Rati Bhandari

I attribute my success to my skill set to adapt and my strategic thinking, which was very helpful in growing my role. I'm a troubleshooter, and that's what keeps me going because I feel like I'm adding value. I help prevent problems, or I help solve problems, and that way, every day is different - they're not the same. That just gives you a fresh perspective to what you do and what you can do, and it's constant learning in that journey. I believed in myself when I started at this company in a very entry-level position compared to what I was doing previously. I said I will do what it takes to win trust, to prove myself, and then grow up in the ranks. My ability to apply my skills across different industries - from medical education to fashion - shows that these are very transferable skills based on aptitude rather than just past experience.

I would stress on the three C's: Confidence, communication, and consistency. You have to have confidence in yourself, you have to be a good communicator, and with consistency - I can sometimes replace consistency with also common sense - because I feel like no job really demands too much out of you. If you can apply these three, you can pretty much do anything you want to. I also believe that hiring should be more based on people's skill sets, their aptitude, rather than their past experience. I want integrity from a person, the willingness to learn, and the willingness to be critiqued. When you have those three, that means you are here to grow as a person, as a human being. If you grow, and if you enjoy what you're doing, your company is going to benefit from you. It becomes an automatic transition to productivity and results. But when those are not aligned, and if people don't have long-term goals that are aligned, then that's a huge problem.

I want integrity from a person, the willingness to learn, and the willingness to be critiqued. When you have those three, that means you are here to grow as a person, as a human being. I believe that an individual is part of a group always - an individual is not a disruptor, it's a group that can really bring change. I'm not a person who believes in a personal brand. I feel like an individual is part of a group always. In my hiring philosophy, I look at individuals based on their skill sets, their aptitude, rather than their past experience. I personally feel that people are very cookie-cutter in the way they hire people, and I think it should be more based on their skill sets and their aptitude. I'm always curious to find more peers and to see what their experiences are like, to see what their journeys are like, because as you grow up in ranks, it becomes a little bit of a lonely world up there. You need to have a core group, a group that feels and goes through similar journeys like you, and then you learn from each other.