In the end....it doesnt even matter

2 weeks to go for placement....temperature in d campus was going up ! Though it bothered me a bit, there was always a better view. 2 saal mein kuch nahi kiya...2 hafte mein kya ukhaad lega! This state of mind could be attributed to the 25 odd seats brought forward by CRD out of which 1 was mine :P I decided to give all top notches a try...coz anyways I had backup. Then, came the shocker...CRD dropped from placement! The battle begins...

Day -1: Amul gave a shocker! All 3 pointers invited. Even the SDM guys were ignored. Surprisingly ITC shortlisted me...I just dreamt of making it to the interview panel...with big guns fighting it out for 2 seats! At the end of the day...made it to lucky 6 who would be interviewed tomorrow!

Day 1: ITC interview bombed. Expectations always come with a statutory warning! Metro GD impacted..at the end of the day....jobless...but there was still hope PwC shortlisted me!

Day 2: Sleeping I was....since I had none 2day! Dubey saab called me for E&Y GD....got ready in 5mins...bang on! Today, the feeling was, koi toh le le . E&Y bombed :( ITDA called...negotiation failed...got waitlisted at the end of the day for a IT based job

Day 3: Confidence seeped in...while going for PwC interview! The confidence continued in HDFC, Axis, SERP. Two hours later, PwC gave regrets to PC, they took no1 :( A feeling hit me that this was the day...and I would be placed! Bike nikaala aur chal pada...Sea Blue! Donno y but confidence was flowing through...By the time, I came back...SERP announced its results...finally someone chose me :) Everything else bombed, so there was no room for confusion! Options on Day 4 were bleak since Yes Bank had left me out and chances were bleak in NCDEX. Though CRD was coming up, I guess, handling SHGs were better than working with NREGA !

Signed the offer document...decided in the next two hours...to leave for Mumbai...

The placement season, even now, continues to be a nightmare! Some questions keep haunting me ! Why did so many companies shortlist me in the first place? Was my resume better than myself?

The exploration within me continues....as I take up my first job with Govt of AP..the place where I would ultimately end up!

My Story - My hard hitting Experiences - I just can't forget them..!!!

A week back, i was scrambling for my best job here and there on campus and now I have reached the 'status' of a blogger to say about my experiences..interesting!

The campus placement this year was an easy sail through for some of us, but the same was full of crests and troughs for most of us. I belong to the later category. First i will put my journey as short as possible and then i will put my learnings, infact the hard learnt lessons.

We were asked to give 12 preferences, and in my case, I attended all of them in the sense that I sat for atleast one of the evaluation processes of all the 12 organisations....I was there in all the initial shortlists...

Day zero (GCMMF, ITC) - I didn't sit for GCMMF interview hoping that I will get through ICICI bank since I did my MTS there and also earned a good name over there. ITC GD - eliminated after GD & essay writing!

Day 1 (ICICI, Metro, Sahaj, TAFE)- I was banking on ICICI bank to the fullest. The mistake i was committing on day 1 was being soft on GD. Soft in the sense, i was waiting for my opportunity to speak in the GD rather than grabbing the same. By morning, i was thrown out of Metro and ICICI GDs. ICICI and Metro gone, both of my dream jobs shattered in a jiffy! I didn't know how to react..!! Still I had other interviews too, so had to console myself and go ahead. Sahaj interview was good and finally was wait listed. TAFE interview was also good and they wanted me to sign there it self. I asked for more salary, they said they will get back to me when all the interviews were over but they didn't get back..!!!
At night around 10:30, I got a surprise call from Metro to give my interview. Dressed up again in full formals after a disappointing day, I thought it was a lifeline for me...I gave my interview to the best of my best, but still the recruiter didn't pick me citing reasons that i don't have much extra curricular activities though he found me academically good..!! So, at the end of Day 1, no job, empty hands.

