Probing the OLQ's - Officer Like Qualities Of SSB Interview

Officer Like Qualities In SSB Interview

The main job of the IO is to probe and profile OLQs. The above-mentioned inquiries are merely supportive tools that carve your initial image. Let me remind you that the military officer encounters a lot of problems in all his functions i.e. operational, administrative, and maintenance. He must have a highly developed problem-solving ability. Problem-solving abilities are strongly supported and aided by your knowledge content. Hereby the terms knowledge, I mean the academic knowledge and general awareness both. The broader is the knowledge base, the stronger are the problem-solving abilities.

List Of 15 Officer Like Qualities Of SSB Interview

• Effective Intelligence.
• Reasoning Ability.
• Power of Expression.
• Self Confidence.
• Determination.
• Organizing Ability.
• Initiative.
• Courage.
• Cooperation.
• Sense of Responsibility.
• Stamina.
• Group Influencing Ability.
• Liveliness.
• Social Adaptability.
• Speed of Decision

The knowledge base is built by actively receiving (reading, watching, listening noticing), processing, and retaining what is relevant. General awareness is the biggest asset of an officer’s personality. And it is this reason why you will be nicely

grilled by the IO in the matter of general awareness and current affairs. He might ask you direct questions like-

• Which countries did the Prime Minister visit in the last two months?
• Where was the latest CII convention held?
• Can you name any foreigner who had received the Bharat Ratna?
• Which country has recently agreed to supply the nuclear fuel to India?
• What type of missile is Trishul?
• What honorary rank has been conferred on Sachin Tendulkar?

These questions are the ‘direct recall’ type of questions. It is possible to give correct answers to such type of questions by memory. However, it is not just the memory or ‘power to retain the facts’ that helps you in the real life. What helps you practically is- how you apply these facts. You can apply any piece of knowledge only when you are able to ‘evaluate’ it. In order to test your logical faculties (power of evaluation), the IO might give you questions like-

* What do you think are the reasons for fast urbanization in India?

* Why certain areas in our country are more developed than others?

* How we can create a tourist-favoring environment?

* Has the new economic policy (globalization) actually paid dividends?

* Do you think that Gandhian thoughts on swadeshi are still relevant?

Through the answers to the questions (examples mentioned above), you can convince the IO of two things. Firstly, you have gathered some facts and secondly, you have the ability to apply those facts with ‘some views, reasons, and logic’. The ability to apply and reason adds strength to your problem-solving abilities.

Problem Solving Ability Applied in Situations to Probe OLQs- Now the IO will take you to various situations (recall the situations of SRT). The fields from where he will pick up this situation hail from the very same four fields i.e. intellectual, social, leadership, and dynamic.

Consider an Example-

Question by IO- Imagine you are living away from your home in rented accommodation as an apprentice in a company. One night you returned late and

realized that you have left the keys to your house in the taxi that dropped you five minutes back.

Comment- Through this question, the IO has introduced a sense of urgency and confusion. The problem can be tackled in many ways and for sure, there is no standard answer. Let’s examine some of the possible answers to this situation.

- Break the lock and enter your house.

- Approach the neighbor for help.

- Decide to spend the night in a hotel.

- Go back to the taxi stand and try to locate the taxi that dropped you.

Whatever answer you choose; will in all likelihood not be accepted by the IO. He will ask for further clarifications, add further stressors till you have reached you have exhausted your last option. You might find the IO a tough customer or a hard nut to crack. But mind you he is only doing his profession. By rejecting all your options he only is fathoming your depth, the reach of your last point of imagination. Also, when he is showing rejection to your answers, he is inducing stress. He can now directly get the evidence of ‘how you react in face of crisis’ i.e. whether your faculties serve you well during the crisis or not.

Sometimes the IO may ask direct questions also in order to examine some of your faculties. Consider the following question by the IO-

- Tell me how you will organize the birthday party or the 75th marriage anniversary of your grandparents.

(It could be any other social or family function-or some formal activity at school or any formal forum -with the same basic idea i.e. to examine your abilities to plan, organize and find the resources.)

What will you do when?

During the SSB interview of Santa Singh the IO asked-imagine you are passing through a thick forest and suddenly there appears a hungry and fierce lion. What will you do then?

Santa – Sir, what can I do in this situation? It is the lion that will do anything- if at all...

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