Step outside the crowd!!

Will I get a good job with my study? a common question of average

BBA students.Likewise thousands of questions pop in our head about our
career. How can a person become successful in his career? How will I cope
with the corporate culture with my theoretical knowledge? What kind of
post will suit me most? Sakib Ahmed Chowdhury, Key accounts officer
at Nestl Bangladesh Limited, shared his views about these facts. About
the tips & tricks that we need while planning as a student for the job
market. He earned graduate degree in Finance from FBS, University of
Dhaka. Sakib sat down with us to reflect on his perspective on applying
the knowledge and experience he gained, as a student to his current
profession.

How long have you worked in Nestl Bangladesh Limited?

Its been around a year in Nestle Bangladesh Limited & its a wonderful
feeling to work with a bunch of inquisitive as well great minds to work
with.

How did you get your career started?

Actually, from the day I stepped into this faculty, I was trying to keep in
touch with different sources for information about career choice & job
market, but most of the information I got was from my communication with
seniors in faculty & that was the beginning of my career I think. Key to
information is good communication. It helps a lot in every step of your
career.

How would you characterize the job market?

No doubt, today there is much more competition now in job market.

Sometimes though its going against your will, you need to concentrate on
some strategic plans to get into the market. Before pursuing into any
sector, you need to know first would this sector or profession give you the
growth you had imagined for. If it is, then go for it. Its obvious that you will
do better in there. If you have passion for MNCS & you go for the FMCG,
you are not going to fit there & it will become a threat also to sustain there.
Do what you love, what you have been dreaming. For competing in todays
harder job market job-seekers need to know beyond borders. It is not
adequate to know only about DSE, you may need to keep aware about the
NYSE also or about Wall-street. Dont think only domestically, think
globally. To boost your career up, you need to possess different sorts of
qualities like good communication skill, ability to win, ability to work under
peer pressure, helping people proactively, analytical power, motivational
level etc.
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What are your key responsibilities? Tell us about the level of

commitment and difficulty in the field.

My morning starts with doing different sorts of professional things like

analyzing sales data, meeting with stakeholders, negotiating with
distributors, monitoring projects, budgeting new projects etc. When
matters come to level of commitment or the difficulty, I think its
completely up to you. If you take responsibility & try harder you r going to
cross the line, just what you need is to cling to your task and do it
professionally. It seems quite an abstruse task first but, if you dedicate
yourself & take time there is nothing to worry about. What it takes is your
adaptability.

Why were you interested in a career in Nestl Bangladesh Limited?

Was there any specific purpose or its being an MNC?

Here comes the same thing, I have mentioned earlier that before stepping
into the job market. You need to think deeply whether this profession will
get you the growth to flourish your potentials you possess, will this
profession help you to make your dream come true, is this what you think
before graduating etc.

Yes, I targeted FMCG sector because according to my biz philosophy &

analyzing all the aspects of it I considered this profession will give me the
growth to reach my goal.

You went at the FBS. What influence do you think FBS has on your
professional life?

Yes, that leaves a great impression to go forward in your career. Basically,

there are two kinds of aftermaths, I believe. One is the knowledge
basement you have acquired through all these years in your respective
university& another one is your peers, you had worked with. Because once
you leave the academic ground, you may be in the need of them as there
may be a lot of situations in your career when you will need their expertise.
FBS also taught me how to present myself flourishing my potentials
completely.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?

Executing responsibilities with freedom if my thoughts go logical as well

proper for the period has been the rewarding aspects of my job.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?

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You will face a huge amount of challenge in MNCs and other private
sectors. Same thing happened with me also. In MNCs/FMCGs you will be
asked to evaluate your performances. Like what you are doing & how you
are doing it, what you have learned in these couple of months or did you
make any contribution to the company all up by yourself. Thats the most
challenging part I think for me.

How does your professional degree relate to your job?

In the inception level, it is not obligatory to have a professional degree like

CFA, ACCA, and CIMA etc. But when you stuck into a position for a long
time, professional degree gets obvious there to overcome that situation.
Professional degrees give you analytical power to think the subtleties of
subjects Finance, accounting &Marketing etc. As of 2006, a full 39% of all
Fortune 500 CEOs held an MBA, with 62% of holding some kind of
professional degrees.

Did you join any organizations as a student that helped you with
your career?

Yes, I joined Voice of Business (VOB), a non-profit organization founded in

May 2007 by the students of eight departments of the, Faculty of Business
Studies (FBS), University of Dhaka.VOB make me learn how to review,
think critically & innovatively etc., which helps me a lot now in my current
job a lot.

Your team was the champion of battle of minds. Tell us about it.

Yeah, that was quite good experience for me. For winning these kinds of
business competition, you need to focus on the core things like the plan
itself, team work, innovation in products life cycle and many more things.
We got adequate supports from our teachers which was also a memorable
part to remember for.Communication skills are considered a good
benchmark here to judge any group. If you stick to anything with passion
& intensity you will be able to go through successfully.

What has served as the biggest inspirations for your career?

Passion for my work has been my biggest inspiration for my career

because I love my job & the way I do.

What is your professional goal for the future?

As everyone loves to see himself in higher position like country manager,

regional manager, cfo, cmo, I am not exception to that.
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Tell us about your 1st job interview that worked out at the end.

In any interview, either it is mnc or fmcg, you need to expose your inborn
qualities like if you have the ability to win, how proactively you help
people around you, behavior, if you are motivated enough, do you
communicate meaningfully, can you use your analytical power to solve
problems etc. If you have these qualities & you practice them intensely,
maybe the job is waiting for you.

Does graduating from a prestigious school make a difference in

landing a good job?

Yes, surely it does. The knowledge I have learned from here & my
communication skills has also been developed from here, which plays a
great role now in my career to proceed. Though some of the components
lack in our entire education system, university lasts a very impressive
print in landing a good job.

What do you know today, that in retrospect, you wish you knew
before you pursued your education and career?

Uh-huh, thats pretty difficult but I wish I had known the corporate cultures
of doing things related to finance often marketing. Communication is one
of the most powerful tools that work in every step you go. You need to be
proactive to your tasks. Today I know how to deal with customers, why the
marginal profit rate is going slower etc., which I wish I could have known
earlier.

What is one unique resource you frequently use to learn about

best practices in business world all around the globe?

Usually, I keep myself updated through my LINKD IN subscriptions as well

my portfolio. Another unique so as to precious resource I always need to
use is the NEST. This is an wide area network that is established among all
of the offices of NESTLE in the world, which helps me to get my queries &
keep myself updated about business of my company I serve. Sometimes
review some corporate review also to know more.

Who would you love to see interviewed on PILCRONATIA?

The initiative you have taken is great, I think. Students will get to know
more about the internal issues of job world, corporate etiquettes, and
strategies to flourish their entrepreneurial potentials. You can interview
people from different MNCs like UNILIVER, BRTISH AMERICAN TOBACCO
(BAT), Lanka-Bangla finance etc.

It has been a wonderful conversation with you guys. Nice to meet you.
Step outside the crowd!!

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