Job Experience
Microsoft India GTSC
My First Job Experience Viren Naidu - Times Of India Date – May 20, 2009
Microsoft India GTSC
I had no clue what the company was looking for when I first went for the interview. This was at Wipro Infotech and I was barely 22. But I wanted the job desperately! The interview was for a sales position. And I had a degree from the Government Engineering College, Trivandrum. People were highly skeptical and wary about the transition I had undergone. And they wondered why an “engineer” after four years of rigorous studies would move to a sales job. I, however, had other apprehensions. I thought I didn’t have an edge over the other candidates since, academically, I didn’t hail from the metros. But then I was proved wrong.
The interviewer removed his watch and asked me to sell it back to him. There were five rounds in all. And I guess I handled the interview pretty well. I was glad that I had the option to pursue my first job at Wipro Infotech. The organization was positioned really well on campus and there was only one position that they were hiring for. So, it was considered a big deal to nail it. My starting salary was Rs. 2,100. An increment came in six months later. I learnt the most important lesson, “Customer is King”. I was asked to sell to a government entity and it was a good three weeks before I could even get an appointment with the decision maker. I had to sell these really expensive mini-computers to them. But the person was very rigid and didn’t give us an appointment. But this experience taught me the importance of customer service. My boss made me understand the significance of gauging the pulse of the customer, his/her temperaments, and quirks, in an endeavour to strike the right chord. I also learnt that it's not just the technology that you sell or the product/service that helps you make a successful sales pitch. I realised that customer relationship management (CRM) is of prime importance too and if you aren't equipped
My First Job Experience Viren Naidu - Times Of India Date – May 20, 2009
Microsoft India GTSC
I had no clue what the company was looking for when I first went for the interview. This was at Wipro Infotech and I was barely 22. But I wanted the job desperately! The interview was for a sales position. And I had a degree from the Government Engineering College, Trivandrum. People were highly skeptical and wary about the transition I had undergone. And they wondered why an “engineer” after four years of rigorous studies would move to a sales job. I, however, had other apprehensions. I thought I didn’t have an edge over the other candidates since, academically, I didn’t hail from the metros. But then I was proved wrong.
The interviewer removed his watch and asked me to sell it back to him. There were five rounds in all. And I guess I handled the interview pretty well. I was glad that I had the option to pursue my first job at Wipro Infotech. The organization was positioned really well on campus and there was only one position that they were hiring for. So, it was considered a big deal to nail it. My starting salary was Rs. 2,100. An increment came in six months later. I learnt the most important lesson, “Customer is King”. I was asked to sell to a government entity and it was a good three weeks before I could even get an appointment with the decision maker. I had to sell these really expensive mini-computers to them. But the person was very rigid and didn’t give us an appointment. But this experience taught me the importance of customer service. My boss made me understand the significance of gauging the pulse of the customer, his/her temperaments, and quirks, in an endeavour to strike the right chord. I also learnt that it's not just the technology that you sell or the product/service that helps you make a successful sales pitch. I realised that customer relationship management (CRM) is of prime importance too and if you aren't equipped