Anil Kaul, Delhi
I belong to Jammu & Kashmir but have been staying in Delhi for the past 12 years. I come from a middle class family. I am a bit introvert but gel well with people. I am a science graduate from Jammu University & did my MBA from Bengaluru University.
Post completing my education, I went back to Jammu & started my career as a salesman at a two-wheeler showroom in Jammu. I worked there for almost a year & then moved to Delhi. Initially, I worked with a DSA of ICICI bank as a sales officer – the job required approaching NRIs to open an account with the bank. During this period I saw a walk-in advertisement of IMRB International (where I used to work earlier) in a newspaper for the position of “Executive- Field Operations”. I went there without having any idea of practical market research, as I had learned about it only in academic books- so my curiosity led me there. I appeared in the interview & got selected. This is how I entered the Market Research industry.
I worked as a Field Executive for 5 years and was moved to the “Project Management Team” later, where I worked for almost 6 months. One day, I got a call from Market Xcel to join & be a part of the organization. Making a move wasn’t a tough decision as being in the industry for long, I knew about Market Xcel & its work culture.
This is how my journey began with this family (it was in the year 2011) & it continues till date. I hope this journey goes on all my life now. Currently, I work as a “Manager- Client Services” for Retail Division in the organization.
I still remember, during the interview I wasn’t clear nor did I crosscheck that I was being hired for the Retail division. I was informed that my work profile would be similar to what I had been doing in IMRB. But here, I had to deal with the clients directly instead of interacting with internal research team. If I knew this before, I’m sure I would have given it a second thought due to the fact that I had no experience of handling the clients till then. But, right from day one I felt comfortable as my mentor supported me very well in every possible way to learn & perform my task. It’s the environment & culture which makes an employee’s experience of working here wonderful.
I have heard many times that people who do not get any job land up in market research industry accidently as this doesn’t require any skill & to some extent I had also started believing this before joining Market Xcel. But, after coming here, I learnt it’s not true as this industry throws new challenges every day. You have tight timelines to meet which keep on changing as per client’s requirement; and one must keep clients satisfied at all times & also keep himself ahead of competition which is not at all easy. So, all this requires a different set of skills which one might not learn working with other sectors.
While I enjoy working in this organization, it’s also like an institution where I learn on regular basis. Management here takes care of the employees. Being professional yet friendly environment helps you grow fast. In these 6 years I haven’t only grown in my career or have upgraded my knowledge but have also learnt how to handle people. I am fortunate to work with people who also think of giving back to the society. All I can say is that my bonding with Market Xcel family grows each passing day.
Anil Kaul, Proud Family Member