R&Rs celebrating stellar performances and awarding hard-working individuals are common, and absolutely necessary to the fabric of an organization.
But we decided to do something quirky for our offsite: We celebrated the hidden talents of our team members that add life and color to our Discord chats and Google Meet discussions.
Let’s dive into these awards and the people who won them!
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The Spreadsheet Sorcerer: The One Who Lives on Spreadsheets!
Who but a member of the Finance team to win this award, eh? Hetal Lodha, our Finance Manager, is a true spreadsheet ninja. With her kunai-sharp skills, she slashes complex formulas and automations, and chases numbers and payments mercilessly.
Hetal transforms chaotic data into organized masterpieces. Using pivot tables as her secret weapon, she slices through data to uncover hidden insights and identify and resolve data discrepancies. She protects the integrity of our financial data like a true samurai.
God forbid she finds an error in a spreadsheet you share with her! 💀
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The Meeting Magician: The One Capable of Turning Mundane Meetings into Magical Moments of Engagement!
When you attend meetings over and over again every day, every hour… you end up being tired, bored, and grouchy. But not Kalindi! 🔥This Associate Product Manager is the Product team’s meeting magician, possessing the extraordinary ability to transform boring meetings into vibrant and entertaining sessions!
Kalindi’s extroverted and jovial nature makes her very approachable, and she spreads a positive vibe throughout the entire team. Her engaging talking style lifts everyone’s mood, making even the most routine meetings enjoyable.
Her daily updates, delivered with enthusiasm and energy, are truly worthy of emulation. And this magic makes a difference not just in the team but also when she is interacting with other stakeholders and learners.
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The Grapevine Guru: The One Who Has All the Scoop Around!
Gossip’s got a bad name, and these two ladies are out to change that! Khansa Pathan (Associate Director, Sales) and Swati Pandey (Senior Manager, Sales) are our go-to for all Interview Kickstart news and happenings. They’re our very own social media, connecting with a wide variety of people across the organization and keeping the IK spirit vibrant. 👯♀️
They not only keep their ear to the ground, but also lend people the much-needed sympathetic ear. These ladies have a skill we all need to have: The Art of Listening!
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The Shakespearean Show-off: The One Who Speaketh More English Than the Queen Herself!
You see, the whole country of the system is juxtapositioned by the hemoglobin in the atmosphere because you are a sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity.
Namitha Varma Rajesh, our Senior Manager, Content Marketing, can both laugh and sigh at this dialogue from Amar Akbar Anthony!
Yes, she throws around sesquipedalian words like “debilitating”, “delineating”, “perspicacious”, and “ostentatious”. In her defense, BAU terms such as “targets”, “leads”, “check”, “confirm”, “revert”, “email”, and “content” get B.O.R.I.N.G.!
She’s also known to launch into Grammar Teacher mode and scare people with jargons like “Subject-Predicate Agreement”, “Misplaced Descriptors”, and “Dangling Prepositions”! 🤪
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The All-day Ally: The One Who’s Available for Help 24×7!
Do you have that one team member who’s always there to help? That is Priyesh Mehta for us. Being an Assistant Manager for Customer Success, this trait of his makes himself, the team, and the learners winners!
He’s our very own Batman, albeit without a cape, ensuring he’s available for the team any time of the day. Thankfully, without any moody Batcave vibes! He is always ready to save the day 🦸—whether it’s a technical glitch in the middle of the night or a last-minute task assigned to him.
His dedication, readiness, and unwavering support are truly unparalleled. Yeah, maybe we should build a statue in honor of this ultimate team player!
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The Global Nomad: The One Who’s Always on the Move!
Being fully remote, Interview Kickstart’s digital nomads enjoy workcations without having to overuse vacation days or compromise on the quality of work.
But nobody beats Sanghamitra Moulik, our TA Consultant, who has mastered the art of blending work and travel. She makes the most of our flexible work policy, jet-setting across India and abroad. In the last few months, we’ve seen her attend meetings from Goa, Himachal, Siliguri, Bali, and Thailand. 🌏
Her travel tales and experiences add a unique flavor to team meetings and inspire us to give her lifestyle a try!
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The Enthu Cutlet: The One Who Brings Boundless Enthusiasm to Every Task!
Shaik Shagufta, Manager, Sales, is a dynamo of enthusiasm, our very own social butterfly 🦋. She adds exuberance to everything she does—whether it’s a team meeting, R&R meetings, or meetings with our learners.
There’s a running joke that she would be an excellent addition to the HR team because of her fun and non-stop chatter!
She’s also one of the best performers in the team—after all, who can resist buying our programs once she’s decided to convince them!
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The Zoom Fashionista: The One Who’s Always Dressed to Impress!
In a WFH world where most people either switch off the video or are dressed in casual home clothes, Sreejit Narayanan, our VP of Operations & New Business, stands out as an impeccably dressed gentleman.
He brings a touch of class to every Zoom call, reminding us all that professionalism starts with presentation 👨💼. Sreejit looking dapper crisply ironed shirts (and never even a collared t-shirt!) and immaculately groomed, seated on an ergonomic office chair on his study table, is a sight we’ve all gotten used to.
Sreejit’s polished appearance is matched only by his articulate communication, making every meeting a display of excellence.
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The GIF Wizard: The One Whose GIFs Speak Louder Than Words!
And last but not least, our Group Product Manager Swaminathan Iyer is recognized as the GIF Wizard unanimously. Whether it’s a fun chat or a serious discussion, he has a GIF (and a joke) for every occasion.
He uses GIFs with the precision of a seasoned meme connoisseur, making every conversation engaging and entertaining. His knack for finding the perfect GIF adds a layer of humor and relatability that brightens everyone’s day.
What makes him the true GIF master is that he’s omnipresent across Interview Kickstart group chats and Discord servers, and knows just which GIF will resonate the most with which audience!
Celebrating the Heart and Soul of Interview Kickstart
These quirky awards highlight the diverse talents and unique personalities that make Interview Kickstart such a vibrant and dynamic place to work. Celebrating these hidden gems not only brings a smile to our faces but also strengthens the bonds within our team.
By acknowledging the fun and unconventional contributions of our colleagues, we are reminded that it’s the little things that often have the biggest impact on our workplace culture. Here’s to all the incredible individuals who make our organization truly special!
