As an Analyst for Transaction Advisory Services at the prestigious Ernst & Young, Nikarika Tyagi is implementing her learning from Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida rather successfully. She believes that her PGDM course made her 75% ready for the challenges of the corporate world. “The remaining 25% involved the implementation of my learning by putting it into practice. The PGDM made me smart enough to acquaint myself with the challenges of the real world corporate set-up,” says Niharika, attributing her success to the time she spent at the institute. 

The Economics graduate had chosen Jaipuria Noida for her higher studies because she believed the institute would provide her with ample opportunities to grow personally and professionally; and the PGDM programme at the institute lived up to her expectations. Niharika is filled with gratitude as she recounts, “The activities and initiatives at Jaipuria Noida were responsible for my development. Its reputed and experienced faculty members helped me learn and stay motivated. And the impeccable infrastructure facilitated things for me in the best possible way.” 

A combination of all these factors gave her confidence, which boosted her talent to get through the rigorous selection process at Ernst & Young. “It involved an aptitude test, which was followed by an HR round, a Technical round and a Manager round. I’m happy to have completed the entire process successfully and become part of the organisation,” says Niharika. 

Talking about her work at the company, she says, “It’s a project based process. Once the project allocation is done, teams assigned for each project come together for a briefing by the project leader and then get cracking on assigned tasks. Deliverables are time-bound, so it becomes important to plan the day and prioritise work.” 

Niharika is thriving on everyday challenges and draws on her learning at the institute regularly. “The concepts of finance and accounts that I had been studying are not being put into practise so far. Profiling the business firms for mergers and acquisitions and analysing their financials from the different perspectives of the business cycle interest me immensely,” she says, brimming with confidence. Niharika also points out the important elements of an Analyst’s work profile as she says, “Fair understanding of the industry sector you are working on is crucial. Conceptual knowledge of various financial analyses and getting the numbers right are other vital aspects of an Analyst’s job.” 

Niharika believes that the theories she learned at Jaipuria Noida have been the backbone of her understanding of her job and the reason she can execute her ideas well. “All my management lessons, be they in Finance, HR or Organizational Behaviour, help me at my workplace. Only when you have your concepts right can you perform tasks given to you,” she says. 

Niharika stresses on the importance of basic skills and knowledge in aspirants who want to get a foothold in the dynamic world of transactions. But she also encourages students to make the most of their time at the institute. “I miss hanging out with my friends, working on events, and the fun we had during presentations and assignments. These are the reasons I’d like to go back to the institute. Those days never come back, so students should enjoy them to the fullest while they prepare well for a future in the corporate world,” she concludes.