“May I come in Sir?” I asked, while standing at the doorstep of the interview hall at NAB Lahore.

“Yes please. Have a seat.” The DG HR NAB replied as I went near the chair placed there for the candidate.


“Introduce yourself.” He said.

“My name is Muhammad Ammad Ashique. I belong to District Sheikhupura. I have completed my Master of Commerce (3 ½ yrs) from Hailey College of Commerce, University of the Punjab Lahore in 2016, and I am here today for an interview for the post of Deputy Assistant Director at National Accountability Bureau Lahore.”

"Tell me your three weaknesses." He said.

"I, sometimes, jump to the conclusions too early. Secondly, I am a bit less resistant to weather changes."

"And the third one?" He said.

"There are only two." I replied with a smile.

“What is the effect of business policy on the business?” He asked.
“It definitely has a lot of effect. The more the policy is investor-friendly, the more the investment is made. Unfortunately, we don’t have that much conducive environment for business here, but more the conducive it is for the investors; the better it is for the business.” I replied.

“There is an impression that marketing is deceptive. The product being sold isn’t the one that is advertised. What’s your take on it?” He asked.
“Well, I don’t agree with this statement. The reason is that the marketing essentially lies on the need of the customer. The customers’ need is first analysed, then a product is developed, is appropriately priced and then distributed.” I replied.

"اب وہ شیمپو دیتے ہیں۔کہتے ہیں اس سے بالوں میں سے خشکی ختم ہو جائے گی، بال گھنے ہو جائیں گے۔ ہوتا کچھ بھی نہیں۔ الٹا اس کا نقصان ہوتا ہے۔"

"سر ، اب یہ تو میں نہیں بتا سکتا کہ شیمپو نے اثر کیوں نہیں کیا، شاید اس کی کوئی میڈیکل وجہ ہو۔ لیکن مارکیٹنگ شروع ہی کسٹمر کی نیڈ سے ہوتی ہے ، اس لیے یہ تاثر غلط ہے کہ یہ دھوکہ دہی ہے۔ "

"لکھنؤ پیکٹ میں مسلمانوں کے کونسے مطالبات مانے گئے؟" ڈی جی نے پوچھا۔

"لکھنؤ پیکٹ میں مسلمانوں نے سیپریٹ الیکٹوریٹ کا مطالبہ منوایا اور شاید یہ پہلی اور آخری مرتبہ ہوا کہ مسلمان اور ہندو ایک جگہ اکٹھے ہوئے۔"

"اس کے علاوہ کوئی بات؟"

"اس کے علاوہ کوئی بات یاد نہیں۔"

"مرکزی حکومت کے حوالے سے کوئی بات یاد ہو تو؟" ڈی جی نے کہا۔

"نہیں سر۔"

"تکا لگانا چاہیں گے۔"

"نہیں سر۔" میں نے مسکراتے ہوئے جواب دیا۔

"نما ز کے فوائد بتائیں۔" ڈی جی نے کہا۔

"نماز انسان کی زندگی میں ترتیب پیدا کرتی ہے۔ انسان کے اندر یہ احساس پیدا ہوتا کہ وہ کسی کا بندہ جس کے آگے وہ جھک رہا ہے ، اور اس نے اسی کے بنائے اور بتائے ہوئے اصولوں کے مطابق اپنی زندگی ایمانداری اور سچائی سے گزارنی ہے۔"

Then the man sitting on the right of the DG started asking questions.

سوال: آپ نے اپنی کمزوریاں بتائی ہیں، اب اپنی مثبت باتیں بتائیں۔

جواب: میں اپنا کام ترتیب سے کرتا ہوں۔ سب کچھ لکھ لیتا ہوں، اس سے میرا کام بہت جلدی اور بہت اچھے طریقے سے ہو جاتا ہے۔ میں محنتی ہوں۔ بہت جلدی چیزیں سیکھ لیتا ہوں۔ اور میں اپنے بڑوں کی بہت زیادہ عزت کرتا ہوں۔
Q: How do you treat your parents?
A: I treat them with utmost respect and care, because they were the ones who made me what I am. I was able to study at Beaconhouse, which is one of the top institutes in the country and also at PU, just because of them.

سوال: آپ ان کی عزت کیسے کرتے ہیں؟

جواب: میں ہمیشہ ان کا حکم مانتا ہوں۔ ان کی کوئی بات رد نہیں کرتا۔

سوال: اگر وہ آپ کو ایسا کام کرنے کا کہیں جو اسلام کے منافی ہو ، تو؟

جواب: اس صورت میں میں ان کا حکم نہیں مانوں گا۔

سوال: وہ کیوں؟ یہ تو کوئی تابعداری نہ ہوئی۔

جواب: کیونکہ والدین کا حق اپنی جگہ لیکن اللہ کا حق ان سے زیادہ ہے اور اللہ کا ہی حکم ہے کہ والدین کی اطاعت تب تک کی جائے جب تک وہ شرک کرنے کا نہ کہیں۔

Q: Tell us something about your family.
A: I belong to a middle class family of Sheikhupura. My father is a reputed businessman of the city. One of my maternal uncles in the Chairperson of Dept of Statistics at Government College University Lahore and the other one is a specialist doctor.

