All,

So, I am looking to move back to India after quite a few years abroad and am not quite well versed with interview processes in India, especially for PM roles.

I have an interview (On Demand interview) invitation for the role of a senior PO with a major bank. I guess it is one of those record your videos types interviews.

1. What kind of questions do they ask in such interviews?

2. What aspects should I focus on in my answers? How polished should the answers be? Where I am based rn, in corporates, you are generally and simply expected to answer based on your actual experience, without fluff, and that is also what interviewers stress on.

3. What kind of salary range is possible for this role? Internally, it is a associate director level.

4. any other tips?

I made a post on rupee depreciation, see link below.

Economics of rupee depreciation and structural issues: Part I : r/indianeconomy

This post serves to highlight the advantages India has over other regional economies that, if well utilized, can propel India much further in next 10 years.

Like before, Below text is copied from Gemini because it would be rather stupid to rewrite this on my own. So if you are one of those "bUT aI-sLOp. mOdS pLEsz deLTE", i guess you know where the door is.

I welcome arguments but lets try and keep politics out of this.

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This expanded summary integrates India’s recent technological and strategic pivots—specifically in AI, Supercomputing, and Defense—to provide a complete picture of its 2026 economic "propulsion" plan.

Page 1: The India "Turbocharged" Strategy (2024–2026)

While Vietnam and Indonesia built their success on physical assembly, India is attempting to bypass them by owning the High-Value IP and Strategic Assets that power the modern world.

1. Sovereign AI & Supercomputing: The "Compute as a Public Good"

India is not just using AI; it is building the "brains" of the regional economy.

• Massive GPU Deployment: As of early 2026, the IndiaAI Mission has made 38,000 GPUs available to startups and researchers at affordable rates, with another 20,000 being added shortly. This "public compute" model prevents Indian startups from being "taxed" by foreign cloud providers.
• The Supercomputing Moat: Through the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), India has deployed over 25 indigenously designed supercomputers (like the Param series). While peers like Vietnam remain "digital tenants" of US/Chinese hardware, India is building its own silicon and stack.
• The Edge: This creates a "Knowledge Moat." Vietnam can be undercut by a cheaper labor market, but a country that owns its AI models and compute is much harder to replace.

2. Defense Autonomy: From Importer to Powerhouse

The most radical shift in India’s trade profile is the weaponization of its industrial base.

• The Export Target: Defense exports hit a record ₹38,000 crore in FY25-26 (a 61% surge). The government is now eyeing a ₹50,000 crore ($6 billion) target by 2030.
• Strategic Products: Selling BrahMos missiles (to the Philippines), Tejas jets, and advanced artillery (to Armenia) provides high-margin dollar inflows.
• The Edge: Defense is "sticky" trade. Once a country buys Indian weapons, they are tied to India for maintenance and upgrades for decades, providing a long-term geopolitical and currency floor.

3. Semiconductor Mission 2.0 (Aatmanirbharta)

The ₹76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission has moved from policy to production.

• Current Status: By 2026, 10 major projects worth ₹1.60 lakh crore have been approved. India is no longer just aiming for assembly but is moving toward advanced nodes (12nm and below).
• The Edge: Controlling the chip supply chain is the ultimate defense against the "Dollar Leakage" that previously occurred when India imported all its electronics.

Page 2: The 10-Year Propulsion & Currency Outlook

India’s "lateness" in 2010s manufacturing is being countered by its "earliness" in 2020s strategic tech. Here is how this affects the 10-year competition (2026–2036).

The 5 Structural Edges vs. Peers (VN, BD, ID)

Sector	India’s Position (2026-2036)	The Other Countries (VN, BD, ID)
High-Value Exports	Deep Edge. Selling missiles and AI-driven software/chips.	VN/BD: Likely stuck in low-margin assembly where they can be undercut by cheaper nations.
AI Sovereignty	Full Edge. Owns the models and the compute capacity.	ID/VN: Primarily "users" of foreign AI tech; they pay "rent" to external providers.
Logistics (Gati Shakti)	Closing the Gap. Costs dropped to ~8% of GDP, reaching parity with VN.	VN/ID: Already efficient, but face rising labor costs and lack India's massive scale.
Energy Strategy	Transitioning. 51% non-fossil capacity achieved 5 years early (2025).	BD/VN: Still heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, making them more vulnerable to price shocks.
Currency (INR)	Regional Reserve Potential. Settlement in INR via Vostro accounts with 30+ nations.	BDT/VND: Will remain strictly "managed" currencies tied to the strength of their exports.

