How A Unique Work Experience Helped Me In The B-School Interviews?

Hi, I am Dharmesh, a Mechanical Engineer who started his career with one of India’s largest automobile companies as a Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET). I was working in their Supplier Quality Department and my days revolved around visiting multiple suppliers on most of the days. Things were going normal, as it would have been for any other GET. It was already around 8 months into the organization when EdCIL (a CPSE under Ministry of HRD) floated the applications for the post of ‘Young Professional’.  I enquired more about it and things looked good, however, there was a minor issue. It was a contractual job. The opportunity looked interesting but multiple questions started to come to my mind like - What will I do after the contract gets over? Is it the right thing to leave a well-paying permanent job for an interesting contractual job?

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”

After weighing multiple points, I went ahead and got successful with my job application. At AICTE, I worked mainly on two of the nationwide Quality Initiatives: Revision of Curriculum, Mandatory Internship Policy. For the development of the Curriculum, I was involved in continuous discussion with the multiple professors from across the country. This somehow prepared me for the B-School Interviews as I considered the interviews to be more of a discussion.

My job experience was much different than that of most of my peers who were appearing for the B-School Interviews. This wonderful contractual job at All India Council for Technical Education became the prime topic of discussion in most of my B-School Interviews. A major proportion of most of the interviews revolved around these quality initiatives that I work on, need for them in the India’s Education System, day to day role etc. A few interviewers even complimented that ‘It is such an interesting job’.

However, everything has pros and cons. Some of the interviewers pointed out my short period of experiences at totally different organizations and seemed a bit unhappy with it.

Weighing everything I feel that things worked overall in a positive way. I will be joining NITIE Mumbai for PG Diploma in Industrial Management.

“There is no harm in taking a calculated risk.”