“Do your duties, Don’t fret over the results”

Focused, planner, strategist, and most importantly a humble person – there are many hues to Danish Uddin. These qualities are something that his mother helped him cultivate. And it has brought him quite far in life. From being a shy small-town boy, Danish has evolved to become a better version of himself. He is currently working with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as their Senior SAP Consultant. In a candid interview with the Corporate Citizen, he opens about his journey so far, talks about the importance of planning, shares a few tips on how to prepare for campus placement, and more.

Danish Uddin

Born and brought up in Bhopal, Danish, being the youngest of all his siblings, was raised in a very protective environment. However, that did not reflect in his career goals. His goals were rather strategic, well-planned, and he made sure to attain them. This sort of behaviour was picked up by him quite early in life, and that followed during his educational journey and now during his corporate life as well. Talking about his growing up days, he said, “The love that my family showered on me gave me the strength to perform well in life. The struggles that I faced while I gathering knowledge was eased by my mother, who always inspired me to give my best,” he said.

The plotting and planning

For a teen to have a proper plan for their studies is quite unlikely, as most love to take one day at a time. Danish is a tad bit different. “Since my childhood days, my strategy was to have a plan for everything. I prepared a three-month plan which had proper timings, schedules for each subject, and other details. My only aim was to stick to the plan to get good grades. That’s where I learnt the importance of focus and hard work. And that surely resonated in the marks I scored. I am happy that I am still carrying forward this trait,” informed Danish. He further added, “As a kid, I loved Math so much so that during my free time I solved several puzzles and papers. This is certainly is coming in handy during my quest to climb the corporate ladder of success.”

Apart from adhering to his strategies, little Danish loved to spend his time playing sports like football and badminton. Over the months, he got quite good at the games and went ahead to represent his city at various tournaments. “Playing various sports inculcated the qualities like confidence, the ‘never give up’ attitude, and it also heightened my concentration level. Hence, I urge all students to invest their time in a hobby or passion. This, in turn, is going to benefit them in scoring good grades.”

"Since my childhood days, my strategy was to have a plan for everything. I prepared a three-month plan which had proper timings, schedules for each subject, and other details"

The great shift

After completing his BE in Electronics and Communication, he moved to Pune to pursue his post-graduation in IT and Marketing. Although he moved out of his town to chase his dream, this shift wasn’t easy. “This was the first time I was staying away from family. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to adjust, but when you know why you started in the first place, the process becomes easy. During such times, we must keep our faith! The going surely gets easy.”

The transformation

Twenty-five plus GD’s and over 15 personal interviews, and yet no luck in getting placed. Did Danish lose his hope? Not really! He explained, “The moment a student enters college, their dream is to get placed in their favoured organisation. Agreed, my luck did not favour me in the beginning, but once I got the hang of the campus placement game, things started to fall in place. What I learnt was ‘do your duties, don’t fret over the results’, and that was a game-changer. And to a large extent, this journey was made easy by our college professors. The wisdom they shared helped me build a better future for myself.”

As time passed by, Danish worked on his shortcomings. “There was no dearth of confidence, but I did have to work on my communication skills and public speaking trait. Once I did that, there was no looking back. For me, the journey might look difficult, but I certainly enjoyed my campus placement run.” Finally, after all the hard work, Danish was placed with TCS, Indore as their management trainer. He took time to adjust, but once things settled down, he grasped things easily and within no time he was handed a promotion. Danish wishes to enjoy his corporate journey, and slowly and steadily he hopes to reach the pinnacle of success in this organisation.

Tips to prepare for campus placement:

Know thy basics: The foundation of your career or the education that you gather completely depends on how strong your basics are. Most students tend to overlook this skill, but the importance of learning the basics of any given thing is beyond imagination. It helps in building confidence, dealing with failure, adds to your problem-solving skills, and others.

Planning/strategising is essential: Having a clear short term plan will provide you with a better pathway to reach your goal. It makes the process easy, helps you identify your purpose, and gives the students the freedom to work at the best of their ability. The perks of planning or strategising just does not end here. The moment you enter the corporate world, this is one of the first skills that will make your career journey easy.

Research, research, and some more research: Be it studying for exams or preparing for campus placement, do your research thoroughly. It heightens your cognitive skills and intellectual growth. If you spend enough time researching about a company, it will play a vital role during the personal interview round of campus placement.

Keep your spirits high: The sun does not always shine, there are gloomy days too. Just so, there will be a time when you won’t get the desired results even after working hard. In times like these, you ought to keep your faith and be persistent. Trust me you’ll reach your goal.

Express yourself: This skill comes in handy during the group discussion and personal interview rounds. During the GD round – wait for your turn, you don’t always have to cut someone to put forth your point. Express yourself well, be patient, and be crystal clear when you speak. Don’t forget to work on your public speaking skill.