Day 2 (E&Y, ITT, Shankara eye care) - I knew why i failed on Day 1, so instead of waiting for my opportunity in GD, I just grabbed them..as I badly needed to make a job! Result - E&Y, ITT GD got cleared. Shankara had no GD but I had an one minute interview where they clearly found my disinterest in their organisation. ITT interview was so spectacular and when i came out of my interview room, i thought i will definitely make it! E & Y interview was 'so so' types since i clearly decoded in the interview he is not looking for a person like me since his emphasis was more on technology & other aspects of it .
End of day - E&Y gone and ya the much hoped ITT didn't pick me up. I didn't know what went wrong in the ITT interview. Again, the worst day, no job..empty hands..felt like thrashing myself. Everything looked totally darker and murkier to me. After introspection and talking to some of my friends and parents, I came to know what exactly was my reasons for not getting selected in interviews! After talking to them, I felt a bit more confident!

Day 3 (PWC, HDFC ergo, SERP) - Third day. But somehow i felt today can be mine for the first time. HDFC GD got cleared. I just implemented my learnt lessons in ergo - don't be very frank, tell them I was waiting for you, convince them whatever be the silly question they ask. PWC - The recruiter came with a different motive and I was not selected. SERP, again, it was a half hearted interview. But, the first break happened, this day, I made in HDFC ergo and my waitlist got cleared in sahaj.
Actually, it was a moment to rejoice for me, 2 reasons for it- ergo gave me one day to sign and the biggie YES bank(4th choice) is yet to come. Had ergo insisted on spot signing, I would have lost my chance to sit for YES bank- thanks to ergo!! Anyway, the day was better,ergo was with me and I was getting ready for my last and only interview left in IRMA - YES bank.

Day 4 (YES bank) - I had more confidence in me because i already had ergo with me so even if i m not making in YES bank, i can sign ergo. YES bank came for 2 posts one for Agri business banking and second for financial inclusion,but later they increased it. I was more inclined towards agri banking. Agri business banking interview, God, I just can't forget it. It was the first hard core technical interview i m giving in finance. The recruiter was grilling me in and out like anything, and at one point I felt like saying to him "Boss, I m tired and i m sorry, I m happy with ergo..I will sign it and leave IRMA happily". After the grilling, I found myself actually satisfactory.
In the financial inclusion interview, the recruiter told me straightway that I won't be selected though he found be good..!! So, only agri banking job was left hanging with me...!! I left the place with slight dis-satisfaction and after a while i got a call saying YES bank has shortlisted me for the next round of interview..!! Oh my God! a good moment..but some more to go!
Second round, the grilling started again, but was lighter than the first one...and at the end of the interview, I knew my performance was above par. I still remember those moments..The recruiter asked " What other offers you have now? " I said - " I have ergo, if yes bank is not working out, I will sign it" Recruiter said" hhumm, ok...what if i say that you are a part of YES bank now? yes, you are selected...!! Join us"..God damn that moment, I didn't know how to react..and tears almost started coming out of my eyes..after initial days of stress and frustration...I could not have asked for better deal other than YES bank...My mom infact cried...I will call it as the 'the' moment of my life at IRMA...
I still remember that day..as it was a big day for some of us..especially shashi and rupesh..I still remember their emotional display when they made it in YES bank because we ,people, everyday will get dressed up everyday morning for all interviews and used to smile at each other sarcastically before starting the day..!!

And ya sorry for a big report..haha...

Lessons learnt -
1. Confide in yourself...come whatever may, if you are sure about your potential, then don't become skeptical about it..!! Estimate yourself properly and stick to your estimation..!!!
2. Take the support of your family...come whatever may, they are the ones who are going to be with you always and they are for you...
3.During bad times, there are always people out for you to support you and you will get to know who 'really' really care for you during those times. Be grateful to them and ya I will also be grateful to them till my memory cells work with no malfunctioning..!!I m really thankful to them who were really supporting me giving me oxygen those days.
4.Be in strict formals..be it even a GD or essay writing exercise
5. Grades are very very important. But it doesn't mean you should go mad about grades. It's always better to be in safe zone, by safe zone i mean in the 'B' grade zone..and whichever sector you want to go, you to need to excel in it by having more grades in those subjects...!! sure it matters and it mattered me as well.
6.Sit and prepare for the interviews...especially the HR questions, you will always feel happy when you hear the same questions you prepared for, from the recruiter.

