‘So, what happened?’
A girlfriend, fun-loving friends, alcohol, grass and crap profs happened, I
wanted to say. But Ananya had told me the right answer. ‘Actually, Mr. Sharma,’ I
said, emphasizing his name so he felt good, ‘when I entered IIT, I didn’t realize the
rigours demanded by the system. And once you have a bad start, due to relative
grading, it is quite hard to come back. I did get good grades in the last semester
and my IIMA grades are good. So, as you can see, I’ve made up.’
There were twenty minutes of stupid questions like ‘will credit cards grow in
India?’ or ‘can India improve its banking services?’ where you easily answer what
they want to hear (yes, they will grow and, yes, India can improve heaps). Finally,
they asked the big question, ‘Why Citibank?’
I want Citibank because none of the other five banks worked out. I sucked in my
breath along with my stupid thoughts. BS time, buddy, I thought, the ten seconds
that will determine your career start now.
‘Mr Ahuja, the question is not why Citi. The real question is why would any
ambitious young person want to go anywhere else? It is the biggest private bank
in the world, it has a great reputation, it is committed to India, and there are
opportunities in almost every area of the bank. It is not a bank, it is a growth
machine.’
I paused to see if I had gone over the top. But Rahul listened with rapt
attention and Devesh nodded. Yes, they were falling for it.
‘And, ultimately the biggest reason is, Rahul,’ I said, switching to the first
name to show my closeness to him, ‘I really want to work with people I look up to.
When I see you, I want to be you. And Citi gives me a shot at it.’
Rahul flushed with pride. ‘How...I mean, how do you know you want to be me?’
No matter how accomplished people get, they don’t stop fishing for
compliments. ‘I saw you at the pre-placement talk. I’ve attended dozens of talks,
but the way you presented showed more thought clarity than anyone else. I think
it is a Citibank thing. You people have a different confidence. Right, Devesh?’
Devesh looked at me, perplexed. ‘Actually, we at human resources pick the
best talent,’ he parroted, probably from a manual.
‘HR does nothing. I personally pick everyone for the job,’ Rahul said as the two
jostled for my attention.
nora
(Nora)
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