The Rupee & GDP Multiplier

By 2036, India’s "mid-air engine swap" is projected to create a $7–$10 trillion economy.

• INR Stability: As defense exports grow and oil imports are offset by green energy and INR trade settlement, the "sell Rupee/buy Dollar" pressure will ease. The INR is expected to move from an "emerging market currency" to a stable regional reserve currency.
• Propulsion: While Vietnam and Indonesia will likely maintain healthy 5-6% growth, India’s combination of Mega-Factory Logistics and Sovereign High-Tech (AI/Defense) allows it to maintain a higher 7-8% trajectory.

The Bottom Line: Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh built "Better Factories" for the 2010s. India is building a "Better Engine" for the 2030s. Ownership of the AI Stack and the Defense Hardware is what will finally propel India’s GDP per capita past its regional rivals in the coming decade.

So, I spend about an hour with gemini, debating and understanding various concepts of currencies and why rupee has been falling for years despite economy showing healthy growth. For reference, I have compared the economy and currency across India, Bdesh, Indonesia and Vietnam and will try highlighting various aspects that result into rupee depreciation and also how these other currencies have stayed strong.

Below text is copied from Gemini because it would be rather stupid to rewrite this on my own. So if you are one of those "bUT aI-sLOp. mOdS pLEsz deLTE", i guess you know where the door is.

I welcome arguments but lets try and keep politics out of this.

Almost all problems with economy and the Rupee can be traced back to delayed liberalisation which only happened in '91 and additional decades of delay pivoting to a manufacturing / export oriented economy.

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This two-page summary distills our conversation on the structural divergences between India and its Asian peers, specifically highlighting India's "Reform Gap" and its impact on the Rupee in 2026.

Page 1: The Macro Reality – Why India is “Late”

While India is currently the world’s fastest-growing major economy (projected at 7.6% for FY26), it is facing a "sprint to stay relevant." The 2026 Economic Survey recently warned that India must run its marathon like a sprint to avoid being permanently overtaken by Southeast Asian "Connector Countries."

The Structural Reform Timeline

The primary issue isn't that India isn't reforming; it’s that it started significantly later and moved more cautiously than its neighbors:

• Vietnam (The Head Start): Vietnam’s 2025 "Decree 19" was a masterclass in administrative reform, creating "plug-and-play" industrial parks that allow high-tech firms to start production in weeks. India’s equivalent reforms (PLI schemes) are effective but often bogged down by state-level land disputes.
• Indonesia (The Downstreaming Lead): Indonesia began its aggressive "Nickel Ban" years ago, forcing global EV players to build factories on their soil today. India is only now attempting similar "Make in India" mandates for high-end electronics.
• The FDI Divergence: Vietnam’s FDI surged to over $36 billion recently, driven by a 20% corporate tax rate (often as low as 5% for high-tech). India’s FDI remains strong at $81 billion, but on a per-capita basis, it is significantly lower than Vietnam's, reflecting a missed decade of mass-manufacturing capture.

Currency Performance Snapshot (2025–2026)

The Rupee's decline isn't just about the US Dollar; it’s a reflection of these structural choices.

• INR vs. BDT (The Surprise): Despite a 2025 dollar crisis, the Bangladesh Taka (BDT) has strengthened against the Rupee. 1 INR bought 1.40 BDT in early 2025; today it buys roughly 1.27 BDT. This is due to Bangladesh’s strict IMF-mandated monetary discipline, which India—not under such pressure—has ignored in favor of export-boosting depreciation.
• The Oil Anchor: India’s 80% reliance on imported oil remains its greatest currency vulnerability. Unlike Indonesia (a commodity exporter), India’s trade deficit expands every time global energy prices spike, putting a "natural floor" on how strong the Rupee can ever be.

