Shivee Chauhan - Don’t Leave Your Dreams to the ‘Future’ You (Career Coach From India)

 

The most important thing to ace the interviews is to get the story right. Think of the problem that the company is trying to solve (that is your job description). It is likely that there are many people who would be able to solve that problem for the company – so think about why you? 

1. Tell us about your background and journey?

 

I am presently working as a Strategy Consultant in a Big 4 company. My main domain of interest is Banking and Capital Markets. I hold a Masters in Mathematics of Finance from Columbia University.

2. How to choose a career when one doesn't know anything about it?

 

The trick is to try a lot of things when you are young and identify the ones that give you the most happiness. If you still cannot figure it out – think about the things that you enjoyed the most when you were 10-12 years old! Because when we are in that age range, we have developed enough abstract thinking – to have logical thoughts. Yet, we are not bound by the “to-dos” of the world. Maybe you enjoyed writing when you were 10. And you enjoyed learning about finances and money. There you go – any field where you can utilize these two interests would be ideal for you.

 

The other thing is that you should also choose something that you enjoy doing. I always want my students to have a fulfilling life, a life when they not only enjoy the weekends but also the weekdays. Because they have found something that they really enjoy doing. You will be spending 40-50 years in a domain once you choose it. Ask yourself, is it really something that makes you happy?

 

3. How to ace interviews?

 

The most important thing to ace the interviews is to get the story right. Think of the problem that the company is trying to solve (that is your job description). It is likely that there are many people who would be able to solve that problem for the company – so think about why you? What makes you different? How can you solve the problem better?

 

The other thing to remember right before an interview is that you can not become more skilled overnight – but you can become more likable. And if you are likable, there is a higher possibility of you being selected. It is getting the basic things right like being on time, greeting the interviewer, and being genuinely interested in the company, the role, and the interviewer.

4. How to find good internships and other great opportunities? Is one internship enough or does one need to do more?

Campus placements and networking with college alumni are two of the most effective ways to find internship opportunities. If you are in a field that can lend itself well to the gig economy – such as digital marketing, illustrations, content writing, or architectural studies – you can also look for freelance projects on the side. Even though the freelance projects might not pay you as much, they will help you with building a portfolio that you can later use to showcase while applying for jobs.

 

5. There are so many opportunities and information available now that it becomes difficult to find relevant information and opportunities. What to do in such cases?

 

Get a mentor. A mentor can be life-changing – this can be anyone close to you. Maybe a college senior, or someone a few years older than you at work. You want to learn from someone who is doing things that you aspire to do. Now keep in mind that you can have different mentors if you have various interests.

6. How can we achieve more in less time in college?

Wherever you are with your friends, be there. This just means that you try to be 100% present in everything that you do. Studying, watching a movie, reading a book, with your friends – just be there.

 

When you are not distracted, and you are totally engaged in whatever it is that you are doing – you will make fewer mistakes and it will reduce the need to re-do anything. It will also significantly make your relationships better and more fruitful.

7. How can someone switch to other fields of work?

 

In consulting speak, we have an interesting concept that we call – gap analysis. While updating a process, or technology, or anything else – the consultants identify something called the “target state” – this is where you want to go.

 

Then, we document the “current state” – the state the process is currently in. Finally, we perform a gap analysis between the current state and target state to identify how can we go from A to B.

 

To change fields, this is something that I always encourage candidates to do as well. Candidates should clearly articulate where they want to go. Then they must contrast the target skillset with the current skillset that they have – and work towards closing the gap.

 

The gap can be closed via internships, freelance work, or project work. Sometimes certifications can help as well.

8. What skills and courses are booming in today’s world?

 

I see the technology space on the rise, along with the gig economy leading the marketing sphere. Education tech, fitness tech, finance tech – all fields are now comingled with technology offerings.

9. Any advice that you would give to the readers?

If not now, then when? Don’t leave your dreams to the ‘future’ you. As Nike would say – ‘just do it’.

Interviewed By - Shashank Sehgal