Introduction:
Hello! My name is Tanmay and I am currently a senior at the University of Illinois. I am studying Electrical Engineering with minors in the Hoeft Technology & Management Program and Applied Statistics. On campus, I have been involved in OTCR Consulting, Prime M&A, Engineering Council, and have been an ELA / TA for Decoding Dr. Dre. I have held a variety of internships in pharma, aviation, and consulting. This past summer I interned as a Business Analyst at ZS Associates, a marketing and sales consulting firm in Chicago. I am a huge foodie, adventure enthusiast, and active attender of music festivals.
This semester, I am enrolled in TE 466, High Tech Venture Marketing, in order to learn about how marketing can impact and lead to disruptions in technology innovations and entrepreneurship.
Preface to the Assignment:
Many of the students
enrolled in TE 466 have done so in order to understand how optimized marketing
of tomorrow’s most innovative products can result in greater success, profits,
and breadth of reach. Before doing so, however, it is vital to understand how
to market ourselves. The idea of self-branding is valuable not only as a
practical experiment to utilize the concepts we have learned in class thus far,
but also a way to understand our strengths and weaknesses as they relate to our
customers—whether they be employers, colleagues, family, friends,
relationships, or constituents. This will allow us to gain insights into our
own place in the corporations, organizations, and communities we join and
furthermore provide those entities with a clearer understanding of how we can
fit in and build them. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that there
can be a tendency to over-emphasize one’s positive characteristics during such
an exercise. This may lead to developing a false representation of one's self to others or act as blinders to certain strengths and weaknesses we may hold.
In approaching the
assignment, I decided to focus my self-branding by first defining my target
market and limiting my scope to my professional brand. Primarily, this will be
potential employers, MBA admissions counselors, and potential colleagues. In
each of these categories, I felt it was valuable to look at my past, present,
and future successes and failures. This was done through both an internal
(self-assessment) and external (by my network) analyses and understanding the
gaps between both approaches. This gap could then be used to define my
professional value proposition and build my brand.
Alignment in Self- and External Analyses:
When looking at my
strengths I felt that I found that my internal and external analyses overlapped
when it came to my curiosity and empathy. Personally, I have always been
interested in learning new things, visiting new places, trying new foods, and
meeting new people. There are very few instances where I say no to experiencing
something new or diving into ambiguous situations. I have always found new
experiences invigorating and enjoyable, and have therefore always found that I
am curious both in professional and personal settings. When taking on new
tasks, I always enjoy solving unique challenges or finding how to do things more
efficiently or effectively. I also enjoy asking for more or understanding the
root cause of certain phenomenon in various settings. This was echoed by my
friends, colleagues, and previous managers, all of whom responded that I had a
drive to learn in professional and academic settings and maintained a strong
sense of curiosity with my approach to work. Many mentioned that this was a
skill that was very helpful in the workplace in allowing me to be a
self-starter and independent as needed.
With regards to empathy,
I feel I have learned to understand the human aspects of my daily activities.
When approaching issues within teams, or as a leader motivating his
constituents, or as one friend helping another, I feel I am able to connect
well with each individual and empathize with his or her struggles, current
events, or perspectives. This sentiment was matched by friends, family,
colleagues, and those who have worked under me as well. My friends and family
mentioned things such as being a good listener, understanding when to be
supportive and when to offer advice, and being patient and trustworthy. Those
who I have worked with in a professional setting have told me that I am understanding
of individual and team priorities and hardships, and can work well to stabilize
teams I am a part of that may experience ups or downs.
I also found some
congruence on my weaknesses as well—especially with regards to my ability to
vocalize some of my thoughts in certain situations. One thing that I have
notices in professional settings is that I may not always be completely vocal
with my ideas at the beginning of my involvement if I am thrown into the middle
of a situation. Often times, I may feel intimidated by my colleagues or
superiors who I feel have had more experience related to project or topics at
hand. I have had candid conversations with previous colleagues and managers
regarding this and they have found that my tendency is a weakness that I can
work on as well. Finding congruence on this matter has been helpful in being
open with others who I work with in helping them understand why I may not
always be very vocal of my opinions. Nevertheless, I understand that a lot of
my opinions may make a different in project direction or outcomes. As such, I
have made it a point to begin providing input at earlier stages in my
involvements no matter how intimidated I feel. While it is still an area of
development that I am working on, I am self-aware of this issue and have been
taking steps to continually improve.
