Meet the FMS student who bagged Rs 1.02 cr pay package in campus placement

Jayant Babani

When Jayant Babani went in to the interview room, he wasn’t expecting to bag a lucrative overseas job with highest pay package among his peers as he was does not consider himself an exceptional student. Singapore-based agri-business firm Olam International recruited Jayant for USD 150,000 (Rs 1.02 crore roughly).  And it happened to him courtesy his self-belief and confidence. Jayant completed his schooling in Pali, Rajasthan and moved to Bangalore to pursue Mechanical Engineering from PESIT. Shiksha caught up with Jayant, a school-level cricketer and massive Manchester United fan, on how he bagged the offer during FMS, Delhi Campus Placements for Class of 2017.

Q: What was your expectation?

Jayant: My expectation was never to crack the biggest job on the campus. I was prepared and tried to take one step at a time. Olam just happened to me as I kept working hard and was trying to crack a good job from the campus. 

Q: How ecstatic are you?

Jayant: I am really excited about what the future holds for me. The company and role is quite different from what the other companies offer. Therefore, I am really excited about going around the globe and learning the best practices in the industry.  

Q: Tell us all about your placement interview.

Jayant: At first, the shortlist was released after the application process for the firm. After that, we had one round of GD. Once the GD was over, the interview shortlist was released. I had 2 rounds of personal interviews with the senior leadership at Olam. 

Q: How did you prepare for placements? 

Jayant: I had a PPI from Asian Paints for my Internship, so I had started early as far as the preparations were concerned. I went through the basic marketing concepts required as I was doing my majors in Marketing. Another thing that I focused on was the HR questions. I prepared everything which was there on my CV. I worked towards these things and everything fell into the place.  

Q: What factors did you keep in mind for choosing companies?

Jayant: One important thing for me was the feedback from the Alumni working in those companies. Post that, I went through the Job Description (JD) of the companies. JDs and feedback made me decide on what companies to apply for.  

Q: Did you face any hurdle? How did you tackle them?

Jayant: As far as the placement process is concerned, I faced many hurdles as I was not from a very prestigious college, nor did I have exceptional academic achievements in the past. But I overcame these hurdles by working very hard at FMS, tried to do all that I could to improve on my CV and my whole personality.   

Q: Were there offers from multiple companies?

Jayant: I had a PPI from a world renowned Beer giant. Although I was waiting for the final round to happen, I had cleared the first 6 rounds for the same.  

Q: Why did you select this particular firm? Did you accepted this offer for the handsome pay package or were there other reason?

Jayant:Olam is very different from other companies which offer roles on the campus. The role offers ownership and responsibility which no other company can offer at this stage of my career. This was the major reason for me choosing the firm over other firms. 

Q: What’s the break-up of your pay package? How much will be your actual take-home?

Jayant: The break up is yet to be revealed.  

Q: Since you will be posted abroad, have you calculated your total expense vs savings? 

Jayant: I have not thought of the same yet. There is still time for that before I join the firm. 

Q: What is your parents’ reaction? What do they have to say?

Jayant: They had few reservations initially, but were convinced that the firm will offer me immense exposure and opportunities to progress in my career. Right now, they are elated with the offer I have got. Happy times for the family. 

Q: Would you have any tips for future candidates?

Jayant: Just believe in yourself, build your personality and work on your profile. Use MBA as an opportunity to get to know the different industries and keep working hard. Everything will fall into its place, don’t worry.