Page 2: The 5 Core Structural Challenges

India’s economy is a "Leapfrog Economy"—it skipped the Industrial Revolution and went straight to a Service Revolution. This has created five specific friction points that Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh have managed better.

Structural Issue	India’s Current Status	How Peers Got Ahead
1. Manufacturing Middle	Services (IT/Software) dominate. Lacks mass jobs for low-skilled labor.	VN/BD: Built their entire economies on mass manufacturing (Clothing/Electronics), creating millions of jobs and massive, steady dollar inflows.
2. Global Integration	High tariffs and protectionist stances (opted out of RCEP). Making things is expensive.	Vietnam: Signed every major FTA (CPTPP, EU-FTA, RCEP). They are the most frictionless "plug-and-play" node in the world.
3. Investment Type	Reliant on "Hot Money" (FPI) in stocks. Volatile; leaves during Fed rate hikes.	VN/ID: Prioritized "Sticky Money" (FDI). Physical factories cannot flee during a crisis, stabilizing their currencies.
4. Resource Strategy	Passive dependency on energy imports.	Indonesia: "Weaponized" their resources. They banned raw exports to force foreign companies to build processing plants locally.
5. The "Mega-Factory" Wall	Land and labor laws are fragmented across states, making 100k-person campuses hard to build.	VN/BD: Centralized authority. If a giant needs land, the government clears it and provides infrastructure instantly.

The 2026 Verdict

India is attempting to perform a "mid-air engine swap"—transitioning from a services-led economy to a manufacturing hub while simultaneously trying to manage the inflation caused by global energy prices.

While India has the market scale, its neighbors have the agility. The Rupee's steady decline relative to the Taka or Dong is a signal that India is currently prioritizing growth and export competitiveness over currency strength, whereas its neighbors are reaping the rewards of specialized, export-ready manufacturing ecosystems built 10 years ago.

hello. I am moving back to India after about 10-13 years in Europe.

I am looking for roles in B2B space and after spending a few days on Linkedin, i see most roles in banking, e-commerce or b2c apps. Is there another strategy that I should use here?

Also, for sake of networking, are there any folks here in IoT or energy or active / data monitoring space? Would love some help and advice here.

Thank you!

Sorry - posting again because reddit took down my post and I had to contact admins to get it back up again and I wasnt sure if the post was still visible or not.

So, yeah, it has been more than 10-12 years since I worked in India. Would appreciate if someone can review my CV and suggest improvements.

Is it okay if I put my location as India without having moved? My partner is still working and we wont be moving unless at least one of us has a job in India. I do have an Indian number and am reachable on whatsapp.

Beyond that I would appreciate if I can get some insights on how tom place myself for the Indian job market in PM. Quick look at roles on Linkedin and most jobs are in finance / fintech or e-commerce. Are there barely any roles in energy or b2b insurance industries?

Lastly, we have our reason to move to India so please dont bother with "why you move" questions.

Thank you all 😄

https://preview.redd.it/t0f88k7ubwyg1.png?width=878&format=png&auto=webp&s=6bee8ee88e2a04f626dcc039e6d0728356f29433

https://preview.redd.it/kt9nt0cvbwyg1.png?width=891&format=png&auto=webp&s=9e3462694363db6f13b972bbfca408e41f7d9748

So, yeah, it has been more than 10-12 years since I worked in India. Would appreciate if someone can review my CV and suggest improvements.

Is it okay if I put my location as India without having moved? My partner is still working and we wont be moving unless at least one of us has a job in India. I do have an Indian number and am reachable on whatsapp.

Lastly, we have our reason to move to India so dont bother with "why you move" questions.

Thank you all 😄

https://preview.redd.it/f11bl12f97yg1.png?width=878&format=png&auto=webp&s=089611ec90e614abb9d5ab5ee3c3d4f08832af9e

https://preview.redd.it/rlbr4zfi97yg1.png?width=847&format=png&auto=webp&s=227782fec268d412df41acdc7d80c38672598460