Gaps in Strengths:
While my self-analysis
aligned with the external analysis on these points, there were some gaps between
both analyses that I recognized. One strength that I did not recognize, yet
which was brought up by those I surveyed, was my ability to think on my feet,
adaptability, and flexibility. Many of my friends and family mentioned how I
was able to develop my own ideas and form my own opinions with regards to
topics in current events, in academics, or in decision-making settings without
significant guidance or influence. My colleagues and managers mentioned how I
was able to think creatively and develop my own analysis of business problems
independently. I feel this is valuable in situations where I may not have
access to complete information or may need to work in ambiguous situations
effectively.
One strength that I found
within myself that was not echoed outwardly by my interviewees was my ability
to drive efficiency and success in professional settings. From what I have
found, I am easily able to complete tasks, meetings, and other responsibilities
in team or group settings quite efficiently. While others who may lead group
discussions or meetings may lose focus from time to time or get caught on
certain topics when other are at hand, I am able to work through these issues,
bring the team back on track when necessary, and cut to decision making when
time is not a luxury. Since my interviewees did not bring this observation up,
feel that two things could be happening. On one hand, maybe my abilities and
perception of efficiency may not be at par with what I feel I am able to
accomplish. On the other hand, I may also be able to drive efficiency well
without making my teammates or colleagues feel rushed. In this case, it would
be another positive that may be a synergy with my empathy. Whatever situation,
I will need to better understand my leadership capabilities and ability to
drive efficiency in greater detail before concluding as to whether or not it is
an actual strength or a misconception I have of my abilities.
Gaps in Weaknesses:
In terms of weaknesses,
my interviewees mentioned that I may not always take the time to appreciate my
small accomplishments and often push them aside to make way for my next
endeavors. My family members said that this has led to me taking on more stress
than needed and overachieving in certain situations. They mentioned that, while
I may not take joy in all of my accomplishments, I may dwell longer than I
should on certain failures. While I did not recognize this weakness before, I
feel it is useful to know both in personal and professional settings. When it
comes to some of the top jobs that I am striving for, I know that there may be
a tendency to burn out or overburden one’s self. As such, it will be important
to not get bogged down in the stress or failures I may experience and also take
joy in the small and large accomplishments that I achieve so as to find better
balance.
One weakness that I found
in my self-analysis that was not brought up by my interviewees was that I often
take on more than I can rationally accomplish and end up spreading myself thin.
As mentioned earlier, curiosity is one of my strengths; however, it can also
lead to me being a little too curious.
When I am very passionate about a certain project or want to learn more, I
often bite off more than I can chew and either overburden myself or do not
perform as well as I had hoped in many of my undertakings. While this is not an
ideal characteristic, the fact that my network has not noticed this may be a
positive indicator that I do not let my challenges or difficulties reflect on
those that I work with on a daily basis. While I may feel stressed out or stretched
too thin, I am able to show myself as put together and professional. Often
times, if the leader of a group or team member expresses too much disapproval
of his or her level of responsibilities, it can be demotivating to others. As
such, being able to maintain composure in times of hardship is another positive
I can take away.
Yet, in order to make
sure that I do not spread myself thin and compromise on quality, I have been
actively trying to reduce the number of involvements I take on at a certain
point by gaining insight into how much of a commitment each will take. Then,
based on my availability, I will take on whatever I can without pushing myself
over the edge.
Feature Benefit:
As a soon-to-be graduate of the University of Illinois, I am a curious, driven, and passionate individual motivated by the intersection of technological innovation and business strategy. My accomplishments throughout college, during my internships, and within my extracurriculars have been enabled by my innate curiosity to learn and desire make a difference. I have been known to be diligent in the work that I do, be flexible and adaptable to ambiguous situations, and have the ability to drive results and efficiency. While I can play the role of an independent, self-thinking team member, I can also be an empathic and influential leader.
At times, my ambition
lends me to spread myself thin in certain situations; yet, I can maintain
composure during trying times and have been learning to balance failure by
motivating my team through small victories. I may also not be the most vocal at
first, but I am able to grow to be a strong and desirable long-term team
member. I hope to bring my unique versatility, curiosity, and experiences to
you.
