SANJAY SHANKAR

As part of the digital team at Schroders, I am responsible for products ranging from digital investment and portfolio advisory solutions, to chatbots, websites,appsandportals.Asabusiness analyst, I work on digital propositions that tackle business challenges and extend our offerings to clients, and ensure that these products are launched successfully. To do so, I wear multiple hats, including business analysis, project delivery,productownershipandproduct management. So, every day is new and exciting.

How I got my job

I initially interned at Schroders in 2019, and was later offered to return full-time for its graduate programme. Apart from completing an online application, I had to complete several tests that assessed my numerical, logical and verbal reasoning skills. Following that was a video interview, as well as an assessment centre consisting of interviews, case studies, presentations and group activities. Usually, the assessment centre is the most daunting stage for people. I heard I got the job because I was calm, charismatic and a team player with good clarity of thought.

The highs and lows

Knowing that our team is at the forefront of building products that are of strategic significance to the organisation keeps me motivated. I also appreciate that my ideas and opinions are always valued.

However, when you work closely with colleagues from around the world, it often leads to late-evening meetings. Thankfully, Schroders’ emphasis on work-life balance, flexi-working and great colleagues makes things manageable for me.

Ihavehadopportunitiestoworkonmultiple projects with a variety of technology and business teams. One particular highlight was when I was assigned to work in London for a few months, which had me play a key role in a global project focused on transforming our web architecture into a new headless/API-driven architecture and enhancing user experience, search engine optimisation, marketing analytics and search capabilities across more than 120 websites. It also gave me the chance to travel around the United Kingdom which made my time more memorable.

Some advice

Attitude is everything – skills can be taught, but your approach to solving problems, learning, and helping others cannot. Have a growth mindset, be open to learning new things and doing things differently. Work hard to ensure that quality work is delivered on time, while also helping your teammates succeed. Show them that they can always trust you to get the job done.

Fly high, but more importantly, never lose your humility. You can be the most skilled person in the world, but no one will want to work with you if you are arrogant.