But since life is not just a bed of roses, I also had my share of thorns. I got rejected from last rounds of all the companies that I appeared for. The only one that I got selected for was a mass recruiter even which did not give me joining letter for more than six months. Broken and disheartened, I anxiously started applying for all off-campus job offers too but all in vain. Life became gloomy and I began to cut myself off from all the social interactions, as an unemployed youth is seen as a liability.
Then came the day when I saw the silver lining among the clouds. My parents took me to a shopping mall to lift up my mood and I went to the Peter England showroom. I was casually looking around and then something caught my attention. A white shirt kept far away from me was beaming as if it wanted to say something. It wanted me to show the light at the end of the tunnel. I got carried away by it and went on to purchase it. Few days later, I came across a random Facebook post about a job opening in Gurugram. Desperate for a job, though knowing that getting a job through Facebook had exactly the same probability as the Avengers had for winning against Thanos, I applied for the job and went back to my mundane life. And to my surprise, I got a call from the organization to appear for the interview. This was a complete shock but realizing that this might be the Defining Moment of my life, I started preparing day and night for the interview that was scheduled few days later. Pondering over the things that I had been going through, I realized my life started to shine after my encounter with the dazzling white Peter England shirt. I was convinced this was the lucky charm that I had been looking for.
Then came the D-Day, 17th September 2016, where my entire life was reflecting upon me to make it big. Needless to say, I wore the same Peter England white shirt which had started the transformation of my life. I went through a long and tiring day with multiple rounds of screening including written tests and personal interviews. But my armour kept me going and I was as cheerful as a kid in every interview that I went through. The suave looks of the shirt complemented with my confidence and we paired like a Yin-Yang. The final result, I got selected and at more than double the compensation that industry had been offering to average students. This was the moment that I felt I made an impact.
Having being in the Corporate World for more than two and a half years, it becomes extremely important to always remain well-groomed and presentable because you never know when an opportunity knocks at your door, be it in terms of your manager approaching you to discuss on a new project design or even a colleague who wants to share some market-disrupting ideas that he came across during the tea break. And this is the time when Aditya Birla Fashion, with its long chain of superior brands such as Peter England, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Linen Club, Louis Philippe and Pantaloons, plays the big part in my life.
The sheer amalgamation of best quality fabric, finesse, fit, style and comfort that these brands provide always keeps me Industry-Ready and instils in me the confidence to take on any challenge and prove my mettle. Aditya Birla Group enables me to reach out for new horizons as its own reach, spanning 34 countries, is anchored by a strong force of over 120,000 employees, belonging to 42 nationalities. A good mind is nothing without a good heart, and Aditya Birla Group inspires me to transcend conventional barriers of business by caring deeply about the community and that is what led me to propose a Student Group for the love of animals in the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. I have a huge love for pawed animals, especially dogs and cats, and hence I named my proposal as Project PAWesome.
The Aditya Birla Group was named the AON best employer in India for 2018 – the 3rd time over the last 7 years. The Group ranked 4th in the world and 1st in Asia Pacific in the 'Top Companies for Leaders' study 2011, conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine and RBL (a strategic HR and leadership advisory firm). Hoping the history repeats itself, and the Aditya Birla Group becomes an enabler in my life yet again for me to achieve big and make an impact.
Finally, I would like to conclude with the words of Miuccia Prada -
"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language and this language transcends all horizons."
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