Well Begun is Half Done
Blog: Capgemini CTO Blog
The title refers to my thoughts on my career so far in Capgemini. I joined Capgemini in 2013 as an intern through the campus placements at IIM Lucknow and had a two-month stint with the FS Market Intelligence (MI) team. Our team publishes thought leadership in the Financial Services domain, with our flagship world reports increasingly being recognized as some of the best in the industry! I found everything I looked for in my dream job — valuable and thought-provoking work, a wonderful team, and an open environment where I could learn and grow. Luckily, I was offered a permanent position and I took it up immediately, thereby becoming a part of the Chrysalis 2014 program which is an annual program for B-school graduates.
Since then, it has been a great journey where I have learnt a lot and grown as a professional and now feel a sense of belonging to this organization. Here are a few reasons why I love my work and Capgemini as a whole:
- Doing impactful work – This is something that every graduate itches to do right from their first day! While that may not always happen (more on this below), it does happen eventually and is one of the most satisfying rewards as a professional. As part of the insurance domain of the MI team, it was a great feeling for me when the World Insurance Report 2016 received strong market recognition and the World Insurance Report 2017 is promising to do so too! One of the key objectives of the MI team is to establish Capgemini as an industry expert (along with a technology expert) and we had some really proud moments when Capgemini was ranked among the top 10 InsurTech influencer lists by Onalytica and ipfconline. It is generally difficult to measure the results of a branding exercise so it was great to have some tangible proof of the success of our efforts.
- A truly global and open environment – One thing that has set Capgemini apart for me is its truly global orientation. Over the last three years, I have had the opportunity to work with colleagues across almost every continent and this has helped me learn some good practices from different cultures and working styles. Another positive that I noticed in Capgemini is the approachability of senior leaders. I have had the good fortune to interact with a few during the last three years and found them all to be down-to-earth, approachable and ready to guide. This certainly helps foster a sense of belonging and being valued in the organization.
- Opportunities galore – Another factor that has helped shape my positive experience in Capgemini is a strong culture of meritocracy. I have never got the impression that anything other than my performance matters and wherever I have performed, I have been entrusted with opportunities more than what I would expect based on general norms. Here, I absolutely have to mention my managers Bill Sullivan, David Wilson, Chirag Thakral, and Vikash Singh who have sustained this culture and helped me grow more than I would have without their mentorship.
The intention here is not to paint a rosy picture of Capgemini but to use this opportunity to acknowledge all that I have received from this firm. But no entity is without flaws and I would like to share a few tips that I think will be helpful for new graduates to shape their career no matter where they are:
- No work is too trivial – As mentioned previously in this post, we tend to come with a lot of dreams as fresh graduates and often get disillusioned when the going is slow. But this is the phase where you probably have the greatest control in determining where your career goes. Do not consider any task as trivial and give it your best no matter what it is. Proving yourself from the start is the surest way of get chosen for that big opportunity you are waiting for!
- Go beyond the call of duty – Professionals who truly stand out are the ones who put the organization above themselves and go beyond the call of duty when needed. Avoid working like you are filling a checklist and constantly think of how you can expand the limits of what success looks like.
- Speak up – Another lesson I have learnt is to speak up for what you want. We often shy away from asking for opportunities but do not realize that our proactive interest alone may qualify us for more opportunities in the eyes of supervisors.
- Think win-win and build relationships – One of the greatest assets one can have as a professional is good relationships and this is something I have seen in multiple instances in my career. Another thing that I think very important for success is to think win-win. You can always achieve more than you expect when everybody gets to win! And needless to say, a win-win approach goes a long way in helping build relationships.
As you can see, I am one happy employee and consider myself fortunate for this! I look forward to a long career as part of Capgemini.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
