It was a big day for me! I was going to Pune! I could feel butterflies in my stomach. I had been called to participate in the GEPIWAT process of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. One of the most prestigious colleges of this nation and I get to step foot on its campus! Quite honestly, this had been the single most important inflexion point in my career so far.
All those nervous nights, writing mocks, analysing umpteen questions, had been leading to this one moment. I still remember vividly, the day when the SNAP test results were out. I was trying to look up my results on phone. Thanks to Vodafone’s incredible 4G speeds, I hardly needed my laptop or my broadband anymore. The very moment in which, I saw my call for GEPIWAT, I couldn’t process the news for a couple of minutes! I just knelt right there. On the floor. I sighed. It felt as if a big burden had suddenly shifted from my shoulders. Phew.
This was a big opportunity for me, and I planned on bringing my A-game to the GEPIWAT process. I started connecting with people and preparing myself for the Group Tasks, the Interviews. There was one resounding and common suggestion: First impressions matter! Put simply, I was to carry myself well, I had to carry myself confidently, and most importantly – I had to dress sharp! Talking of men dressing sharp, what could be better than a good old suit, eh?
Like most activities in my life, the hunt for the best suit started with a plethora of search engine queries. However, in a couple of minutes, I became surer of what I wanted to do. I had made up my mind, I was going shopping. After having looked through all the options online, I decided I wasn’t going to order my suit online. This wasn’t just another suit. It would probably end up being the most important apparel purchase decision of my life. I needed to feel the fabric – touch it. Try it – ensure it had the right measurements. This was a much serious affair. No risks needed.
So, I went around the city, hopping from store to store. Always looking for that perfect piece of garment, which would fuel in me, the confidence required to ace the interview process. Suit after suit – there were trials, there were disappointments, and there was this never-ending search.
After visiting multiple stores and malls, I decided to visit one of the older garment stores, where I hadn’t been to in many years. It was at this place, where after trying out multiple options, I finally ended up short-listing two suits. One of them, a classic Black – was a Van Heusen. The other one, a Navy Blue – was a Louis Philippe. I liked them both. And I just couldn’t figure out which one to get. In retrospect, I think that’s how we spend most of our lives – always looking out for the next best thing, but never knowing which one to choose, once we start getting multiple options. I ended up buying them both.
During an interview, there is no asset, bigger than a person’s confidence. And for a man, the kind of confidence which a good suit can provide is absolutely unmatched. I attended my GEPIWAT process of SIBM Pune wearing my Black Van Heusen. I aced my interviews that day, and went on to join the Hill Top Heaven, that too in the 1st merit list! Looking back, I realise how immensely these products of Aditya Birla Group have touched my life, without even me realising it.
But hey, my journey has just started! And I still have my confidence boosters with me. How interesting would it be, to attend an Aditya Birla Group, summer internship interview – wearing products they made! That certainly could be another career defining moment. Fingers crossed.
