It had been a grueling few months of group discussions, interviews and rejections. This is a normal day in the life of a B-school student. I was on the verge of giving up and leaving it on God. I had applied for a few companies which were lined up through the next week and that would be our last week before we went off for our winter holidays. I was not too happy about going back home with a burden of failure and tension on my head. My Skype interview for AICL Communications was supposed to happen tomorrow. I had read up about the company and felt prepared but I had no idea consultants like them existed in this world. It was a very interesting company offering good roles in the city that never sleeps. I was determined to get through this one.
On reaching the venue for my Skype interview, I found that just one other student had applied for the company with me. Both of us were really eager for the roles offered. Both our interviews went well and we were given a ton of pre-work by the company to be submitted in 24 hours. I got to work and did it thoroughly. I was really satisfied with the work that I had put in, the thorough research I had done on the company and the industry as well as the preparation and awareness about the roles being offered.
A week went by. I had been eagerly waiting for a response which hadn’t come through yet. I went back home heartbroken thinking they were not interested. In another 5 days, I received a mail. THE mail. I was overjoyed. I had finally cracked what I was looking for and my hard work had paid off.
I finally joined the company on the first day of April. It was everything I was hoping it to be and more. The office was a delight to sit in. It was well spaced out and everyone was visible to everyone. The interiors matched the work that the company did majorly, which is designing and bringing out the best. My mentor seemed to be friendlier than my batch mate. My first step into the corporate world was more than welcoming to me.
We started working on existing projects in the company as well as with the business development team. Being a fresher, this was my first real exposure to the real world. I was expected to do everything and I had no time. An intern is expected to help everyone with anything they would want to and there I was helping people meet their deadlines while meeting my own. I had a feeling that I had bitten off more than I could chew. The continuous guidance and support from my two mentors, Ali Molai and Nevin Verghese in project management and business development respectively. I would probably have never been able to understand the crux of called calling if not for Nevin. We spoon-fed us for a week and prepared us to handle prospective clients. There was a feeling of accomplishment involved in knowing that you are directly involved with the development and growth of a company and I felt it everyday at 8 when I left office after my 10 hour grind, 6 days a week.
The feeling of being placed is one of the best that I have felt, and it comes with a lot of hard work and perseverance as well as grit and determination. One has to be able to take rejection like it is any other day and get back up for the next challenge. A lot of research goes into cracking an interview, coupled with a little bit of luck. But we can only be better at what is in our hands and that is the hard work. I believe, my attitude of not giving up and constantly being ready for the next one while learning from the past mistakes. That is actually your biggest teacher, the mistakes that you make in every interview. That is how you understand where you are falling short. There actually is no other way to know where you have to improve.