Nishant Kumar identifies himself as a storyteller. It was a skill he used to good effect during his placement interview with Asian Paints. “I answered the questions in a storytelling manner, which made me stand out from the rest of the candidates. For every situational question I put forth my learning during the internship and live projects,” he shares his secret. The strategy worked for the PGDM Batch 2018 – 20 student of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida. He has been placed as a Sales Officer with the market leader Asian Paints. As he gets ready to soar into the corporate skies, we asked the storyteller to take us through his own story from his first day on the campus to the placement day.

“When I enrolled with Jaipuria, Noida I had never imagined that I would be placed with a company like Asian Paints. My goal was to keep adding value to my credentials so that after completing my program I would be ready for professional challenges. I never missed any classes and focused on academics. I also received a lot of support from my batch mates and seniors, which I value a lot today.

One thing Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida does is that it focuses on the mantra ‘Believe In Yourself’. Those three magic words lifted my spirits when I was down and made me a more confident person. I actively participated in every opportunity I got and was the Class Representative twice. I managed all IT facilities and didn’t walk away from taking the initiative. Only when you try something new, you learn something new.

My first live project with Kottaram Agro Foods was the next step towards being a professional. It gave me the high of working in a real-life situation as I was responsible for the sales of Soulful Raggi bites at Big Bazaar in Delhi. My second live project was with Bajaj Consumer Care limited. I handled several responsibilities during the project, and it helped me make up my mind about a career in Sales.

The internship with Future Consumer Limited in Chandigarh was another huge experience and made me think like a professional. During the internship, I added more than 30 retailers in the distribution channel. The experience polished my Sales skills but also made me realize the value of time management when you are on the field. I was able to bring attention to my internship learnings during my placement interview.

Now here’s the thing – in my first year I got rejected for SIP with Asian Paints after the group discussion stage. So when I learned that I had the opportunity for placement with them, I used all my past disappointment as a motivation. The interviewers knew that I had experience with sales products that are disposable. They quizzed me about a sales pitch for durable products. That was a tricky question but I stayed calm and answered confidently.

I remember the day and time when my friend informed me that I had bagged the placement. It was a moment of shock followed by excitement and euphoria. I had proven myself, and now I am ready to prove myself in my career.”