Overview
Alumni Rishabh Bhaskar has worked at KPMG since graduating from an MBA at Deakin.
Interview
What has been your journey since finishing your course?
I have been at KPMG since finishing my course. Prior to my current role, I was enrolled full time for the MBA (I) course and worked part-time at a restaurant for most of that duration. I was lucky to find a couple of small gigs as a consultant in a local professional services firm which is usually hard to come by for international students with no local experience.
Before coming to Australia, I founded a start-up in north India after my bachelors. The venture failed when I tried scaling up as there were many operational and financial complexities that became unmanageable at that time.
What has been the biggest influence on your career?
I would say it was when I founded the start-up. It was a tough journey that provided immense learning and life lessons. The start-up was not a success but the experience left me with valuable qualities of resilience, hard work and leadership.
Have you always wanted to pursue the kind of career you have embarked on?
I've always wanted to thrive and succeed in the corporate world. It was a very subjective dream which started taking shape as I grew older.
I then decided Management Consulting would be the ideal path for now considering that I would be able to converge some of my skills like problem solving, effective communication and stakeholder management in a single profession. This career would also provide me with very diverse learning as it includes dealing with multiple clients across various industries and geographies, hence satisfying my desire for knowledge and constant novelty of work.
The realisation to become a management consultant took shape when I started my MBA and got a sufficient understanding of the market.
What advice would you give graduates wanting to pursue a similar profession?
If you want to become a Management Consultant, start by knowing the profession. It is very demanding but equally rewarding.
Also, Management Consulting is a very broad umbrella, you should know what domain of it you’re interested in or have experience of. Do your research: the companies’ websites are the best starting points. After you’ve exhausted the online resources, start talking to people in the industry.
What do you believe Deakin University has shown you/given you as a person?
Immense knowledge, good student experience and a platform to launch my career in Australia.
What are your passions outside your work?
I love to meditate, which some people believe is just a physical activity of sitting and breathing. However, it is a lifestyle of living in the present, focusing on the 'now' because nothing exists out of it. I have a strong interest in psychology and quantum reality, and understanding the nature of universe.
On a lighter note, I'm passionate about cooking and I also play drums sometimes. I used to be in a rock cover band a few years ago. And I love to work out.
How would someone describe you?
People describe me as ambitious, mature and hardworking. I have also been told that I’m a risk taker and that I follow my gut.
Is there any advice you would give to a person who is starting out in your career?
The biggest advice I can provide is to ‘be proactive’ and find your own path. Once you start moving in the right direction with strong will and motivation, be mindful that more and real problems will start surfacing, but so will the solutions. You will start identifying the pieces of the seemingly gigantic puzzle.
Also, I would urge the students to leverage the university resources and LinkedIn to reach out to people in the industry, build connections (not just transactional but for knowledge sharing) and learn as much as they can.
What is something that amazes you?
Passion. When I see people doing what they love and they forget about the world around them. It could be a mason working with stones, an athlete pushing to the limits or a software engineer trying to innovate.
Is there anything else you’d like to add we haven't covered?
I could not say it in the questions above but I want the students, especially the international ones, to know that student life can be tough. You are trying to study full time, work part time to pay your expenses, have a pressure of finding a job in your field with no local experience, and also try to live a life along with all this going on.
Having walked this path myself, I can tell that you will have your downs, but remember to get yourself up when it’s time. You could talk to someone, that helps; or you could look back at all the good things you’ve done till now to get some motivation, or whatever else works for you to get back on track. Constantly remind yourself to keep working towards what you want.
Most importantly, find balance in your life. Do not let the problems bog you down.