Oh...!! sorry..such a 'long' long post...had i guzzled much of much valuable time, i m sorry for it...but i m sure you will take something out of this post with after reading it..!!!

And ya..I will be joining YES bank sooner....and thanks a lot to all those people who really came out and supported me..thanks a lot!!!


S.Manikandan Sanjive (30037)

Gujarat's Institute of Rural Management, Anand to adopt deferred placements system

Published: Saturday, Feb 12, 2011, 15:23 IST
By Niyati Rana | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA 



The Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) is all set to adopt a new role. The premier rural management institute that was established in 1979 by Dr Verghese Kurien, has been a prime source in providing skilled rural managers to help the uplift of the rural poor. And now the institute is taking an initiative to encourage its students to be rural entrepreneurs.

Taking a step towards this, IRMA has come up with a policy for deferred placements from the placement-2011. Earlier, if any student opted out of the placements at IRMA his/her chance of getting placed in reputed grassroots organisations ended.

According to the new policy, students who opt out of placements can be part of the placement process for the next three years.

This means, students opting out of placements in the year 2011 will be able to appear for the placements at IRMA in 2012, '13 and '14.

IRMA has implemented the policy from this year and students of the Post-Graduate Programme in Rural Management (PRM) 2009-2011 that was part of the placement this year, became the first batch to avail of the benefit of the policy.

"One of the reasons to adopt this policy was to boost rural entrepreneurship. As per the policy, students will get an opportunity to opt out of placements, experiment with new ideas and come up with their own venture."
"And at thesame time, if after a few years they feel like working in a grassroots organisation, the alma mater should welcome them back and offer them opportunities," said director of IRMA, Vivek Bhandari.

Placement coordinator and associate professor at IRMA, Prof Preeti Priya, said that this will also provide an opportunity to IRMA students to get placed in reputed organisations, if their entrepreneur experiment did not succeed.

"Or even students (who opt out of placements to start their own venture) want to hand over their business to someone and want to seek a job in a reputed organisation, IRMA can help them by giving an opportunity to appear for the placements within three years of their passing out from the institute," said Prof Priya.

IRMA Placements 2011

Ahmedabad/Anand: Here, the reputation of an institute is not measured by the number of zeroes in salary offers. In the era of globalization, a dream job in this management school is to work for upliftment of farmers or rural poor in distant barren lands! Welcome to the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) - a pioneer institute set up by Dr Verghese Kurien and favourite destination for leading grass root organisations to recruit rural managers every placement season.

Season 2011 at the IRMA was no different this time around. Around 33 organisations at the grass-root level offered around 125 jobs - around 3.78 offers for every student of the 99 students of the Post Graduate Programmes in Rural Management (PRM) - by Friday. Students are all smiles as the average salary at IRMA rose by 34% to 8.03 lakh per annum this year, against Rs 6 lakh per annum in the placement season for 2010. A total of 257 jobs were announced by the 63 organisations that came for placements.

The highest pay package offered was by consulting firm Ernst & Young - Rs 10.47 p.a.

Placement coordinator and assistant professor at IRMA Prof Preeti Priya told DNA that the recruiters represented a wide range of sectors - finance, research and advisory, agri-business, ICT, renewable energy, livelihood promotion, watershed development, education and health.

"The placement for the 2009-2011 batch is excellent. Recruiters, be it traditional ones or first-timers, have shown confidence in the IRMA students. First-timers who came to the campus include BIP-BOP Schneider Electric to provide energy access to rural India, government advisory group Ernst and Young, Tata Steel CSR, Rural Energy Access programme etc," she said.

Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) - traditional recruiters at IRMA -- made offers to 20 students. Two jobs each were offered by the newly set up NDDB Dairy Service and BIP-BOP by Schneider Electric.

The "Essence of Life" programme of ITT Corporation that intends to provide innovative water management solutions to the farmers particularly to the small and marginal ones, has recruited two participants for its India operations and has shown interest in similar operations in countries from Africa. ITC, ICICI, and many other prominent companies also made strong offers.