‘If you want to improve your communication skills, practise!’

Radhan Iyer is an associate recruitment consultant with Recruitment Global Family (RGF) Professional Recruitment, a job that he bagged at his college placements. Having studied in Chennai before moving to Delhi to pursue his postgraduate diploma at Apeejay School of Management (ASM), Radhan was able to enjoy the company of a mixed group of youngsters, he says in an interview. Read on to know more about his journey.

You opted for HR and Operations for MBA. Why?

HR interested me because it is a people development role. As someone who likes to meet and talk to new people, I wanted to hone my communication skills and learn how to engage with others. Operations, on the other hand, is something my father is involved in so that was a motivation for me.

What does your work at RGF entail?

We work with a lot of technology companies that require a range of professionals, from the developer to the manager in the technical development area. As part of my job, I talk to potential candidates for an initial screening of sorts in which I discuss job roles and responsibilities and make sure they are in accordance with the candidate’s expectations.

The other part of my job is to build clients by talking to a lot of HR professionals in other organisations, and discussing their job requirements. I am still learning and hoping to become a good HR professional in the future.

You secured this job from your college placements. How did ASM prepare you?

It was a combined effort of me and ASM. Ishita ma’am helped me a lot to develop my skills. Simultaneously, I did my own research on the company and worked on my communication skills.

What have you learned in your journey so far?

My role involves a lot of communication. But until a year ago, I was hesitant to talk to unknown people on the phone. Through my work, I have been able to overcome my nervousness. Now, I can speak confidently to anyone between two and 20 years of work experience. I have learned negotiation skills and ways to pitch my organisation.

Can you share some tips to improve communication skills?

Practice is the key! You may be nervous while speaking to someone today but by the time you speak to the tenth person, you will be a lot more confident. So, instead of being demotivated, try to interact with people on a daily basis. Make sure your communication gets better with each person. You will also learn in the process how you should put forward your arguments.

What was your journey at ASM like?

Prior to ASM, I pursued my BTech in Computer Science from Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Chennai. After this, I came to Delhi. Apart from the exposure, what I also got at ASM was the chance to meet new people and make friends. I was a day scholar, which was an advantage. Our college had a very good mix of people. For the entire second year of college, we had online classes due to the pandemic. But since I had made friends in the first year, I did not struggle too much during my second year.