• You are here:
• Home
•  / 
• Job Wise
•  / 
• My first job experience
•  / 
• Story

Advertisement

Job Wise - My first job experience

What's your story idea?

I learnt the importance of "folding my sleeves" and going to the root of the problem to solve it, either conventionally or unconventionally  (View Comments)

Yasmin Taj

Posted On Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 04:07:21 PM

Ramesh A. Vaswani, Executive Vice-Chairman, Intex Technologies shares his first job experience

1) What was your first job like? What were your learnings from it?

In October 1966 I was asked to sort out the issue of regular uninterrupted supply of quality limestone from open mines at Sojat in Rajasthan. On analysis I found that the limestone being received was either not of the correct hardness or did not have the desired chemical composition, which resulted in rejection of many truck-loads. Taking inputs from the user department and my HOD, I decided to visit the mines and also test the samples at site. I took along with me a lab assistant, with the necessary equipment.

We travelled to a town, Sojat, which was then practically in the middle of nowhere, and where we had to camp at the home of the mine owner, because there was no other place to stay. We shared a room and also set up the lab there. We went by truck very early, every morning to the open mines, where we collected samples and brought them back for testing, late in the evening. These were all tested overnight and the mines were either approved or rejected. Repeating this exercise for a week we selected several mines from which we sent satisfactory truck-loads to the factory. It was later decided to make lab testing at site a permanent process for approval of a mine and resolved a major issue.

I learnt the importance of "folding my sleeves" and going to the root of the problem to solve it, either conventionally or unconventionally.

2) Your first pay cheque.

Back in August 1965, when I started work fresh out of IIT Madras (now Chennai). It was a princely sum of Rs. 750, and one hardly had the capacity or the time to spend too much money, I realised the real value of this amount as I started indulging in some small pleasures and extra-curricular activities.

3) What was the first challenge that you faced at work?

In July 1965, I joined DCM Ltd. It had completed its' 75th anniversary and was being restructured since 1963, through induction of Senior Management Trainees. The challenge was to gain acceptance by the older generation of HOD's who had all risen from the ranks and done an admirable job in the context of the era they had worked in. We so-called bright youngsters with an aptitude for shouldering responsibility were to become HOD's within three years of joining and this was not easily acceptable to those at the same level, who had reached there after 25-30
years of experience.

4) When was your first promotion?

In 1967, I was given the responsibility of assistant project/purchase manager to develop drawings, specifications and vendors for components of a new water cooler to be launched from a Group company in Hyderabad. This
assignment took me to the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, to several small and big units in Mumbai and to a motor manufacturer in Faridabad.

Most Searched Tags

Advertisement

Thought Pool

Here's your chance to be our 'Student Journalist of the Month', a contest for aspiring students to pool in their ideas and views on burning issues in the Human Resource space. It's simple! Post your article here and you could be the winner.

Topics of the month

• The need for CSR
• Role of EQ in a successful career

Terms & Conditions