How to create Opportunity
I am a chemistry grad who today sells tech software for her day job. Read my story, if you want tips on how to create opportunity for yourself.
I think I knew early on what I wanted. I wanted to do management studies. My ‘what’ remained fixed. The ‘How’ changed a lot. That is my story.
When I finished school, I made the cut off rank, but not the desired college for management studies, so I opted for Chemistry. Chemistry was fairly easy for me. I figured I will prepare for the entrance exam once again.
I also remained open to new experiences.
I took part in as many societies as possible. Debating, Music. You name it; I tried it.
Next year - The entrance exam for Management studies was scrapped, due to university structure changes. So I had to continue to pursue Chemistry. I took this challenge in my stride.
Chemistry seniors were revamping the chemistry society. I opted in with full Enthu. I was the only 2nd year in the core group, but I was happy to run around and do things.
I learnt to make proposals and pitch ideas. While we attended fests and participated, I learnt to work with others and persuade with one eye on ‘building my Resume’
Being in a girls' college, I got to learn about the challenges some women had to go through to even get access to education. So, I joined hands with friends - including those from a college across the road.
We worked together on NPO - HopeInU India - to empower university students and build active and inclusive communities.
When I was in the final year, I ran for President for the Chemistry Department and won.
There were so many things to do and life was a big blur.
I tried for MBA entrance tests, but things didn't work out.
Amidst self doubt, I decided to try again next year. I still wanted to do Management Studies.
A professor suggested that I enrol for a forensics course along with. I did that, thinking it is better to keep busy along with the entrance prep for IELTS, GMAT.
My parents had agreed to let me go to Australia because we knew some folks there, so I applied to 8 colleges there, for my masters.
I got into all 8 and chose the University of Sydney, because they gave me the biggest scholarship and the management course offered was ranked #1 on the QS list. This way, I could support myself in my studies.
In the first year of masters, a university professor - my mentor - told me, you are good at reaching out, so why not try a sales and marketing internship?
So I tried. I got selected with Cisco.
I spent the summer reaching out to mayors of towns and cities across Australia, calling them and asking them if their IOT (internet of things) plan was in place for the city? How tech solutions could help.
When I got back to college, I sought permission from our Dean to start a South Asian Business Society in the college. He said yes. So I did that too. The society survives till today.
I came back to India to realise, it is OK to remain open and chase opportunity all over the place. The dots connect over time, if you are ready for them.
An interview with Deloitte landed me a job where the clincher was my forensic experience. Something I had done earlier, only as a filler.
But, my heart was not in understanding frauds and ethical misdemeanours. So, I sought out a Sales role next.
I found it in Meltwater. They are a software service for Media Monitoring.
If I look back, my approach to handling opportunity has been to first say yes to what comes my way. If need be, even create it. Then try it out. If it works, do more of it. If it does not, then course-correct.
I have sold 6 products since then. Each product is unique. I learn about it by doing.
The skills I picked up along the way earlier have come in useful now. These are my transferable skills and they are precious to me.
I think 2 things work for me. One is the ease of learning.
I learn any which way. By reading, by listening, by talking to friends, by consuming content from experts.
I learn to figure out what needs to be done and how. I also learning to build transferable skills in myself. Skills that I will take forward from role to role, even if they appear different on the surface.
The other is reaching out to even senior people with confidence.
Early on, my first manager told me, do not fear them. They are humans too. If you are adding value to them, they will listen to you.
Simply put, confidence comes from knowing you can add value.
If you tell a CxO you will save him money and/or time, he will listen to you for sure. So doing your homework to think from his point of view is important. But many times, value first comes from small personal things..
I once called up the CEO of a big firm. I told him, ‘You were mentioned in the news! I can send you the snippet of it’. He goes, ‘My PR team already sent it to me’. So I go, ‘I can automate it for you, so you get it whenever you are mentioned in headlines instantly, before the PR team.’
That caught his attention. All I had to do later was to set a system alert for him :) My foot was in the door because I figured out what personally mattered to him.
To sum up, this is how you create opportunity for yourself -
Maintain a healthy sense of self when faced with rejections. When someone says ‘No’, they are not being mean to you. It just means they are not ready yet.
Stay flexible in your ‘How’, while staying focussed on your ‘What’.
Forge healthy relationships. People do business with people, they know trust and like.
Go in prepared. To prepare, think from their viewpoint. Learn what needs to be learnt.
Keep trying.