Never be embarrassed of your failures

Riding high on his previous corporate and entrepreneurial experience, Shaleen Pandya believes that things will fall in place if one is ready to give their 100 per cent. Shaleen is currently working as an Associate Manager in the banking sector and hopes to rise swiftly in the corporate world. Shaleen is striving hard one day at a time to reach his goal. In conversation with Shaleen…

Originally from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Shaleen was born into a humble Pandya family. He completed his education from three different cities which exposed him to many things, further adding to his experience. Analysing and learning from the experience is his forte. And he is quite proud of this attribute of his. All through his educational journey, he has been an average student and also a good learner. Shaleen completed his schooling from Delhi, Bachelor of Commerce (major in audit and accounting) from Gujarat University and PG in International Business and Marketing from a leading business school in Pune. “Each experience teaches you many things. It’s up to you to pick up the best, understand your mistakes and learn from it. Making mistakes is fine, but one should never repeat them. Also, be proud of your experience, never be ashamed of your failures,” he said.

Born to be an entrepreneur

At 21, when most youngsters prefer to continuing studying, Shaleen took the high road and ventured into a business, which he thought was his strength. “I always wanted to get into the aluminium industry. I had enough knowledge about the sheet metal work and I applied that knowledge to bag contracts. Starting a business at such a young age boosted my confidence and made me realise that nothing is impossible in life,” said Shaleen. In 2014, he even registered his company, SNS Fabrication, which as per him is one of his biggest achievements.

Talking about his entrepreneurial experience, Shaleen said, “I had become the face of our organisation. Although I had no knowledge of how to pitch, I would always give my best. The experience has been nothing less than a milestone. This practical experience gave me a first-hand understanding of how to convince the clients that the product is beneficial for them. I learnt most of the things on the go.” During this, Shaleen successfully handled one of the biggest projects his company had acquired the Trancecube Plaza, a bus hub in Gujarat where he handled the aluminium fabrication part. He was also invited for the BRICS meet 2016, under the category of Urban Infra from Gujarat.

However, after a few years, due to some unavoidable circumstance, Shaleen’s business hit a downfall. “Those four years have been the best years of my life. The company did not do well in the end, that doesn’t mean that it was a fail. The experience I gained has shaped into a better version of myself. I have learnt from the mistakes,” said a proud Shaleen.

“During the personal interview, I was confident and I spoke openly about my earlier venture. I did not hesitate to accept that my business did not do well. In fact, I was proud of my experience“

- Shaleen

Shaleen with his support system, his parents

Connecting the dots

Education is important, but what takes the drivers’ seat for Shaleen is the practical experience. The entrepreneurial experience before enrolling himself for the PG programme changed his perception and taught him things which most colleges wouldn’t. However, later he decided to enhance his knowledge by studying the technicalities of International Business and Marketing. “When I started my PG programme it was easy for me to connect the dots owing to my past experience. I could easily correlate to a few of the theories as I had already been through it. The on-field experience cleared helped me understand a lot of the concepts. So, for me, practical experience will always be important. However, I wouldn’t shy away from accepting that the MBA degree has really groomed me well,” he explained.

Placement ready

The MBA degree, his previous business and internship experience, and his presence of mind made him ready for the placement season. Shaleen sat for only one company and he made sure to bag it. “When you understand the concepts of marketing well, appearing for the aptitude test and scoring well becomes a cakewalk. For the GD round, I kept myself updated with the current affairs. And while appearing for the personal interview, I did thorough research and also understood what the company’s expectations are,” said Shaleen. Further adding, “During the personal interview, I was confident and I spoke openly about my earlier venture. I did not hesitate to accept that my business did not do well. In fact, I was proud of my experience. Although the venture did not do well later, I portrayed my experience in a positive way and that’s what made a difference.”

Travelling to new places is something that rejuvenates
Shaleen. Shaleen with his family during their escapades
in the mountains

Soring high

It’s been almost ten months since Shaleen has been working with IDFC First Bank, Surat as an Associate Manager. He is having the time of his life because he is getting to do something that he loves a lot. “My profile involves managing queries of the clients and resolving the same for a better relationship and great banking experience. I also analyse the sales data for the up sales and cross-sell of various products of different nature with the existing client for the business development,” he said.

Talking about his future dreams, he said, “No matter what I do in life, I want to be the best at it. And I am ready to give whatever it takes to achieve it. I have immense passion and affection towards my work and I hope that I continue to do that same in the future.”

It must have been just a few months since Shaleen entered the corporate world but he is settling in really well in the industry. On that note, he passes on a few tips to his juniors for the campus placement.

Hold your horses: When the GD topic is announced, take a moment to understand the topic. If you don’t have any knowledge about it, don’t panic. Take a moment and understand what the others are speaking and as per that make your pointers, and later put forth your point. Don’t rush into answering quickly. Play it smart!

Do your research: Before appearing for any company make sure to understand what the organisation is looking for, what the role asks for and their vision and mission.

Acceptance is the key: Don’t hide or lie about anything during the PI. It doesn’t reflect well on your character. If you don’t know about anything, just accept that fact. It’s not the end of the world.

Experience is crucial: Education is important, no doubt. But what takes the drivers’ seat as per me is your practical experience.

Be Cool! There’s always a way out, you have to either find it or create it. In the end, things will fall in place. Just be cool!