Parth Satish
Parth is an Indian & American IE alumnus who graduated from the BBA program last July. Parth currently works at EY wavespace Madrid, the firm’s EMIEA Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence & Analytics. During his short time at EY, he has worked on innovation consulting projects and workshop design and facilitation for the center’s Client Experiences pillar.
"Get actively involved in all aspects of university life. Learning & development happen just as much outside the classroom than inside it – this may sound clichéd, but really works!"
Q&A WITH PARTH
Define your experience in the program in one word.
Diverse
Why did you choose this program to study at IEU?
When applying to universities, I was searching for a combination of a high-quality business education and the challenge of adapting to a new environment, culture, and language. IE and Spain ticked all the boxes.
Could you tell us about the application process and how you got your current role?
I was recommended for an internship position by a friend from IE who was working at EY wavespace at the time. I then had 3 interviews before receiving the internship offer. After a successful 6 months as an intern, I was offered a full-time position.
How did your experience at IE prepare you for your professional career? In what ways do you think the program has changed your life professionally and personally?
IE equipped me with the base knowledge and skills required to land internships/jobs and perform in a professional setting while simultaneously providing me the opportunity to learn more about myself and have several meaningful experiences with interesting people. As a result, I filled in existing intellectual and personal gaps year-on-year and am now a more rounded individual than when I started at IE 4.5 years ago.
What was the competitive advantage that studying at IEU provided you?
The approach to learning and professional preparation at IE is well aligned with companies’ needs. Being accustomed to working on projects in teams, thinking critically and creatively, and feeling comfortable presenting deliverables are all skills which I was able to nurture at IE and, given their importance in consulting, continue to help me stand out.
What skills would you recommend job seekers develop in order to make them more competitive?
In general, most job seekers hiring fresh undergraduates recognize that its difficult for candidates to be the most knowledgeable members of their organization, and thus appreciate fast learners who are able to quickly adapt to change. The best way to train this is to push yourself outside of comfort zone in professional, academic, and extracurricular contexts.
What was your favorite memory from your time at IE?
Pressed to pick just one memory, I would pick out representing IE at case competitions in my second year. Through IE, I was able to visit two countries I had never been to before (The Netherlands and Canada) to compete against and get to know students from across the globe in business challenges.
If someone was considering going to IE, what would you tell them?
Go for it! No two people are the same but, from my experience, IE has something for everyone.
What is one thing you wished you knew, when you were a student? What advice would you give to students who are about to begin the program?
Get actively involved in as much as you can from the very beginning! Whether its sports, cultural or professional clubs, they will all contribute to making you a more rounded candidate for when you apply for internships and jobs. What’s more, you get to meet new people, start to better define what your likes and dislikes are, and can have a lot of fun on the way!
What has been your favorite moment of your career so far?
- Discovering a new country (Saudi Arabia) and culture travelling for a project
- Spending 30 minutes 1-on-1 with an Olympic Athlete who competed at Tokyo 2020
Are there any daily habits that you attribute to your success that you’d like to share, especially now with COVID-19?
Spending time (even if it’s just 5-10 minutes a day) doing something that relaxes you does wonders. For me, that has always been playing football or, more recently, teaching myself how to play the piano from scratch.
What’s the best career advice you have ever been given?
“Don’t forget that the person on the other side of the interview was once where you are.”
If you had a billboard you could display to the entire world, what would you put on it?
Don’t take yourself too seriously.