Indian Coast Guard Interview Experience

I have been an aerospace engineer all set to do my MS in the united states of america, with a very good GRE + TOEFL score. But this passion to work for our country and that too in the Defense forces is in itself highly attractive to me personally. A national level Taekwondo player, state Basketball player, and College Soccer player, my passion for sports, adventure and traveling is beyond words.

 

 

So i decided in my final year to Join the Army, applied for CDS, being quite good in Maths and English i cleared the CDS exam quite easily even though i had not prepared a word for it. So this very high self-esteem boy goes to Allahabad like he can never be rejected anywhere in the world. But to my surprise i see tasks of Dande fatte that created hassles in all corners of my brain, Result I was conference out and not shocked but confused of what actually happened there, my reason of failure was very obvious, no preparation at all. Came back home and knew just one thing, to prepare for the next one, coz i very well knew i had it in me.

But not always luck is on your side, CDS exam clashed with some other exams, AFSB that i went for, after getting screened in, i was sent back due to problem in my documents, though that time my preparation was top notch. Next nail in the coffin, next AFCAT form gets rejected. So after exactly one year, from March 23 2012 my first SSB, my second SSB was at ICG in Noida on march 24 2013. My spirits were very high and i had only one thing is mind, by hook or crook I will Win. Coz that’s how ive been all my life, when i go at something i give it all, without a pinch of any fear of failure.

Got recommended and waiting for merit now. My AFSB is again in a weeks’ time, and i am going there with even higher preparation and spirits and fully confident of my recommendation second time.

Interview

IO : Have a seat.

Me: Thank you sir!

IO: So your name isn’t wrongly spelt?

Me: No sir that’s the way my dad uses it, though others in our relatives use the normal spelling.

IO: SO arun tell me about your family, your Dad, mother, and siblings, abt their education and their job

profiles.

Me: I tell him step by step everything, and ask him if I even need to tell abt my brother in laws, he says

no and we complete this topic. In between I tell him how each of my sisters inspire me differently, and

tell him that I am close to my XYZ sister as she guides me towards my career, and it was her who forced

me to to have a backup plan for higher education while I am preparing for SSB and other competitive

exams.

IO: Okay arun, I see your marks have been quite poor consistently after your 10th standard, why?

Me: Sir I don’t believe they are so bad, though in my 12th I agree they were not upto the mark as I had

been preparing for the engineering entrances and was even involved in some extra curricular activities

in school. This way my regular board studies got neglected to an extent and hence the low marks,

though in my graduation 69 % is not at all bad, if you were to know the syllabus and marking standards

of our university. When I was in first year the university gold medalist scored 81%, hence anything

around 70% is a pretty decent score, plus I had good projects under my belt and was considered a good

student in college by my professors.

IO: okay arun, quickly tell me about your friends, and the qualities of your best friend, and one thing you

don’t like about him/her, and one thing he/she doesn’t like about you?

Me: Sir I have 4 close friends at home now, and XYZ is my best friend as we have been friends since early

childhood and spent 2-3 together daily even now, we share common hobbies of dog petting and enjoy

going out to eat at new places. One thing I don’t like about him is that he is a little bit of a show off, which I

nag him about all the time. One thing he doesn’t like about me is that he tells me that I am way too talkative

and don’t give him others a chance to speak when all get together.

IO: I noticed something arun, you don’t seem to have any female friends, is it because you feel shy

around them? But you have elder sisters and it doesn’t seem logical to me.

Me: No sir I always have had a very good comfort level around girls, and I firmly believe that girls are

much more sincere and hardworking than boys in terms of studies and career wise. The reason I did not

mention was because since college I had been in less contact with my female friends, though in college

most of them guided my for notes, and for exams, both academic and competitive. SO all in all I have

had very good and friendly relations with girls during my college years.

IO: Well arun I have seen you have been a taekwondo player at the national level, tell me if there were 4

people standing behind you right now, would you be able to beat them at once.

Me: (I smiled a bit) Sir why would I have to beat people, there is no reason to beat people because I

have learnt some martial art form, and moreover Taekwondo is a sport, and quite away from actual fighting, it is the only combative form of sport in the Olympics other than boxing.

IO: So you mean you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself from four people?

Me: If the situation demands I know how to defend myself, and how to escape such dangerous

situations, But in reality if you give four thugs bricks in their hands no martial arts will come into use,

then its all about being ready to get hit to survive. And that I could do if there is no other alternative.

IO: Okay arun I see you have spectacles.

Me: I just say ‘SO?’ in a loud voice. (I guess it was a little rude but it just came out of my mouth)

IO: I mean you could face problems during medicals.

Me: Sir I have thoroughly read the advertisement before applying and power till -3.5 is allowed for tech

entry. And my power is -2.5.

IO: He again asks with a weird face, I didn’t hear, how much is your power?

Me: I tell him loud and slowly, sir -2.5 for both eyes.

IO: Tell me in short why you want to join the ICG?

Me: Sir the most important point I got to know while I was an intern in HAL was that ICG gives ample

opportunity to get trained and educated consistently to higher levels.

IO: Arun I don’t see a reason why you want to let go of your B.tech course as you are quite set for higher

education and join an organization that will not give much scope to what you have studied.

Me: Sir I have applied in a technical entry in the Aero division, and I know that Coast guards work on

aircrafts Dornier do 228, and even rotor crafts.

IO: But even though for the initial years everyone has to work on ships no matter which entry they join,

this way don’t you think you will get frustrated with this kind of a work profile.

Me: Definitely not sir , It will be a great chance for me to learn and get trained on latest technologies

that the coast guard possesses. I will definitely cherish such a job profile.

