Hi, this is Sonali, and I am an MBA graduate from Tezpur University. While in my final semester, I got placed in one of India’s leading financial institutions and naturally was overly excited as I was just two blocks away from living my dream after all those years of professional grooming and aspirations. Even though I was placed in the comfort zone of my hometown with tonnes of conferring perks, it did not take me long to realize that this was not what I had dreamt of!
I hardly remember any co-worker sharing a welcome smile besides my batch-mate who had joined with me there, and I wasn’t even allocated any workstation. Discovering the mundane routine and just having to follow the ‘Well-defined processes’ with no scope for creative thinking gave me a heartache. Nevertheless, I realized that I was drifting aimlessly, and I shouldn’t force myself to fit in where I don’t belong. I clearly remember I longed to be in a place where my hard work and efforts make a difference at a company, not just be a cog in the wheel of a giant corporation, so I took the risk of quitting my job and took time to figure out where I belong.
Over time I kept looking for a new job, where I could find a purpose to go to work every day and two months later I came across a job opening on LinkedIn in a tech startup from Assam. I researched about them and was fascinated by its vision of boosting the IT ecosystem of Northeast India. It was a very small team at that time but I could feel the passion and energy even before I set foot in the office.
I cleared all the interview rounds, including a marathon 3-hour interview as I joined the following week. I was intrigued by the friendly and motivating work culture and the bright and beautiful settings that livened up the workplace. I received a genuinely affectionate welcome, got welcome gifts, was taken out to lunch by the seniors, and I could connect to my colleagues. I find it inspiring to work with such a passionate team in an open culture that constantly strives to experiment with new ideas. Each individual is committed to accomplishing their goals, be it Marketing or Software Development. One of the best things about working in a startup culture as of TechVariable is, “Everyone else in the team has the same drive and excitement for learning as I do, and people here grow beyond their years of experience.”
To be honest, sip-by-sip, I made such up moments from my little dedicated corner. Ever since my childhood days, I have been an active participant in Public Speaking and literary events. At the same time, I never knew how this talent could actually be utilized in a professional career. (And I can’t believe I make money out of it now!) My mentors, who are the co-founders of TechVariable, Nilotpal Boruah and Ratnadeep Bhattacharjee, opened up a whole new range of opportunities and unveiled in me what I can do the best, i.e. ‘Communicating with People.’
Communication skills are, in fact, one of the greatest valuable assets as a Marketer. Using the right interpersonal skills while talking to the prospects creates an emotional bond that paves the way for fruitful long-term relationships. What really helped me grow is that even when I didn’t seem to have anything to offer as a trainee back then. I was included in the strategy meetings, listened thoughtfully to my ideas and inputs, and was inspired to get out of my comfort zone, this built my confidence, and I grew into the job.
What’s really helped me is that I was empowered to believe in the embracement of new ideas and instill in me the value of hard work, ownership, and self-sustainability. I‘m currently a Marketing Communications Specialist wearing multiple hats for content marketing, video creation, blogging, PR, client prospecting- it’s never a dull, boring routine and I’m getting hack together experiments quickly to see if they’ll work.
Within this short span, I believe I have improved my leadership qualities and, of course, grown as a seasoned professional marketer from Assam. Thanks for reading my journey. I still have miles to go!
