Jaipuria Institute Management, like any top B School, grooms its students to be future managers and able leaders. But if there’s one characteristic that sets its graduates apart is the fact that they develop nerves of steel. They are trained to look at adversity in its face and turn it into success. Anika Srivastava, PGDM Batch 2016 – 18, Jaipuria, Lucknow reflected that quality in abundance after her GD group was disqualified during the placement process for Colgate. It was a company she was keen to work with. But she didn’t let the hiccup dampen her spirits. It led to her placement with renowned global brand Philips.

Here’s the story of her turnaround.

Nerve wracking but character defining placement process Anika doesn’t shy away from the disappointment from the initial phase of the placement process. But she asserts that she went for the Philips recruitment with equal gusto. The placement process involved an Aptitude test, GD, interview with Sales Head and another with HR Director. She was the only student who got placed from her campus. The secret? “After the Colgate debacle, I showed the patience to wait for what suited me the best. I took the advice of my faculty members and CMC team on board. Jaipuria, Lucknow had always taught me to trust my abilities, and it saw me through the placement process,” she says with a smile.

Learning only a renowned PGDM can offer

Sitting on a plum placement, Anika looks back on her transformation at Jaipuria, Lucknow. According to her, she learned a few things in the last two years that only a PGDM program can offer. A sound knowledge of distribution channels, organizational functions, and consumer behavior is what she will take into her professional career. “I have developed leadership skills and lost my fear of public speaking. I have become more confident on the whole and thank my B School for it. But I am glad that my internship with Varun Beverages Limited also taught me the difference between being confident and over-confidence,” she reminds us.

Ready for the professional sojourn

The SIP was crucial in making Anika ready for the industry challenges. Her project on execution and availability of Stock Keeping Unit was real life proof of ‘joh dikhta hai, who bikta hai’ for her. She admits that it was instrumental in her doing well in the placement interview. And now that she has gone through the litmus test, she looks forward to the career as a professional. “It is my first job and I am very excited. I will be working as a Sales Trainee, Professional Sales (B2B) with Philips. Understanding the pattern of B2B sales, interacting with companies and achieving my targets will be at the top of my mind. I am confident I can do well,” she concludes.