunting them. Just convey that you also share their feelings on a particular subject.
- Whatever you are saying to the Board say it with confidence, a sense of belief and a sense of sincerity and with full conviction.
Next: The Final Moments in UPSC Interview
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