Nikita Rai, who completed her post- graduation from one of the prestigious B-Schools in the country talks about her first break
Today, Nikita, a young, bright girl, is successfully placed with the Indus Towers limited, world’s leading infra provider in telecom industry, in Ahmedabad, with a fat package with all perks and benefits.
Nikita hails from Pipariya, near Pachmadi hill station, Madhya Pradesh. Her father, Shailendra Rai, is a businessman with his basic business being farming, and her mother Manjusha Rai is a homemaker. Her younger sister, Divya Rai, is currently working with TCS, Mumbai.
Nikita did her schooling from St. Joseph’s Senior Secondary School, Pipariya. She has been a bright student since childhood and very active in extra circular activities. She was also fond of public speaking and debates since her childhood days. She completely owes it to her parents who have been very supportive and always encouraged her and her sister to participate in all extracurricular activities. Apart from debating, Nikita has also won awards for poetry writing, painting and was a state level basket-ball player as well.
She complted her engineering in Computer Technology from Priyadarshani Institute of Engineering & Technology (PIET), Nagpur University. During her graduation days, apart from studies, she was also actively involved with a few NGOs like Zero Gravity, Sunshine, and CRY
After completing her engineering, Nikita decided to pursue her post-graduation from one of the prestigious B-schools in the country. “Those were some of the best days of my life,” reminisces a bubbly Nikita. Nikita is fun-loving, jovial and full of life.
“This was tough as I had to sacrifice my classroom sessions, but indeed it helped me in return, as it gave me practical exposure to the corporate world, taught me how to handle human resources and coordinate,” she says.
“This was tough as I had to sacrifice my classroom sessions, but indeed it helped me in return, as it gave me practical exposure to the corporate world, taught me how to handle human resources and coordinate,” she says.
Further to being part of CRT, Nikita was also selected as the President, Student Council of her college. Her Dean and faculty had a lot of faith in her.
“Initially it was very difficult to handle two most important and crucial positions for the institute but my Dean was helpful. He stood by me on all my decisions and helped me sail my journey to excellence,” says Nikita adding, “It was slightly difficult to give the best to both CRT and the President-ship, as both required equal attention. Initially I did face problems with students as well, but by the grace of God and tremendous support from my family and teachers, I managed everything well. I must say I was blessed with an excellent team.
“Initially it was very difficult to handle two most important and crucial positions for the institute but my Dean was helpful. He stood by me on all my decisions and helped me sail my journey to excellence. My family and teachers also supported me a lot”
It was during this time that Nikita learnt to manage events, people, resources, time, relations, with hard work and team support. “The office timings for CRT were from 9 am to 6 pm. As the President, I use to come to college early in the morning, regularly interact with my juniors, understand their issues and resolve them.
Later on, I would work on getting companies to the campus for placements. I was also actively involved in organizing various events and functions in college. After 9:30 pm, we would have our internal council team meetings and sometimes check on the juniors who were staying at the hostel. It was like working 365 days a year, selflessly and tirelessly for the institute,” recalls Nikita.
Despite a hectic schedule, Nikita cleared her MBA with flying colours in all semesters, without any backlog ever. She has a lot of fond memories and experiences. She also feels blessed having a good circle of friends, loving juniors and great teammates.
Nikita is fond of reading, painting and cooking, for which she takes time out. Reading and cooking have always been her passion. So despite her hectic schedule, she used to make time for her hobbies. “I remember painting T-shirts and cooking delicious food for my MBA friends regularly. It was so much fun then,” she says.
The selection process comprised of screening criteria, group discussion and a personal interview. “The most important thing during your placement is that you must know which industry you are applying to, and the job profile. Questions asked in the Technical round were mainly related to financial accounting, costing, budgeting and on situations, but it was like a stress interview, similar to a rapid fire round, where a panel of three members continuously asked us questions. My patience and confidence helped me answer all their questions and create an impact on them,” she reminisces.
“The word, End does not mean the END but means ‘Effort never dies’ & if you get no in answer, remember N.O is ‘Next Opportunity’. So always be positive,” she signs off
By Mahalakshmi Hariharan
