Imagine having to sit through a placement interview where you are being humiliated and ridiculed. That’s exactly what Prashant Bhatt, student of Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management, Hyderabad had to go through in his trial by fire. But he took it in his stride and made a lasting impression. “I learnt a really beautiful lesson that day. Even through the ridicule I had to maintain eye contact with the interviewer and keep a smile on my face. It was that smile that did the trick for me,” he says. Eventually he was rewarded with placement as Associate Wealth Manager with ICICI Securities.

Prashant had already gone through a written test that comprised of questions on aptitude, verbal ability and reasoning, before the personal interview. That’s when he had to talk about his experience with SIP and how he had to convince clients to invest in the company. But the interviewer just dismissed the strategies saying they worked only in movies. “That was the level of stress we were put through. Thankfully our faculty had told us not to lose patience or get disheartened. I followed that even when I was getting rude vibes from the interviewer,” he says.

According to Prashant, one important aspect of learning that interviewers focus on is the SIP. Thankfully for him he had a solid experience as far as his SIP was concerned. “My internship project was on ‘Investment pattern of retail investors and lead generation’. I helped me a lot and totally transformed my way of thinking. Before starting the SIP I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make my career in Marketing or Finance. However after that experience I was convinced that Finance is the right stream for me,” he admits with a smile.

Luckily for him, Prashant has got a foothold in his chosen industry with a big name company. He attributes it to his learning experience at a renowned institute. “Management education is crucial for corporate career because it teaches you basics, right from the 4Ps to detailed strategies. But the business model for the biggest companies, works on 4Ps. VJIM is unique in its teaching style because besides books there is emphasis on reading, analyzing the news. The practical approach in following corporate companies helps us immensely,” he adds.

Ask Prashant about his biggest learning experience at the institute and he lets us in on a secret. It might seem like he has bagged a dream placement, but it was only in his 8th attempt. He narrates the story that has a big lesson for all students. “Since I cleared both the interviews I went for during my SIP, I grew overconfident. It was a reality check when I didn’t get picked after 7 placement interviews. That’s when I decided to work on my weaknesses, I gave a lot of mock interviews in the presence of my faculty members and that made the difference,” he says.

In fact, he reveals how his faculty members organized training sessions for him, friends offered inputs and it was their contribution that was vital in his placement. Clearly it’s all in the family for VJIM graduates, whose mantra according to Prashant is, “Work hard and party harder. However we have a professional approach towards things. As a student you will have plenty of opportunities to develop yourself, grow and also live your passions with a good dose of enjoyment. Don’t lose out on them.” He himself certainly hasn’t, and today that’s paid dividends.