Path to progress is never a straight line

We are RCT Airlines, brought to you by pilots Luc Valleteau De Moulliac and Yi Jian Chan and air stewardess Selvi.

My name is Selvi Sanjeev Kumar, a professionally trained Indian classical dancer. I work as an Support Analyst in CACIB. The two jobs are parallel lines that would never meet, yet here I am as a conduit between the two. I hope the applications will dance to my tunes.?

My pilots and i don’t come from a technical background. However we are experts in our own fields, which we are very passionate about. 2 years ago, due to the pandemic, there were many restrictions in place which impacted all of us in different ways. Life is very uncertain which can suddenly throw many obstacles in your way and this is one such example. Due to the circuit breaker and strict safe-management-measures, I couldn't hold any classes nor could I send my students for performances. Despite all these challenges, we managed to persevere and succeed. Despite overcoming the challenges, there was an urgent task of finding another job to remain financially stable to tide through this difficult time.

Before joining CACIB, I was working as a Level 1 Service Request Executive. I felt the urge to progress from my current position. Hence, I started looking for other opportunities but it was an uphill challenge. I was getting rejected solely because I lacked the relevant job and technical experiences needed for the jobs I was applying for. After several rejections, I was overjoyed to know that I was shortlisted for an interview by Mr. Rahul Parasnis at CACIB. To be honest, I was mentally prepared for another rejection just like previous ones. Although I was very confident of landing the job during my initial interactions with him, my worst fears were confirmed when he mentioned that the company needed people with technical backgrounds.?

He ended the interview by asking if I had any questions for him to which I asked, “Yes. If everyone is always giving opportunities to the experienced people, where do inexperienced people like me go? We all have to start somewhere, but if we are not given the opportunity to do so in the first place, how can we ever get any relevant experience? I need to start somewhere, right ?” He smiled and then said “You talk very well. I’ll get back to you after discussing it with the team.”

As promised, Mr Rahul did call me back after discussing with his team and I was overjoyed to hear that I had received an offer to be part of the GLS team. The unique characteristic of this team is that we all come from different walks of life. To name a few, a traditional dancer, a pilot, an Aerospace project engineer and homemakers. I’m really grateful to my manager for giving me this unique opportunity to showcase my capabilities and honour his trust in me. I was really inspired by something my manager said ‘This is not Rocket Science Selvi, you will struggle at first, but you will overcome these struggles in no time’.

I am still learning and there are still several battles to overcome. I really hope that my experience has proven that those who don’t have all the technical experiences can still succeed in getting such jobs. Hence, I would like to kindly ask all the hiring managers to give opportunities to those who, like me, need the relevant platforms to learn and start their career journey in such technical fields. When we first step into the job industry, we are like a ball of modelling clay that needs the opportunities and guidance to be molded into the right shape. I believe that the two main things that all the three of us have, which will allow us to succeed in any job, is our discipline and dedication. Trust me there is no easy job and there will always be initial struggles, but with perseverance and hard work success is inevitable!?Thanks to the pandemic, we were able to experience a hybrid model and appreciate its flexibility. There are many other people out there like the three of us. Therefore, I really like to request all the hiring managers to see beyond qualifications and relevant work experiences and rather the good qualities and diverse ideas potential candidates can bring to the table that can add value to both the team and the organisation as a whole. If there are more managers like Mr Rahul, then many people would be presented with opportunities to improve and develop their careers.

I’d like to end off with a quote that I hope resonates with everyone! “Always keep your face toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” The journey in growing your career will not be a straight line and there will be times that you would feel like giving up. However, you must always be humble, positive, persevere, constantly improve and success will follow you!