Usama Potrick completed his graduation in 2021 from Ramanand Arya DAV college. He took up Bachelor in Management Studies (BMS) at the under-graduation level. He has worked with Capita, a leading consultation organization in the U.K and is currently working as an Analyst at Capgemini.
What was the selection procedure? How did you get this job?
My friend put me down as a referral at Capgemini and shared my resume after which I got a call from the recruiter. The first round was conducted by the senior director as well as the recruiter which included questions related to my past experience, challenges faced, how did I overcome a stressful situation etc. There was a technical round as well which consisted of an aptitude test to check our knowledge followed by two-three other rounds with business heads.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Currently, I am working as an Analyst at Capgemini. We work with various HR-related projects in the organization including HR transformation and talent support activities. We need to have the ability to work in ambiguous situations and have an influence across organizational boundaries through excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
What are some of the challenges that you faced? How did you overcome them?
Initially, I wasn’t very sure that I possessed enough technical skills so eventually I got familiar with the tools and processes used at Capgemini. However, the environment we work in is very supportive and understanding which helped me overcome this challenge.
What are some of the essential skills needed for this role?
Having exceptional communication is really important as our role involves talking to various people, understanding their requirements and solving any problems that they might encounter. Being able to use various Microsoft applications like Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc is also essential. Since my role is as an Analyst, having an analytical mindset is also important as we need to find solutions to various problems as well as make concrete decisions and action plans. We need to logically approach complex issues and situations and come up with viable solutions and good-decision making.
What is your overall experience working with Capgemini?
My overall experience has been great. This company offers a proportionate work-life balance and gives various benefits to its employees. The work you do is also very rewarding and acknowledged. However, we have some deadlines and critical tasks to be completed within the time given so we need to work hard and complete our tasks on time. There are various HR policies and additional support given by colleagues, supervisors etc so it provides a great working atmosphere.
According to you, what is a decent market stipend for students who want to take up internships?
Many internships are unpaid as well, but according to me, students should prefer paid internships as it serves as a driving force to work harder and gives the motivation to perform better as well. A decent stipend for an HR role working in any consulting firm should be around 10-15k as per the market standards however, it also depends upon the company and the amount of work and responsibility of the intern.
Do you think internships are important for students? Why?
Internships are definitely important for students. Before I started my full-time job, I worked part-time for about 2 years when I was in my second year of degree college. I interned with SKM jobs which is a consulting firm (recruitment services company). That internship helped me gain a broader understanding of Human Resources and various concepts related to it. In addition, it also helped me understand the recruitment process, taking interviews with people and selecting suitable candidates. It also boosted my communication skills and improved my network as I got to interact with multiple people. I developed better PR skills and learnt the importance of networking as well.
What would you advise students/graduates?
Do as many internships as you can as we have sufficient time during our college life. Gaining exposure, interacting with different people and developing various skills would be really helpful in your full-time job. Once you start earning, you become financially independent which is a really great aspect. There are various platforms available for different fields through which we can gain knowledge and boost our skills.