SO(A)P FACTORY

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Note: This is was something I did for a friend, and while it was my first time doing this kind of a thing, it was enjoyable. I had the following credentials to mould into a credible SOP.

- have been selected for summer internship at Deloitte Consulting, a premier consultancy company (the only UG to be thus selected)
- During my internship at ISB (Hyderabad), was the team leader of a group of 5 very senior research trainees working on a topic related to an industry study on the micro finance activities in India.
- held the post of a knowledge management portal coordinator (KM) at Wipro Technologies, managing a team of more than 120 software programmers.
- have worked as the secretary of the marketing department of AIESEC (working on the student exchange program).

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Statement of Purpose:

It is said that your 12th standard grade sheet is an index of your academic career. Similarly, I think it is safe to say that one's final job offer is an accurate score card of the 4 years one spends in IIT. Naturally then, placements have a certain awe factor associated with them which comes second to none. In fact, the challenge of coordinating the placement season would rejuvenate even the most jaded aspirant. Placing the best brains in the country will always have a certain cachet associated with it, and when the institute name is IIT(B), it adds a certain gloss value which is second to none. The challenge apart, I have always envisaged a role wherein I was able to give back, to contribute, in however small a manner, to the institute. I have always tried to contribute towards the institute, be it through participation in sports, hostel or departmental affairs. In particular, I think my experiences, especially after coming to IIT, place me in an ideal position to satisfy all that this post entails.

During the course of my summer internship I had the opportunity to work at Wipro Technologies as a knowledge management portal coordinator (KM) for a team of more than 120 software programmers. As the KM I was responsible for monitoring as well as collating individual daily progress reports from all the 120 software programmers and then presenting consolidated overall project development reports. As a placement nominee I would be responsible for over 900 students on an almost daily basis (especially once the placement season starts). Having already handled a group of 120 individuals for a reputed company like Wipro, I feel confident that I will be able to handle the function of co-ordination on the student front and the figure of 900 merely adds to the challenge and provides additional impetus to perform well.

Another function which is intrinsic to the job of a Placement Nominee is managing and leading the team of department placement nominees. Owing to the sensitive nature and importance of placements, ego clashes, personality mismatch and personal agendas among team members are not only common but also to be expected. In such a scenario, it becomes the institute placement nominee's job to delicately handle the situation and evolve a common consensus which is in the best interests of everybody. As a part of my internship at ISB, I was the team leader of a group of 5 very senior research trainees working on a topic related to an industry study on the micro finance activities in India. Due to their individual expertise as well as their higher age, I couldn't very well force my decisions on them as a team leader and direct them to do the needful. Instead I had to approach any matter with great tact and understanding so that individual egos were kept to a minimum and a common consensus was built so that everybody was satisfied. This role called for delicacy in approach, ability to soothe ruffled feathers as well as ease in diffusing tense situations. I m sure that my prior experience at ISB will help me manage the team of department placement nominees just as effectively.

It is a general consensus that a placement nominee's primary function is interacting with various companies. As the secretary of the marketing department of AIESEC (working on the student exchange program), I was able to establish personal contacts with HR departments of numerous companies to raise the funds for the organization. This was a great opportunity for me to both increase my personal contacts as well as polish my business networking skills. While this sort of rapport building is part and parcel of any placement nominee's work profile, and obviously prior personal contacts matter, I also believe that job placements is such a big platform that other prior opportunities pale in comparison.

At the end of the day, companies are just groups of individuals and contacting companies is just another form of business networking. Hence, more than the number of contacts, it is the level of contacts which matter. In other words quality takes precedence over quantity and this is where I think I have an edge over others. I have been selected for summer internship at Deloitte Consulting, a premier consultancy company (the only UG to be thus selected) and I think the same communication and persuasive skills, which helped me bag this internship will hold me in good stead when I interact with blue-chips from around the world.

Another important thing which merits consideration is effective utilization of the industry contacts of professors. While the placement body receives more than enough management and/or software related job offers, there is a visible paucity of good technology related department specific job offers, especially if computer science and electrical departments are excluded. Though it is expected that with the booming economy (and the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector in particular), the number of technical jobs will increase, the onus is on us, as placement nominees, to ensure that rapidly growing job market translates into increased number of technical job offers for IITians. This is where I think professors can play a pivotal role in job placements. In this regard, I would like to formulate a policy for increased and systematic approach of technology companies in tandem with the relevant department professors.

Further, I will work actively towards organization of workshops for GDs, PIs and resume writing. Another aspect to which I have been giving active consideration is a mentor program, which would involve students who have already secured jobs helping those who are yet to do the same.

A common question towards the end of any interview is: name your single biggest quality which you think will secure you this post. In this instance, while others might cite communication skills or personal contacts, I would say that my single biggest asset is the unanimous support of my department mates, in spite of the fact that I did not hold any formal post in the PT team. In fact, it was personal initiative on my part which led to my taking up this role and I have a feeling of great pride and satisfaction in the fact that I was able to come through for my batch mates when the internship scene was in doldrums; and have secured more internships for my department mates through personal contacts than both the department placement nominees put together.