What It Takes To Bag A PPO From An FMCG Giant | Ft. Aishwarya, Reckitt

PPO rates in marketing roles at FMCG companies are 25% of what it is in other companies. Why is it so? Why there is cutthroat competition in Marketing? We interviewed Aishwarya Ravi to know what she did differently to bag a PPO from one of the FMCG giants in the world. And we have some really interesting insights which can definitely help you. Read along and enjoy! Please Note: In case you're interested in sharing your PPO journey with InsideIIM's readers, please click here!

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Aishwarya, let’s start from the beginning. How did you prepare for the summers? How difficult was it and what became your journey breakthrough? Ans. – I made my choices from the very beginning: I always knew I had to do marketing. So, whatever it takes, I had to be in a marketing firm. Being from the marketing industry, having worked in the Digital Marketing domain, I was pretty confident that I will get some shortlists in Marketing. 80/20 rule is reality: I put a real focus on my CV. I expected a lot of questions from my CV, since, I came from Marketing Industry. I went through each and every line of my CV and prepared a story for everything that was written on it. I cannot walk into my interview and saying that I don’t know something which I have written myself on my CV. Know about your work experience: My work experience was in the digital marketing domain and since this industry is completely revolutionising, Thus, I made sure that I knew these topics thoroughly, including the platforms and campaign types that I have worked on, the platform performance and the preference based on product. You can’t be a sparrow in front of a cat: You have to know about everything which is happening in this world. So, I read through the latest happenings and developments in the world of digital. I brushed my marketing concepts as well such as 7Ps, 4cs and various other types and forms of marketing and their relevant frameworks. Going through the strategies adopted by popular and successful marketing campaigns is also extremely useful for GD as well as from PI point of view since it conditions and helps us think in the same way that these successful brand managers did. This along with solving marketing cases and staying updated on the latest happenings in the marketing industry was my main focus area for placement prep. Check Out→ P&G PPO Holder From IIM Lucknow Shares Her Marketing Internship Experience

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Now, please let us what differently you did that helped you get a PPO. There are some ground rules. Let’s start one by one. Everyone loves overachievers: Whatever you do, always remember, everybody loves an overachiever. So, whenever I had a project whose target was, say 10% or 15%, my target was always higher than that and I used to achieve it, even if it requires working for 6 hours or 18 hours, I never used to shy away from it. What it shows is that if a company takes you, you will always deliver more than expected and no company would be ready to lose such a dedicated employee. Will you ever lose such a person? Take initiatives as if it is your company: I was always on my nerves, thinking what more can I do. It is not just about my project in which I have to outperform, but what different can a company do in other segments as well. I used to think simply like, why have they taken me over others? Because, I am young, energetic but what is more important for a marketing company is insights, so, what I used to do was, think from a different perspective, about how can company communicate with its customers in a more effective manner. I used to talk to my mentor about it and then, with different project managers, get to know more about the product and then, give my suggestion, and not just it, even help in implementation. Pro Tip: If you have an idea, don’t just go with your suggestions, show them facts. If you say, this idea will bring a revenue of $1M, show them how. Own your work: Take complete ownership of your work. From very scratch, make a plan about how you are going to proceed, discuss the plan with your mentor, your buddy and your manager. Make a structured approach to solving the problem and handle the entire project. Network, the real secret: In an online scenario, it is even more difficult, but trust me, it is the most essential ingredient for PPO. Because, when the decision to your PPO is taken it is not just limited people in the company but a lot of other stakeholders. You need to show that you are serious about the company. When you will come here to work for the company, will it be just limited people you will be interacting with, will it just be your limited work, no. So, why not start from the internship phase itself, take it very seriously. Talk to people from different areas, different projects and learn more about the company, its products, what they are dealing with and then, make a decision about whether you want to stay here or not. Recommended→How To Ace Your Marketing Internship - Tips From An HUL PPO Holder

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Aishwarya, what is that one thing you would have done differently? I think I will talk to more peers. I talked with seniors or people from different product lines, but it was the peers of my same level, the interns with whom I had the least interaction as this online scenario was the roadblock. These interns are the next level of networks, some of whom will be going to different companies, some who will be staying here. You don’t want to lose such a strong network set just because of the online scenario. Make conscious efforts to build a connection with them. I would like to say all the very best to the current interns and the future ones, too. Please feel to reach out to me for your queries. Also Check → How I Bagged A PPO From Marico With A Sales Internship - Deepika Gupta, IIM Indore

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