In the advent of the India growth story, more and more companies are coming forward to choose the best talent. Hence, it has become very important for every student to put his best foot forward, given the tough and competitive environment. Students are learning to mould themselves to cope with the changing demands of the corporate world. In view of the same, Corporate Citizen caught up with two dynamic students, PARIXIT KOSADA and YOGITA ZOPE, who have successfully completed their post-graduation from a leading management college and are well placed with one of India’s leading corporate houses. Both these young, bright students take us through their journey from the campus to the corporate world
Today, Parixit Kosada and Yogita Zope, are successfully placed with Hindustan Unilever (HUL), in the department of supply chain management, with a package of Rs 7 lakh, after completing their post-graduation from a leading management college.
Yogita and Parixit had always dreamt of getting placed with a leading corporate house, that too with HUL
Says Parixit, “I always wanted to work for HUL. This was one of my dream companies. We went through a resume screening, followed by a group discussion and a personal interview,” adding, “I had to go to HUL Mumbai, where they have their headquarters, for the interview process. There were students from many colleges who were present for the interview process. My process started with filling up the application form, followed by a Power Point presentation, in which the head of supply chain department briefed us about the profile and the work culture at HUL.”
Yogita was always keen that she gets a good work profile which would build a strong foundation for her career and take her ahead.
“Since I was majoring in operations, every company that was coming to the campus was looking to hire students who are well-versed with their basics and have sound technical knowledge of the subject. Keeping that in mind, I first started working on my resume, started revising my graduation concepts and started reading the Economic Times regularly, so that I was well-informed about my sector. Thus I started preparing to achieve my goal,” says Yogita.
At the group discussion round, Parixit was asked to prepare a case study in which he had to organise events with limited funds and make the college event a grand success. Post this round, there was a personal interview round, where technical questions asked. “There were many questions from subjects like Inventory Management, Material Requirement Planning and Total Quality Management that were asked. Aft er clearing my first round of personal interview, I gave the second round of PI which also based on functional knowledge. Here, the interviewer asked me a lot of questions about HUL, number of brands that fall under the umbrella of HUL, just to try and check my knowledge and interest for the company,” said Parixit
Adds Yogita, “It was a hardcore technical round. They were looking out for candidates who would add value to the company. I too went through two technical rounds, where they asked various technical questions and each of the interview lasted for almost an hour. There were questions from every subject of our specialisation subjects. But I was well prepared and pretty confident while answering all questions, which helped me crack both the technical rounds.
Yogita did her summer internship with the Standard Chartered Bank, in the department of banking operations, where she re engineered the processes involved in banking liability operations by digitizing them. Her work was appreciated by the bank operations head and her project stood out as one of the best projects in the college.
“I spent 365 days in the campus, attended many HR meets which enhanced my knowledge. My faculty mentored me very well. Determination, Dedication and discipline, indeed helped me achieve my goals,” says Parixit
Says Parixit, “My experience on the campus was simply superb. We celebrated every festival, studied hard and even took part in extracurricular activities. I spent 365 days in the campus, attended many HR meets which enhanced my knowledge. My faculty mentored me very well. I also participated in the inter-college competition in which each of us had a chance to show our expertise in various streams of dancing, plays and so on. Not to forget, the DJ party was always a stressbuster for me.”
When Parixit joined college, he didn’t know anyone, but slowly and gradually he started making new friends and getting to know people closely.
“Initially, it was difficult for me to make friends. Th ere were people from different walks of life, different backgrounds but as the induction process started, I began communicating and started feeling comfortable,” reminisces Parixit.
Parixit has learnt the importance of time management in his college, and started managing daily studies, surprise tests, in very less time.
“As it is said - All work and no play makes Jack a dull, boy, so, I got enough experience here in studies as well as other curricular activities. Determination, Dedication and discipline, indeed helped me achieve my goals,” adds Parixit
Meanwhile, Yogita believes that every day is a new experience and each day we get an opportunity to solve a problem, to learn and to move ahead in our life that is why it is truly mentioned her dean-Problems are Opportunities
“I would call my institute as a finishing school because it was here where we learned to believe in ourselves, it gave us the confidence and willpower to face the toughest times in our lives. My college has completely changed my life and my personality. It taught me the importance of time, how to manage ourselves and how to live with people of diverse culture and behaviour. My 365 days in college made me work hard and achieve my goal. I completely owe it to my faculties, who helped me achieve my dream,” says Yogita.
Yogita was not much into extracurricular activities but made it a point to network with leading corporates who visited her college and made many friends. “I hardly used to participate in any of the extracurricular activities but never missed the DJ party of the college. Th at apart, I made a lot of friends, built a huge network with experts from various fields, which I believe will help me in my future,” she adds.
The college schedule was pretty hectic, but Yogita thoroughly enjoyed her early morning newspaper sessions, surprise tests for which she had to be well-prepared all the time, learning from the faculties and meeting experts from the corporate world.
“It helped us immensely to learn and gather practical knowledge about various business activates and real world scenarios,” she recalls.
“My college completely changed my life and my personality. It taught me the importance of time, how to manage ourselves and how to live with people of diverse culture and behavior,” recalls Yogita
Yogita, who hails from Mumbai, started from a vernacular medium and completed her HSC in the science stream from Mumbai University. Later, she did her B.Tech in Fiber and Textile Processing Technology and joined Mandhana Industries Ltd, a manufacturing and exporting company for fabric and garments, where she worked as export marketing executive for about one and a half years. During this time, she worked with various international apparel brands such as H&M, s.Oliver and Inditex.
“I was deeply involved in coordinating plant and corporate business activities at this company, where I was handling a very small part of supply chain of textile manufacturing firm at that time. I was also recognized as youngest potential employee of Mandhana team to build strong customer H&M and converted 12 lacs metres fabric booking in just eight months. This triggered my confidence and I decided to expertise in this field by doing postgraduation in operations and supply chain management so that I can get more polished and understand business in a better and bigger way,” said Yogita.
Yogita’s dad works for MTNL, while her mother is employed with the district court. Interestingly, Yogita’s sister is also pursuing her MBA in the same college, who is an ex engineering student of the prestigious VJTI, Mumbai. Her family has always supported her in every walk of life.
Parixit My hobbies are playing volleyball and cricket .I like to travel and explore new places. I like to read about the automobiles industry and space research.
Yogita. I like to work with various NGOs. I am currently associated with the Umang Foundation, where we teach underprivileged students in its project ‘Gurukul’. Cooking is my passion. I also love to make various craft s from waste products. Home decor is something that interests me.
By Mahalakshmi Hariharan