IO: But like you believe about higher education, very few actually get a chance like that in the

organization that too if it benefits the organization only then.

Me: Sir I believe if I constantly prove myself then I will definitely grab that opportunity.

IO: I am still telling you, that you will get frustrated and at some point you will want to leave this job, as

you will not get what you’re expecting here. And you will get into a completely different line.

Me: Sir right now I am just a graduate, with very basic knowledge of my core stream. If tomorrow lets

say I clear some exam like GATE and get an opportunity to study in an IIT, would you think anybody

would be cribbing about the course, that I wanted to study UAVs but I got a course for Rockets. A person

like me will proudly accept that opportunity to the best of my spirits and study in an esteemed college

like IIT. Similarly to work for the country that too in such an esteemed organization like the ICG I would

be happy to work even on Ships, and learn more and more each day.

IO: Now tell me all the subjects you studied in your course?

Me: I tell him all the subjects in brief starting from 1st year to final year, and finish with the subject called

helicopter engineering.

IO: Okay tell me the role of a tail rotor in a helicopter?

Me: Sir its role is to counter the inertia force cause by the large rotor blades, that make the helicopter

rotate in the direction of their rotation. Tail rotor pushes air in the opposite direction and makes the

helicopter stable.

IO: So what will happen if the tail rotor broke out of the heli?Me: Sir the heli will start rotating viciously in the direction of rotation of rotor blades.

IO: I mean will it fall down?

Me: Yes sir it will fall down but that will depend on the design of heli, that is the location of COG, hence

it will fall in the direction in which the COG takes it.

IO: What’s the horizontal kind of projection in the helicopter’s tail and its purpose?

Me: Sir I can’t understand abt what you want me to speak, if you could tell me the term that describes it

I could answer.

IO: (explains with hands, but I still don’t understand) 😛

Me: Sir I am unable to get you, maybe i have no idea abt it.

IO: Tell me what do you infer out of US’s international relations and why US interferes into the matters

of many countries, what do you think is the real motive behind it?

Me: Sir I believe seeing the history, US has always focused on countries rich in resources and makes

them internally so unstable so that they can have a firm step hold in them and then use their resources

in return for help in the terms of buying their resources and even their treasury bonds. We can see in

the IRAN-IRAQ war, US helped IRAQ to suddenly invade IRAN, and when it could not do it successfully

and the country got internally weak they waged war on the same country for their resources. Similarly

we see how US is building relations with the ASEAN countries nowadays, by building free trade

agreements with them as we can see from the TPP i.e. the Trans pacific partnership. And I believe we

will soon see steps of US in Central Asia, which is most rich in resources now.

IO: Arun tell me what could be the possible reason for unrest between the world’s two biggest religions,

Christianity and Islam.

Me: Sir I do not have much idea, but the only reason I see why Christianity looks down at Islam is due to

the tag of terrorism with the middle east and arab countries, and they try to show the same picture to

the whole world through their media. Rest I don’t have much idea about their religious differences.

IO: It has been 1 hour of nice conversation with you Arun, and I asked you many questions, now is their

anything you need to ask me?

Me: I think for about 15 secs in silence, and say, Sir like we had a discussion on the educational

opportunities in ICG, I want you to confirm that thing as this I had heard from ICG personnel itself.

IO: See arun in the ICG you have to work on ships as the core field, even though you have been recruited

for Aero branch. Plus you are right we give opportunities to study in IITs if it is the requirement of the

organization, but for that tests are conducted and you need to prove yourself, plus your work profile

given through your superiors also comes into place. So Best of luck for all your endeavours.

Me : Thanks a lot sir for your time. May I send the next chest number in?

IO: Yes tell him to wait outside and sit at the same place you did.

Me: Okay sir.

I leave after a grueling 1 hour. But the good point was I had started enjoying the conversation and

knowing things about the ICG so much that there was not one sign of tiredness on my face. I felt I had an

above satisfactory interview, as it was much needed after a very average performance in the GTO.Conference (I had to sit outside for almost 15 mins and started feeling

the rush)

Me: I enter and ask for a seat.

IO: Have a seat Arun.

Me: Thank you Sir.

IO: So tell me Arun what was going in your mind sitting outside?

Me: Sir frankly speaking I heart was bouncing out of my shirt (just then all start smiling). I smile too.

IO: So you mean you were nervous?

Me: Yes sir I was quite nervous.

IO: But you have attended SSB before as well, then how is that you’re nervous now?

Me: Sir even if I was sitting outside for any small interview I would feel the same.

IO: So what was actually going in your mind?

Me: Sir I was nervous so I started thinking about my family to divert my mind.

IO: What were you picturing in your mind?

Me: Sir I was recalling the trip to Vaishno devi with my family recently, and recalling the good times, that

made me calm.

IO: So quickly tell me about your priorities in Life?

Me: Sir Priorities as in, in which perspective?

IO: Your Job priorities, career priorities?

Me: ( I used my mind and knew this just meant to tell him why I want to join the ICG), SO I bring out the

answers I had learnt from Dagar sir. I said sir as a Engineering graduate, I want to remain in the technical

domain and work, with that I need good amount of time for sports and extracurricular stuff, as I have

always given my time in that since School and college, Hence Defence gives me the right job I am looking

for plus great respect and job security and the perks and facilities of an officer are beyond comparison.

The IO now nods his head looking at the Board president sitting right in the middle and President nods

him back, I feel I have given the right answer.

IO: Any suggestions?

Me: No sir I was staying out so I can’t say anything.

IO: Thank you Arun.

Me: Thank you sir.

I leave the room quite satisfied that I will make the grade this time.