Campus Placement

Rather than considering studies as a burden, Monish Alam began to celebrate the basic idea of its existence. Which precisely became the armour that shielded him in many ways. So much so, that it is slowly yet steadily is stirring him towards his goals and ambition. In conversation with Monish...

Quiet and shy as he might sound, but there’s definitely a sense of purpose and eagerness brewing in him which is constantly pushing him to achieve the impossible. Dedicated and full of ambitions, Monish hopes to stay true to his undisclosable dream. On the contrary, before evolving into a better version of himself, Monish was someone who was lost in life, in fact, he did not even intend to give his life any meaning.

Born and raised in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, an incident that took place in his mid-teens completely altered his life. “For some, it’s hard to believe that I was once the most mischievous and careless child,” he said. “I was care-free and all I wanted was to enjoy my life. I had no interest in studies. However, in standard XI, I was expelled from my college on account of my bad behaviour. This incident completely shook me. And I am proud to say that my transformation happened overnight. From being this irresponsible child to now being an independent version of Monish, I have come a long way,” he smiled.

So, what must have trigged Monish so much that he decided to alter his life in a jiffy-“My father took this incident to his heart. He asked me to quit my studies and join the family business. I could see that I had disappointed him. I wanted to change and I wanted to prove my worth,” he explained.

The overnight transformation

Soon after Monish was expelled from his college, he wanted to change himself. The shift from CBSE board to State board pinched him. And moreover, he just couldn’t stand disappointing his father. That’s when he brought in the biggest modification in his life – his interest in studies started to bloom. “Instead of considering studies as a burden, I started taking interest in it. Clocking more hours studying wasn’t my motive. Quality over quantity was my aim. I spent enough time in understanding the basics of each subject which completely changed my perception about studies and more importantly life. When the ‘whys, what's and how's of the subject were sorted, life started to get back on track for me,” reminisced Monish, who is currently working with Asian Paints, Mumbai, as a Project Sales Manager.

And the outcome of the saga, you ask? Monish’s hard work and determination helped him shine with the bright colours ever possible. “Within a year, the change was noticeable. I not only passed with good marks but I was also awarded as the school topper. The teachers usually called my parents to complain about me. But this time, they had called my father to collect an award. I guess, I couldn’t have been happier. My mind was finally at peace,” he smiled

“I was carefree and all I wanted was to enjoy my life. I had no interest in studies. However, in standard XI, I was expelled from my college on account of my bad behaviour. This incident completely shook me”

Monish Alam has come a long way in his life and
he owes this journey to his family, friends and his
grit to turn things over

The takeaways and college life

The metamorphosis of Monish is quite intriguing. And the learnings from his adversity has changed him for good. He tries to apply the formula to every event of his life be patient and answer the whys and how's.

Later he completed his graduation from Amity University in B.Com Honours and shifted to Pune for his further studies. His keenness on being independent and further supporting his family got the best out of him. Life in SBS, where he pursued his post-graduation in International Business and Marketing, taught him several valuable lessons. “Earlier, it was quite tough to cope up with the tight schedule. Back-to-back classes, no holidays and strict schedule - sounded a bit scary. At times, I even thought of quitting it. But then I realised why I started this in the first place. My goal and my ambition did not let me quit,” he smiled.

Most of the subjects in his post-graduation course were covered up during his graduation. He had command over them. However, there was one subject that would always haunt him -Stats. “Since the very beginning, Stats would haunt me. It was a deal-breaker for me. But it wasn’t something that would stop me from achieving my goals. To achieve a grip over the subject, we started group studies which helped me a lot,” he explained.

The placement saga

While the others were busy thinking about the placement when the college began, Monish was busy understanding the concepts of every subject. “In my mind, I was clear of the type of company I was looking for. What I wanted was to gather enough knowledge and technical know-how before appearing for any company. I was keen on joining a travel company. Make My Trip and Treebo topped my list. However, things did not work out there. But I finally got through Asian Paints, which happened to be my backup plan and it worked,” said Monish

When it came to the aptitude round, Monish gave his best. He would ace the GDs. But where he lacked was in the personal interviews. “Aptitude and GDs were my forte. Before bagging Asian Paints, I went through seven companies. During the GDs, when others were screaming their views, I would give mine in a calm and com-posed manner. I realised that I lacked confidence when it came to PIs. And finally, I gave my best and landed the best job,” he quipped.

“ The teachers usually called my parents to complain about me. But this time, they had called my father to collect an award. I guess I couldn’t have been happier”

Managing relationships

When you are working in a service-based company, managing relations with your customers, vendors, dealers and contractors is a top priority as they are the ones who help you bag contracts. Monish joined Asian Paints as a Project Sales Managers around five months ago. Since then the kind of experience he gained has helped him groom into a better manager. “Asian Paints is a big brand. But not many know of the products that we handle. My job is to spread the essence of our products, bag new contracts, and manage relationships with our dealers and contractors. Managing relationships is the key when you are in a service-based industry. And in the last few months, I have learnt to maintain it,” he informed.

Each day brings in new challenges and he hopes to overcome it with courage. Even until the end, Monish did not reveal his dream. “The dream is quite close to my heart to disclose it,” he smiled. But he is definitely not leaving a single stone unturned to achieve it.

A word of advice for his juniors

The 50-50 rule: An equal amount of luck and hard work could be the key to getting placed in any company. Work hard and have faith in yourself.

Be updated: Be it the placement season or any other day in your life, always make sure to keep yourself updated with the current news and the latest trend.

Clarity: Be clear of what you are looking for in the company and life as well.

Be patient: During the GDs, keep your mind clear and most importantly be calm and composed.