Q: How old is your father?
A: He turned 55 on March 5.

Q: And is your mother a housewife?
A: Yes. She is.

Q: What about your siblings?
A: I have a younger brother and a sister.

Q: What’s your number among your siblings?
A: I am the eldest one.

Q: How do you treat them?
A: Well, the way I treat them is a mix of love and harshness. I, being the eldest one, am more experienced and the one who teaches them. So, at times I need to be a bit harsh with them, but that’s always because of love and care.

Q: Do they respect you?
A: Yes, they do.

Q: Did you ever punish them physically?
A: No. I never did so. I believe that what you can achieve through awareness and prevention can’t be achieved through corporal measures. And I would like to mention that the same policy of awareness and prevention adopted by NAB to tackle corruption has been very effective.

Q: You shifted from medical to commerce. Was it because you couldn’t get enough marks?
A: Yes, this was the ostensible reason. But in fact, the decision of getting admission in the Pre-Medical was a wrong one in the first place. I wasn’t that informed at that time, so it was more of a parents’ choice to go in the Pre-Medical.

Then the person sitting on the right of the DG asked me, “What is the hierarchy of NAB?”

“There is a Chairman who heads NAB. Then there is Prosecutor General Accountability, who holds an independent office on whole time basis. Then there is Deputy Chairman NAB, who is subordinate to the Chairman. Then there are different DGs for regional headquarters such as Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. Lastly, there are DGs for different departments as well such as Headquarters, Training and HR.”

“Do you have relations with NAB officers?” He asked.
“No sir, I have been in contact randomly with a couple of officers, but I don’t have personal relations with any of the NAB officers.”

To this, the DG HR said, “Thank you.”

I said, “One last thing if you don’t mind.” He shook his head affirmatively.

I said, “I believe that I am the one for this job. Please treat me that way.”

“We treat everyone on merit. Don’t worry.” He said, while shaking his head affirmatively.

“Thank you very much, Sir.” I said and left the room.

Apart from the last line "treat me that way"

I think the rest you answered very well

.....best of luck for final selection.......

Well, thanks mate. To be honest, that sentence was totally impromptu, utterly unintentional. I am a bit worried about it, but I think and pray that it doesn't create a bad impact, as it would not be analysed in isolation and may be ignored.

''Treat you that way'' is good a gesture in that you are honest and committed to serving NAB and you don't expect to be treated unfairly. You were bold enough and that boldness elicited such a thing from your within. Had I been the interviewer, this last sentence would reverberate for quite some time with your bold face in my mind.
Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now those are some serious calculative answers.
I must say, Pack your bags for Sihala!
Good Luck..

As an HR professional who have conducted umpteen number of interviews in a telecommunication multinational, I will mark your experience as pretty good. However, the last line "treat me that way" depends on how the interviewer has percieved that gesture. The line can have a positive effect on the panel while on the other hand it can have a negative effect as well. Luck will play its part. Best of luck from a fellow beaconite.

Very good interview, you will be allocated dear.

Well, it is a pleasure to come across a beaconite who does have a good experience of working as an HR expert with a reputed multinational organisation. Thanks for rating my experience with your precious dedication. About that last sentence, as I had wrote earlier, I would reiterate that it was purely impromptu, something from within. I have a couple of things in my mind. Firstly, I don't think that last line would be analysed in isolation to decide my fate. Secondly, I have a feeling, based on the reaction of the panel at that time, that they didn't mind it. Let's see how it goes. I hope and pray that it does have a positive impact or doesn't have any. Do keep me in your prayers and good luck to you too, my dear fellow beaconite.

In Sha Allah dear. Just keep me in your prayers.

You guys decide how the interview went, I need honest opinions.
I entered the room *may I*
Interviewer 1: *Please have a seat*,
*Apna tafseeeli taaruf karayen.*
I started by telling my name and then the basic education from my schooling till my masters education. furthermore, I told them what my past experiences are. I told them currently I am working as a freelancer and that I write company descriptions, job descriptions and SEO articles for organizations.
interviewer 1: You are a Masters in supply chain and finance, how would you implement supply chain in federal organizations?
me: *supply chain is a vast subject which includes all the processes from the supply planning to demand planning, creating an integration between the two parties....... and so on.
he asked me 2 to 3 more questions related to finance and supply chain to which I answered accordingly as it is my field of interest.
interviewer 1: why NAB?
me: * NAB is an autonomous department which has no political influence over it. NAB has proved to be successful in many platforms......*
Interviewer1: *what do you mean by political influence? do you think it is political influence if the minister orders the officer to perform a task?*
me * If a minister from one department orders the officer from other department to perform a task, for example the minister of environment directing the officers from the labor department to perform a task, I believe that is political influence.*
The interviewer nodded his head affirmatively. and pointed towards the second interviewer.
interviewer 2: your family background?
I told them that my father is a Government servant and my mother is a school teacher.
interviewer 2: *you must have heard stories regarding corrupt practices in such provincial government departments, please enlighten us with the stories*
me * yes I have heard that the lower grade officers would charge 2k per ghost employee every month for not showing up in the office and mark them present. this is how they manipulate the funds as far I know.....*
pointing to the third interviewer.
interviewer 3 : *nahi sir kaafi hai*
They told me that's it, Thank you.