The realm of corporate is her oyster
What makes her stand apart from the crowd is her attitude towards life. “Safar khoobsurat hai manzil se bhi (the journey is beautiful than the destination”, she smiled. Meet Vasudha Dargad who is a risk taker, trusts the process of life and believes in the saying, ‘for everything there is a right time’. At just 23, Vasudha has entered the corporate world with the hope to conquer it soon. Currently working with Infosys Limited as their Associate Lead Talent Acquisition, Vasudha pours her heart out about her journey so far, shares a few tips on how to prepare for the campus placement and more
Born in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh, Vasudha was raised in a joint family. Breaking all the myths, her family supported her quest of excelling in academics, as Vasudha surely made hay while the sun shined. “At a young age, I was given the liberty to make my own decisions. And unlike other conservative families, my parents always supported me and pushed me to acquire the best education possible. All these experiences have transformed me into a better version of myself and have certainly prepared me to face corporate life confidently,” she expressed.
EXPLORING HER LIMITS
“If you are a risk taker, half of the work is done,” she could not overstate. Be it understanding the value of education or studying for CA and Commerce simultaneously or trying her hands on various extra curricular activities, Vasudha always believed in coming out of her cocoon and exploring what the world had to offer. “For everything, there is a right time. While growing up, I took efforts to understand the various avenues that our education system had to offer me. Only after trying a few things, you will know which course to pick. It is important to take risks. And if your plans fail, have faith in the blessings of your parents, and things will surely fall in place.
After completing her graduation in Commerce, she moved to Pune to pursue her post graduation in Personnel Management and Human Resource Development. All through her school and college life, Vasudha invested her time in extra curricular activities. She loves to sing, sketch, dance and listening to music can easily motivate her to give her best. “I cannot stress enough about the importance of pursuing a hobby. Trust me, it has a long lasting impact. During my post-graduation days, I was a part of all the teams. That gave me enough acumen and assurance that I can make it big in the corporate world,” she said.
By being the Research and Placement Co-ordinator, National HR Meet Co-Ordinator, an integral member of the Corporate Relations Team and co-ordinating several drives during her college days, it has increased her knowledge and understanding.
“Try and make the most of the campus placement experience. Appear for each company. The experience that you will get out of it will surely change your life”
- Vasudha
HER CAMPUS PLACEMENT TALE
During her internship with Sodexo, Vasudha had learnt a few important traits of how to enter and survive the corporate world. As the campus placement season began, she tried her best to implement her learnings. “After appearing for a couple of companies and not getting through them, I dwelled on some of the feedback offered by my well wishers. That’s when I realised that I was treating all the companies in the same way. Which obviously, did not work in my favour. I got over my ‘single track approach’ attitude knowing that all the companies are unique. I started researching and understanding the companies who were about to visit us. And I guess, that worked in my favour,” she said.
Rejections are tough, but one must possess the grit to handle them. Vasudha learnt this the hard way. “It was a great ordeal to be in the Research and Placement Team, and Corporate Relations Team, and not get placed. Of course, I was disappointed. But I still had some patience in me,” she expressed. When Infosys was about to visit their college the second time, Vasudha decided to appear for it again. And this time it was going to be different. “It is when you stop running behind things, you will find everything,” smiled Vasudha, “I went with the flow and left it on the fate. I decided to enjoy the process of the personal interview regardless of the outcome. If I get through, I would be the happiest. And if I failed, I would have accepted the rejection graciously.” There was a paradigm shift in her behaviour. Sometimes our dreams evade us when we keep chasing them. When Vasudha left it on fate and made the most of the interview, destiny favoured her, & she was placed with Infosys as their Associate Lead Talent Acquisition.
It has been six months with this company, and she is enjoying her work like never before. Vasudha looks after the Asia–Pacific (APAC) region and handles Singapore and the Philippines hiring. One of the positive things that she noticed was, “People say that corporate sparks a cut throat competition. However, that is not the truth. I feel so welcomed in this company as my peers and colleagues always support me,” she smiled. She is a go getter, and now that the corporate world is her oyster, she decides to savour each moment of this.
As Vasudha Dargad settles in well in the corporate world, she passes on a few tips for her juniors on how to prepare for campus placement and much more…
Thrive on the campus placement experience: Try and make the most of the campus placement experience. Appear for each company. The experience that you will get out of it will surely change your life.
Do your research: Do not stick to your ‘single track attitude’. Approach each company differently. Research about the company and the industry it represents.
Think out of the box: The journey is important, one day you will reach the destination, but if you haven’t lived each moment, you will miss out on life. Attending college is important. But with that, invest your time in hobbies and focus on extra curricular activities as well.
Be real: During the personal interview, be as real as possible. The interviewer has years of experience, and if you try to fabricate your answers, you will be easily caught. Support your answers with real life experiences.
Trust the process: Everyone’s destiny is different. Also, every cloud has a silver lining. Do not get affected by rejections. Take it with a pinch of salt and learn from it. Everyone gets a fair chance to prove themselves, when you get that chance, make the most of it.