The crucial interview rounds for UPSC 2021 are going on. They started from 5 April and since it is the last stage and many aspirants reach it after a lot of struggle and hard work, nobody wants to leave room for any mistakes for fear of having to go through the whole process once again. This causes a great deal of nervousness in aspirants,which leads them to often fumble and make unexpected mistakes.
IRS officer Ms. Aman Preet, who is currently the Additional Director, Income Tax (Investigation) in Gurgaon, says that it is normal to feel nervous, but candidates should not panic and keep their calm while facing the panelists.
During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, the officer talked about her own experiences in the interview round and, also, shared some tips to clear this final hurdle.
TOOK BLESSINGS FROM THE GATEKEEPER
Ms. Kaur reached the interview stage in her third attempt. “I said, that’s it! I have to crack it anyhow because I don’t want to study more,” she said with a laugh.
Reminiscing the day, she further said: “The gatekeeper was standing all serious, and I started talking to him. I asked him whether he is going to smile or not. This was unexpected for him, and he smiled! That was it. I took his hand and placed it on my head and asked for his blessings. He said that I shouldn’t worry, I will make it to the final list. I think this conversation with him definitely helped me to be in a rather good mood.”
MAINTAIN COMPOSURE
When Ms. Kaur entered the room and took a chair to sit, it was difficult for her to manage herself in a saree and the chair also rolled.
“I took a deep breath and controlled the chair, and finally sat. I think this kind of situation might add to the tension, but one needs to know how to handle it. It was just a chair, it could roll. One need not worry and think the first impression went wrong.”
CARRY YOURSELF WITH CONFIDENCE
Ms. Kaur had opted for sociology and during the interview, she was asked about a sociologist. “I heard the name and said I don’t him, but the names seemed like that of a foreigner. Then one of the panelists said that he was from Punjab. And the next thing that I asked him was if he is still alive. They said yes, he is very much alive and living in Chandigarh. I asked for his address then and said I will visit him when I return to Chandigarh.”
Ms. Kaur’s interview lasted for 20 minutes, but she was confident that she will make it. After coming out, she gave a thumbs up to her father, who was a little sceptical about her success as other candidates were in the room for 40-45 minutes.
BE YOURSELF
Ms. Kaur advices that once you enter the interview room, don’t fake anything. Be yourself because they are judging your personality and honesty is very important. She also says that one should be very particular when filing their Detailed Application Form.
“Most of the questions are derived from DAF. You can be asked about your hobbies or anything. So, be true to what you wrote. If you don’t have any hobbies, you should not mention any. If you are an ordinary person who was just focused on clearing UPSC CSE, then present it like that. Don’t feel that having fancy hobbies will help you in getting into civil services. Be ordinary because that will make you extraordinary.”
She also stressed on the fact that everyone has their own strategy for studying and facing interview. They should stick to it because what works for one person doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for someone else.
Ms. Kaur, who is lauded for her initiative in creating awareness around menstruation hygiene, is mentoring students for UPSC CSE interview this year and also helping some of them with their fooding and lodging.
