How a candidate can impress the interviewer in SSB Personal Interview?

Now this simple looking question is trying to ask the entire technique of interviewing. An entire book can be written on it.

Having been an interviewing officer at SSB for three years and having done more than 5000 interviews let me put what I would like to see in a candidate.

Candidate should appear to be an honest, forthright and simple person who has substance in terms of knowledge and done justice with the resources he got in his life.

Who does not put up a facade. He wants to join defence forces as a career and not for seeking a job.Now coming to bit of details.

In his education has he done justice and got decent grades and is there consistency in it. If not what brought about that inconsistency. For some of you this is where your bunking classes, having girl friend/ boyfriend or any other diversion becomes cause of the drop in performance. If you think and say girls are meant to be enjoyed and used there is an issue but if you say you have a  girlfriend for say past two years and waiting to settle down and then marry that girl and it has not affected your grades negatively we have no issue. Interviewing officer is always smiling and you think it is friendly but it is deadly ;). If your drop is justified it's okay.

In your friends; how many friends and how many close friends you have. This is where you tend to give that you have 500 Facebook friends and then some go about saying making friends is your hobby. It becomes problematic once question of keeping in touch with your friends is posed and it discloses precious time being wasted on facebook.

Qualities that you don't like in your best friend? If you say that he attends all the classes in college or he participates in outdoor activities and thus is not able to spend time with you or he does not bunk classes with you then your priorities are misplaced. If these are like someone criticizes everything or loses temper or they are into drinking and smoking and those are your strong points then it's okay.
As regards teachers if you don't like a teacher because he/she is partial (and you can give an example) or he does not come prepared in class and you have taken action to inform the principle about it it's okay. But your saying that teacher is strict or gives too much work or doesn't allow you to miss a class then you are at fault.

Let's cover a few questions about your family. Whatever information is given in the PIQ form is not required to be repeated because that the IO knows. Explain a few qualities about your father that have impressed you. It can be his honesty or care for the family or the hardship in earning etc. Also give your relationship with your father it may be formal or casual or friendly.
Most of the times father's are normally away and boys tend to be close to their mothers which is okay. Explain your relationship with your mother also tell whom do you approach when you are in a problem.

Explain how you help your mother in doing dishes, or dusting the house or help in getting groceries or doing bank work. We do not want parasites in the family but contributing members. At the end of your explaining about the family I should get a feeling that you belong to a well knit happy family. But I want to know if you had an issue in your family like a divorce, may be death of some near and dear one and has it affected you negatively or no.

Sports and games are normally not included in hobbies. Hobbies are more individual in nature. Hobbies can be reading, writing poems, playing an instrument, TV watching, facebook, internet surfing, gardening etc. Hobbies can be divided in two categories constructive and not so constructive. Like reading is a constructive hobby and TV watching (called idiot box, actually it is only a box idiot is the one sitting in front)

Facebook are not constructive ones. Having mentioned a hobby do research and be prepared to be answering questions about. If you say cooking (should not be that only think you can make is Maggie noodles) you should know various terms used incooking like saute, shallow & deep frying, various types of gravies and how they are made etc.

And similarly about other games. At times candidate mentions he has played cricket when I ask him in detail he confirms he has played with tennis ball in the street with friends :)
Let's move on to your daily routine from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. Say this is the routine:

0700–0800 get up, get ready
0800–1600 college
1600–1700 rest
1700–1800 go out with friends
1800–2030 TV,Facebook
2030–2130 dinner
2130–2230 studies and sleep

Even if you want to go over current affairs on net I would recommend you to go over actual version of any one newspaper on net and not the headlines on an app.
Reading of you say is hobby be prepared with favourite author, books read, why you like the author and some details about the author.

Let us discuss some common questions being asked. If you appearing for army know who is the Chief of the Army Staff, latest equipment being purchased by the army, any major thing like restructuring being thought of. Similarly do your home work for Navy and Air Force.
Rest later:) to be continued...

In your extracurricular co-curricular activities have you participated and know about what you did. If You say you did NSS or Scouts & Guides but don't even know their mottos or have not done any of these and say you have passion to join defence forces. Then I tend to see, you are saying something without supporting it. Any teachers that you didn't like and the reasons of your dislike and what action did you take there!

Explain your relationship with your siblings. Give out those fights over remote control you had at home as to who will see which TV channel:), explain the the help rendered to you in doing your homework by elder sibling or vice versa. And once any one reaches the age where one has to leave the house these fights get converted to fondness for each other.

Gentleman use this to improve yourself as a person and not to modify your answers. If there is a drawback remove that drawback and not try to change the answer. Grant it to the experience of IO you will be caught.

Now let's cover your hobbies and interests, reading, writing and internet surfing  and your daily routine.

When you give your games and sports make sure that you know about that game inside out. Say I give football as one of the games. Then I should be aware of the dimensions of the field, height of goal post, number of players in the team, various fouls your position in the team, your favourite player, which club he plays for, difference between football and soccer. Why Indian football is not doing well etc.

In this routine other than the mandatory things there is no news paper reading,hobby, physical fitness or any fruitful activity. Rest I leave it to your judgement.

Let us talk about reading and internet surfing habits. Internet surfing can be dicey in the sense with the young minds one is never sure it is being used or abused. So see which all sites you surf regularly and with what purpose. If Facebook is the place you spend maximum time then I know that you have wasted that time if time spent on this is more than 15–20 mins.

Our Prime Minister is very active and keeps visiting various countries know what is happening, any financial aid being given to these countries and important agreements being aigned. Knows about the issues with our neighboring countries in relations to India.