Government jobs and bank jobs are a very attractive option in today’s economy especially because of the work-life balance, job security and handsome pay.
The best part is that the recruiting bodies in the banking sector and Government continue to recruit candidates in large numbers even during the pandemic. There is also a flip side to this impressive fact, more number of candidates than ever before are competing for the limited number of vacant positions available. In this article, we will walk you through various steps to ensure that you put your best foot forward and land a lucrative job in the banking sector or a coveted Government job.
1. Before starting your preparation for any bank/Government exam, try solving a previous year question paper or official mock test while emulating the exact exam conditions to find out where you stand. This will also serve as a SWOT analysis since the difficulty of the actual exam is replicated.
For instance, if you are planning to appear for the SSC CHSL then even before you look up articles on SSC CHSL apply online, solve one of the SSC CHSL previous year papers and prepare a realistic study plan that accommodates all the topics across the sections, gives you enough time to revise and improve on your weaknesses.
2. Constantly keep looking for relevant opportunities and be familiar with the bank exam and Government exam calendar. Keep checking the official websites of all major recruiting bodies at periodic intervals. Set up desktop notifications for exams or jobs that may be of interest to you. Here are some of the best opportunities:
| Name of the Exam | Recruiting Body/Organization | Important Dates | Link to the official website |
| SSC CHSL
(SSC combined higher secondary level exam) |
SSC or Staff Selection Commission | Notification Date – December – January Tier I – August Tier II – TBA |
www.ssc.nic.in |
| SSC CGL (SSC combined graduate level exam) | Staff Selection Commission | Notification Date – October Tier-I – March Tier-II – October Tier- III – TBA |
|
| SSC CPO (SSC Central Police Organization) | Staff Selection Commission | Notification Date – June Paper I – September – October Paper II – March |
|
| SSC GD (SSC General Duty) | Staff Selection Commission | Exam – July | |
| SSC JE (SSC Junior Engineer Recruitment) | Staff Selection Commission | Notification Date – August Phase 1 – September |
www.ssc.nic.in |
| IBPS PO (IBPS Probationary officer recruitment) | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection | Notification Date – 04.08.2020 Prelims – 3rd, 10th & 11th October 2020 Mains– 28th November 2020 |
www.ibps.in |
| IBPS RRB (IBPS Regional Rural Bank) | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection | Notification Date – July Prelims – officer scale I & Office Assistants – 12th, 13th,19th, 20th and 26th September 2020 Mains – officer scale I – 18th October 2020 Mains – for Office Assistants – 31st October 2020 Single Exam – officers scale II and III – 18th October 2020 |
|
| IBPS Clerk | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection | Notification Date – 1st September 2020 Prelims – 5th, 12th & 13th December 2020 Mains – 24th January 2021 |
|
| IBPS SO (IBPS Specialist Officer) | Institute of Banking Personnel Selection | Notification Date – November Prelims – 26th and 27th December 2020 Mains – 30th January 2021
|
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| SBI PO (SBI Probationary officer) | State bank of India | Notification Date – September – October Prelims & Mains – TBA |
www. sbi.co.in |
| SBI Clerk | State bank of India | Notification Date – 2nd January 2020 Prelims – February/March Mains – TBA |
|
| SBI SO (SBI Specialist officer) | State bank of India | Notification Date – January online exam – March |
|
| RBI Grade B | Reserve bank of India | Notification Date – September Phase I – TBA |
www. rbi.org.in |
| RBI Assistant | Reserve bank of India | Notification Date – December Prelims– February (14th February 2020) Mains – TBA |
|
| RRB JE (RRB Junior Engineer) | Railway Recruitment Board | Notification Date – August/ September |
www.rrcb.gov.in. |
| RRB NTPC (RRB Non-technical popular categories) | |||
| RRB ALP (RRB Assistant Loco Pilot) | |||
| LIC HFL (LIC Housing Finance Ltd.) | Life Insurance Corporation of India | Notification Date – August | Www.licindia.in |
| LIC AAO (LIC Assistant Administrative Officer) | Notification Date – February |
Some of the other large recruiting bodies are BSNL, NIACL (New India Assurance Company Ltd., UPSC (union public service commission), NABARD, and CAPF (central armed police forces). Ensure that you proactively apply to other renowned banks such as ICICI, IDBI (Industrial Development Bank of India), BOB (Bank of Baroda), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and BOI (Bank of India)
3. Apply for all the exams that you are eligible for. The best part is that almost all these exams test candidates on the same areas – quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, English language, General knowledge and computer awareness. Only the level of difficulty may vary based on the exam. Cement your conceptual understanding and solve as many questions as possible to reinforce them.
4. Choose the right study material to suit your style of preparation. Try and stick to just one reference book for each subject. There are tons of free resources available online
5. Save the last few weeks leading up to the exam to take mocks and boost your confidence. Maintain a detailed error log and brush up on the topics that you are committing mistakes in.
Now that you are familiar with the popular exams and how to go about preparing, it’s time to get started.
Good luck!