Sushant Rajput is an award-winning author of ‘I Wish Someone Told Me This Before My First Job.’ His debut book has garnered several literary accolades, including being recognized as an ‘Amazon Bestseller.’ An accomplished management professional with over two decades of experience in the IT/ITES industries, Sushant is currently associated with eClerx Services Ltd. He ventured into the field of literature approximately five years ago as a blogger and storyteller and officially launched his career as an author in January 2024.
His literary work and professional achievements have been widely recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including:
- ‘Asia’s Most Promising Professional Skills Trainer and Inspiring Writer Award’ by Asia Awards powered by the World Research Congress.
- Conferred with the ‘Bharat Vibhushan Puraskar 2024’ for his book, honoured as the ‘Best Self-Help Book of the Year for Students and Young Professionals.’
- Recipient of the ‘Rabindranath Tagore Literature Award’ by DRDC.
- Awarded the ‘Indo-British Literary Award’ by The Authors of India.
The Literature Times: Your book, I Wish Someone Told Me This Before My First Job, addresses the practical skills often overlooked in traditional education. What motivated you to write this book, and why do you think these skills are so crucial for young professionals?
Sushant Rajput: The inspiration for my book, “I Wish Someone Told Me This Before My First Job,” came from my experiences in the corporate world and academia. Generally, I find inspiration in my professional experiences, interactions with students, and observing industry demands.
I realized there was a significant gap in practical knowledge for students entering the workforce which lead to mismatch in expectations both for organizations and freshers, while this book will help fill that discrepancy.
The Literature Times: Throughout your career, you’ve worked in various prestigious organizations like HCL Technologies, Cognizant, and Deutsche Bank. How have these experiences shaped your views on what’s truly important for success in the corporate world?
Sushant Rajput: Let me answer this from the perspective of my book as each of the aspects covered in it are based on the aspects that are essential for an individual’s success, based on these experiences, The book is directed to help and guide young mind who are about to enter the industry or have recently got into the industry, the book has been a culmination of my 20 years of corporate experience detailing the essential professional skills that are required for a youngster to survive, build and grow in the industry, while these skills itself have helped me grow in my career along with required technical knowledge.
The Literature Times: The book offers actionable advice on interview preparation, presentations, and networking. Could you share some key tips that you think every young professional should keep in mind when preparing for their first job?
Sushant Rajput: There are 3 key tips that young professionals should keep in mind and practice too – firstly, being realistic (roles and responsibilities) in terms of their expectations from a job, secondly to focus on gaining knowledge and experience rather than chasing money and lastly to take ownership and accountability of the work they do.
The Literature Times: You emphasize the importance of soft skills, such as communication and emotional intelligence. How do you recommend readers practice and develop these skills in their everyday lives?
Sushant Rajput: Unlike many of the self-help books, I have specifically addressed this point in my book, at the end of each chapter, there are ways mentioned on how to practice the skills (mentioned in the book as call to actions) along with additional reading sources (reference sections). If the same is diligently followed and implemented, readers will be able develop and practice the skills.
The reader is not only grasping the information from the chapter but at the end of it I will tell them how they can actually apply the lessons in day-to-day life as a student and also as a working professional. You don’t need to be a CEO to apply leadership skills, you can start doing it right away in the smallest of actions. This is exactly what my aim was and I’m glad readers have found them helpful.
The Literature Times: In your book, you also touch on the entrepreneurial journey. How do you think the lessons shared in your book can be applied to someone who is looking to start their own business?
Sushant Rajput: An individual intending to start something on his/her own, need to first become an employee and work, this will provide the necessary platform to learn how a business runs, so going back to being an employee with an open mind, you need still build and show these skills. Also, when an individual begins running a business, he/she should still possess professional skills to build and grow clientele.
The Literature Times: With over two decades of experience in pre-sales, solution designing, and consulting, how have these fields influenced your understanding of what’s necessary for career growth in today’s competitive landscape?
Sushant Rajput: Being in a technology industry or knowledge-based industry, the basic requirement is to keep yourself updated with the latest industry trends and technology innovations to help serve your Client’s business requirement better. So irrespective of the area of work, these professional skills cut across and are essential for career growth, while technical skills can be acquired but lack of the soft skills will always be deterrent in performance.
The Literature Times: You are currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration and teach at various MBA institutions. How does your academic background contribute to the practical insights shared in your book, and how do you balance theory with industry experience?
Sushant Rajput: I typically refer to this aspect as “maintaining a unique voice while striking the right balance”. Maintaining a unique voice involves providing authentic approach by encapsulating my experiences and perspectives learnt being a faculty and corporate professional.
I strive to present information in an engaging and relatable manner, ensuring my personal touch is evident in the writing. For example, as mentioned before I have added call to actions and reference sections at the end of each chapter.
This way I’m providing information covering both theoretical and practical aspects (industry experiences).
The Literature Times: After reading your book, what would you say is the most significant piece of advice for someone just starting out in their career, and why is it so important?
Sushant Rajput: The most significant advice or suggestion I received at the start of my career, still applies is the “habit of reading”, as much an individual reads and keeps himself/herself abreast of what’s happening around, that will provide better preparation and head start for that individual in their career or business.
Order Book: https://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/9362610698