Like many other engineering graduates, Shashank did not know exactly what field he wanted to go into after graduation. Hear how he figured out his career path.

What He Does As Management Associate

When you get accepted into the MAP, you are able to indicate your preferences for your rotations, with over 200 roles in different business units and subsidiaries of Singtel to choose from. The Talent Management team will then match the rotations based on MA’s preference, interest, skillsets and business needs. Shashank was pleasantly surprised when he received his first rotation in Broadcast and TV. As an engineering student with an interest in videography, this role stimulated his interests and leveraged his strengths which really helped him excel.

In choosing his second rotation, Shashank, like every other MA, had two options – to either pursue a similar track to build depth or to venture into something new to build breadth early in his career. He chose the latter and started his journey as a Cloud Product Manager. Here, he provided advice to other companies on how to best make use of public cloud services in the market as well as expertise to build a private cloud if these companies do not have one in-house.

After graduating from MAP, he is currently at Networks Cloud where he “marries” the knowledge he had learnt in his previous rotations and tries to create a cloud for the broadcast networks he was working on.

His Work Experience At Singtel

About one month into his first rotation, Shashank was entrusted with a big project to convert a 40-year-old building into a modern world-class broadcast operations centre. Besides understanding electrical engineering or networks, he also had to figure out how to get the facilities ready for employees to work there comfortably. The biggest challenge was to manage the numerous stakeholders involved in a project of such scale. Nothing he did in university could ever prepare him for such a project, but the ability to push yourself to the next level quickly is an effort that’s recognised and well-rewarded at Singtel.

In Networks Broadcast, Shashank was also involved in the channel launches for around 20 new channels on Singtel TV, including Disney channel. 2014 was also a special year where he and his team covered and broadcasted several sports events to the audiences in Singapore, one of which was the FIFA World Cup.

Company Culture At Singtel

As a company that is always looking for the next big thing, Singtel is at the forefront of the technology industry today. With big departments set up for data analytics, cybersecurity and digital marketing, Singtel has a wide range of competencies and fields for its employees to involve themselves in. As quoted from Shashank, he has “many colleagues who have been so happy working in these fields where you get an opportunity to do a breadth of things.” Here, engineers like him are not only involved in the product side of things, but they are also heavily involved in the business side as well. Some have even moved on from engineering roles to hold more business- related roles. This is truly something unique about the MAP – having the chance to explore the wide portfolio of businesses that Singtel has and find the one that you are passionate about.

Advice For Job Applicants

Shashank’s ability to pick up new things quickly landed him a spot for an overseas rotation at Optus in Sydney, Australia. Optus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singtel and is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia. This rotation became one of the most memorable experience for Shashank in the Singtel group. There are certain qualities of the MAP that will make you stand out. It is not necessarily about being the smartest or the most hardworking one, but being the most adaptable. Yet, such opportunities do not come easy. To raise your chances of being selected for the overseas rotation, it is critical for you to show that you can take up difficult challenges quickly and bring value to the business fast since the rotation only lasts about two months. When you’re there, it is also important to gain the necessary skills and make connections quickly to make the most out of this opportunity.

This feature was originally published on TalentTribe Asia, a career discovery platform for jobseekers to get an inside look into different companies and careers. See what the culture, people, office, day-to-day work life is like in Singtel and application tips – even before you apply.