Your beginning does NOT define your end
Ruchika Rocque is a recruiter, a storyteller, an influencer, a content creator and much more. She is on a mission to inspire students and job seekers with her storytelling superpower. An expert in the area of HR and specifically early in career recruitment, she is an adventurer at heart who does not fear the unknown.
Here is a story of a woman who truly makes us believe that “Giving up on your dreams is not an option.”
The Beginning…
Being the daughter of an Indian army officer, relocating to a new place every two years was my normal. I loved travelling and experiencing the different cultures within our country. Since dad was away serving the nation, my mom played the role of a mother and father for much of my growing up years. My brother and I were the complete opposites. While he was the studious one I loved the outdoors and was always involved in co-curricular activities and sports. Not being competent in academics meant that I had to prove myself outside of academics. Maths was a subject that I dreaded the most and it gave me anxiety even as a child. For my 11th and 12th, I decided to distance myself from math and the sciences and chose commerce as my stream. Growing up I had no idea what I wanted to do in life. The career choice that I was inclined towards was being in the armed forces. Seeing Dad serve the country for 37 years, I knew it wasn’t my forte. I wasn’t cut out for the hard life and sacrifices.
The Unknown Path
Due to the limited information and exposure on the various career lines, I decided to choose BCom for my undergraduate. I was always the outstanding student who spent most of her time outside the classroom representing the university in various sports. And just like that, three years passed in the blink of an eye and it was graduation. That’s when it hit me ‘What do I do now? I don’t have a goal in mind’. Like every other BCom graduate, the next supposedly logical step was an MBA and so I enrolled in an MBA programme. I decided to specialize in HR as I felt that was the right fit for me because I could communicate and connect with people well. During my 3rd semester, the placement season began, the initial set of companies had their cut-offs and being below average I couldn’t qualify. This did make me sad but I brushed it aside and decided to find a way. Deloitte came as a miracle, and to my astonishment, they reduced their cut off and I got to sit for the hiring process. There were seven hundred students who participated in the hiring process and I was one of the seven that got the offer. It was an emotional moment for me because I always underestimated myself and thus began my corporate journey.
Surviving the Corporate Jungle
As a 22-year-old starting out their corporate life, Deloitte was a dream. It offered me stability, a good paycheck and a sustainable work environment. I was placed in a team that was into resource management. I was expected to sit in front of the screen for 8+ hours, work on crunching data and making sure my work was error-free. After spending a year in this role, I realized I wasn’t cut out for the job. Knowing that I was more inclined towards interacting with people, I decided to take charge of the situation. I was always intrigued by the talent acquisition team. I was curious to know more and felt that this was something that I wanted to pursue.
Call me spontaneous but I walked into the recruitment heads office, introduced myself and asked him if an opportunity existed in his team. Surprisingly he did not throw me out of the room but smiled and told me that there were openings and he would schedule an interview with me. I interviewed for the role and got it. That’s when I learnt that not all opportunities come knocking at your door. You have to ask for what you want and take charge of the situation. I loved my stint with Deloitte but I was craving for more, and that’s when Novartis happened. I gave my interview and got in as a campus recruiter. I loved every bit of it. And just like that Six months passed.
That’s when my obsession with Microsoft started. I was scrolling through Linkedin and happened to see a post by an ex-colleague of mine. This person had joined Microsoft. I was astonished and something lit up inside me. The first thought that I had was “If she can, so can I”.
I began searching for people on LinkedIn. I wasn’t randomly sending requests to anyone who was in Microsoft. I knew I wanted to be in the University recruiting team and ensured that my requests were targeted at people who were in that team. I knew exactly what I wanted and was very clear about it from day one. Finally, after 6 months of trying, I got the message from the hiring manager that changed my life. I loved the role they pitched and gave my best for the interview. Thus started my journey with my dream company. The rest as you all know is history.
I have a dream …
To every dreamer out there please be patient. I know there is a lot of pressure on each one of us to get into the big brands and make those big bucks. It is okay if you’re not in the place where you want to be. You will get there eventually. You have a long journey ahead of you, so make sure you hold your dream close to your heart and work for it. Microsoft was not my first employer but I carved my path to get here. You have to be patient and keep trying, because “Giving up on your dreams is just not an option”.
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