Sneha Bansole is a Chartered Accountant by profession. She completed her graduation in B.Com from R.A Podar College of Commerce and Economics in 2017 and pursued M.Com from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics. At the same time, she completed her CA exams and did her articleship at E.A. Patil and Associates in Navi Mumbai. Being qualified as a Chartered Accountant, she has been working as an Associate Consultant at Capgemini for the past year.
What was the selection procedure? How did you get this job?
I got an opportunity to work with Capgemini through ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India). Different companies have different requirements similarly Capgemini had conducted 2 rounds of interviews. The first round included a psychometric test to analyze how well-informed the candidates are. The questions were related to logical reasoning. The second round consisted of a personal interview after which they selected about 25 employees. It Involved some basic HR questions, asked me how would I be able to contribute to this company and some tax-related questions since I had done CA. Apart from this, they asked some basic accounting questions about accounting standards and auditing standards.
What are your title and responsibility? What is your day-to-day work?
I am working as an Associate Consultant in Financial Planning and Analysis. My job typically includes forecasting revenue figures, cost figures and arriving at gross profits. Calculating the utilization rate, budgeting for the entire year, calculating the actual performance, observing the variance and interpreting the reasons for the same are also part of my job profile. We also have to suggest and give advice to the top management as to how can we improve our performance, and analyze favourable and unfavourable factors for the organization.
What are some of the challenges that you faced? How did you overcome them?
The transformation from a mid-sized company to a large multinational organization was challenging as the environment differs, and the way things work is completely different. Navigating if I have a particular problem and whom to approach in that case was also challenging initially. Also, the standard operating procedures in Capgemini are a little more complex to understand but you get familiar with them over time. During my articleship I worked with a mid-sized entity so it was a huge change from that internship to a corporate world.
What are some of the skills needed for this role?
Financial planning and analysis, being able to forecast the figures, ability to calculate the variance between the actual figures and forecast are some of the important skills needed. Another skill needed for any financial role is analytical skills, being able to analyze a huge chunk of data and being able to derive conclusions from the same. We also need to report the conclusions to the higher management so that they take the right decisions taking the data into consideration.
Soft skills like good communication skills are also needed to be able to communicate with different stakeholders and ensure that there is no miscommunication. Technical skills like Excel are a plus point which you would learn as you gain experience and being good at PowerPoint is also important.
How was your overall experience working with Capgemini?
Over this one year, I have seen a huge change in myself. I have been able to understand how things work in the corporate world. My experience has been great so far. This company gives importance to work-life balance. There are some situations when the work pressure is high but Capgemini also offers a significant amount of time to spend on other things. Even during Covid-19, Capgemini has been extremely flexible and also arranged various vaccination drives which was the need of the hour at that point in time. Our organization includes people from all backgrounds and there is no discrimination on the basis of gender, culture, religion etc. which is something I love about my company.
What is a decent stipend for freshers who want to take up internships?
This depends on the role you are doing, the amount of work and at which company as well. If you are working in Metropolitan cities like Mumbai or Delhi the stipend needs to be aligned with the cost of living as well. According to me, it should range from 15-20k depending on the job profile, living expenses, travelling expenses, amount of work etc.
Do you think internships are important for students and why?
Internships are very important as you get practical training. Studies would provide us with theoretical knowledge but applying it practically is completely different and equally important. A company would hire you based on your degree and the practical experience you gain during internships and part-time jobs. Internships would give you an edge over other applicants when you go to seek a job.