Placement season is one the most nerve wrecking time during the first year for a majority of b-school graduates. Being able to convert your dream profile requires a certain level of confidence and composure. Two words prominently highlighted in the job description of Fidelity Investments were “Technology” and “Finance.” One was my area of experience and another my area of interest, which seemed like a perfect opportunity to amalgamate my expertise and interest.
The group discussion during the placement process was based on current affairs, and my habit of reading enabled me to contribute positively during the GD. The first round of interview was a technical round focussing significantly on my experience at my previous employer, projects during my graduation and the latest developments in the Fintech industry. Discussion regarding my research paper on comparison of two machine learning algorithms, published during my final year in graduation, allowed me to demonstrate my interest in the field. A peculiar insight for me from that discussion was that the recruiter was more interested in my perspective on the implications of the findings, rather than the actual research methodology. Having worked for a consultancy firm, which focussed significantly on Agile implementation and automation, I asked pertinent questions from the field and tried driving the interview in that direction. My HR interview was extremely long, and the interviewer spent a long of time understanding the rationale behind every major decision I took in the recent past.
The first two days of the internship were primarily spent on understanding the rules and regulations of the company and the expectations of the interns. The organization spent a considerable amount of time sensitizing the interns about the importance of data protection and safety rules. For an organization with more than $6.7 trillion assets under administration, data protection is of paramount importance and standards to ensure that are quite stringent. However, the most intriguing part was the organization culture. The respect given to every individual was a much-needed confidence booster. A majority of the people in my team had more than a decade of experience with Fidelity Investments and the primary reason for such long association was respect given to employees and the opportunity to keep learning. Regular sessions with the senior management gave us the chance to network, understand the organization better and get a flavour of the decision-making process at the senior level.
I was quite nervous about the kind of project that I will be working on and the skills required for the same. The first week was relatively quite challenging as I had a hard time identifying the approach to the problem statement. Constant feedback from my mentor and subjects studied at IIM Shillong such as statistics, introduction to IT tools, strategic management, and financial management played a monumental role in overcoming the initial impediments and developing the final model. The liberty given to approach the problem and help from colleagues helped me improve upon my project.
One thing which remains fresh in my memory even after several months is what the HR manager of Fidelity Investments told me right after my interview. The one thing which they were primarily looking for during the interview process was honesty as it is not possible to build a great organization if the employees cannot trust each other. So, it would not be incorrect to say that being able to convert your dream profile requires a certain level of confidence, composure, and honesty.