It is only after talking to Rishabh Sharma of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow at a stretch does one realize- the kind of amazing attitude the young man has towards his life. Rishabh has been the topper till last trimester prior to graduating. He worked hard. He managed things without making noise or great fuss around them. He is the kind who silently and quickly solves major problems without stretching out for attention or applause. In fact, it was Rishabh’s first annual fest at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow in the year 2016. He was on his duty, workingat the registration desk. There was a huge crowd gathered, all at one go, seeking registration. Things weren’t working out quick and there was massive chaos. Rishabh took charge of the registration software, handled the 200+ anxious participants and got things in order. He is the kind who waits for things- in patience; the kind who never fails to show up when friends really need his presence. And, little do you realize these things till you spend some time with him and digging him to talk about his life instances.

Rishabh arrived at Jaipuria Institute of Management in the year 2016 to pursue his PGDM. Like many of his Engineering colleagues, his Finance was weak. “I was traumatised when I realized what have I gotten into, but then, practice saw me through. I scored the highest in Finance in that particular semester.”

This new recruit of TATA AIG had not eaten the whole day when result for the TATA AIG selection interview was to be announced. “I wanted to make it to Deloitte, but then I could not because I did not want to get an engineering profile. I wanted Amazon but couldn’t crack it. TATA AIG was what I was betting on, eagerly,” explains Rishabh with a big smile on his face. “You see, I just could not swallow food that entire day out of anxiousness, and then the result finally got declared at 11:15pm.” Little does it take to wonder how Rishabh’s heart was beating that very moment when his name was declared among the select few out of the 300 applicants.

Prior to joining Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow Rishabh was already working with Wipro Technolgies as a Project Engineer. He completed his internship with Karvy Stock Broking Ltd. and his project was about- “Awareness of Stock Market Investing and Mutual Funds Among the Masses.” Both the experiences came in handy for Rishabh in front of the panel. He was tested of his “people’s skill” and both these work stints had already trained him well. “Adding to that was the ecosystem at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow. “We are trained to learn in team, work in team, operate in team, since day one on campus- therefore you learn people management very early at the institute,” says Rishabh while explaining how he feels about his new job that he started from 25th June, 2018.

Konica started her job three months prior to even graduating as a PGDM student from Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow. It was February 19, 2018 when she stepped into the floor of S&P Global Market Intelligence as a Data Researcher. She realized- just how far she had come from being the hesitant speaker in the classroom to being a super confident professional. “There were days when I used to get nervous while giving presentations in the classroom and then there were days on campus when I was conducting the internship workshop for my juniors. Such was my transition!” mentions Konica smilingly.

Indeed, for the girl who had not been accustomed to rejections, a handsomely paying job is only the beginning. She recalls her day from the placement season and says- “the beginning of the placement season in B-school requires everyone to keep immense courage. I was being rejected and it was getting increasingly tough for me to accept my failures,” however, Konica chose to keep her hopes high and preparation-higher. She realized GD round to be the crack from where her nemesis was entering and crashing her down. She doubled her speed and went on attending one mock GD after another conducted by the Placement Cell of the B-school. “I did not rest till I was learning to master the tricks and tools to make compelling and lucid arguments to gain the attention of my panel,” says Konica with a determined look. “It was tough but I was relentless in my pursuit, and by the time S&P Global arrived, I knew I was ready!”

Konica is sincerely thankful to Prof. Rashmi Chaudhary who made “the difficult subject of Investment Management interesting,” making Konica gradually grow fond of Finance. When Konica received her news of being finally placed as a Data researcher, she remembers informing Prof. Chaudhary herself and was greeted with a hug. “It felt amazing when she said- ‘you made me proud’.”

Currently at the New York headquartered S&P Global Market Intelligence, Konica is working within a sizeable team where one needs to contribute to individual efforts toward the team’s objective. Does she feel prepared enough, really? “Jaipuria has helped me to be a team player by introducing the wonderful concepts of learning teams in the classroom pedagogy. The B-school provided us constant mentoring at all stages and that helps us to maintain quality in assignments and projects that we take,” answers Konica zealously.

So how has it been so far for the 2018 graduate at her new office? “Wonderful! Beside the regular work, I am a member of women initiative group in my organization. I will soon be applying for a leadership role in a women initiative group of the company.”