Kanishk Goyal's Jobaaj Learnings Review: From Fresher to Investment & Due Diligence Intern at Trip Capital

"Before joining Jobaaj, I had done many certifications, but most of them focused on theory and formulas... In the job market, most of your work will be on Excel or computer-based tools, which other courses don't teach." — Kanishk Goyal

Kanishk Goyal is 21 and from Mumbai. He holds a Bachelor's in Financial Markets, has been trading the stock market for three years, and holds NISM certifications — but was a complete fresher with no work experience. After enrolling in Jobaaj Learnings' Investment Banking Program, he applied to 100–150 companies, got 5–6 interviews, and was selected for an Investment and Due Diligence internship at Trip Capital, a FinTech firm based in California.

If you are searching “is Jobaaj real or fake”, “is Jobaaj Learnings genuine” or “is the investment banking course worth it”, Kanishk's account is the most numerically specific in this series. He gives the raw funnel — 12 emails, 30 messages, 100–150 applications, 5–6 interviews, one offer — and he says outright that he was not selected at first. He is also clear that the outcome is an internship, not a full-time role. Read it alongside the other conversations in our Interview Series and the wider feedback on the reviews page.

Who Is Kanishk Goyal? His Background Before the Programme

Kanishk is 21, from Mumbai, and describes himself as having always been into both academics and sport. He finished his HSC at the 90th percentile, and got drawn into the stock market during the COVID period — which shaped what he studied next.

• Bachelor's in Financial Markets, completed the previous year
• Three years of trading across options, futures and intraday
• Profitable in the last two financial years, which he attributes to swing trading
• NISM certifications and other finance courses taken after graduating
• No work experience at all

That combination is unusual: real market experience and real profits, and still unemployable in the roles he wanted.

Why Trading Profits and Certifications Didn't Get Him Hired

Kanishk gives two separate reasons, and both are worth reading carefully.

On trading as a career: “Trading requires significant capital, and it was not something I could rely on for a living just yet.” Profitable, but not a salary.

On why applications failed: “I didn't get any jobs at the time because I lacked skills like Excel, financial modeling, and other practical knowledge.”

And on the certifications he had already paid for:

"Before joining Jobaaj, I had done many certifications, but most of them focused on theory and formulas. The problem was, they didn't teach how to apply that knowledge in a real job."

He is explicit that he started the Jobaaj programme from zero on the tooling: “I didn't know anything about financial modeling or Excel.” A finance degree, NISM certifications and three years of trading had left that gap untouched.

The Numbers: What His Job Search Actually Looked Like

This is the section most course reviews leave out, and Kanishk volunteers it unprompted:

If you take one thing from this page, take that table. Roughly 100–150 applications converted into 5–6 interviews and one offer, with a stretch of rejections in between. That is the realistic shape of a fresher's search after a course — not a queue of employers.

He credits the HR and placement side, naming Vishakha, with guiding him through the application process during that period.

The Role: Investment and Due Diligence at Trip Capital

Kanishk was selected for an internship at Trip Capital, a FinTech company based in California. His description of the work:

"My role is in Investment and Due Diligence, where I analyze financial statements and perform data analysis on companies. My main task is to assess their creditworthiness and decide how much debt we should offer them."

Asked to explain due diligence plainly, he does: “Due diligence is checking a company's financial health. I review their financial records to ensure they are truthful about their financial condition, and then determine if they are worthy of investment.”

What Jobaaj Learnings Actually Did, According to Kanishk

• Taught the tooling he was missing. Excel and financial modelling from scratch — the specific gap he says was blocking his applications.
• Taught application over theory. His comparison is with the certifications he had already completed, which he says did not cover how the work is actually done.
• Projects that generated inbound interest. He dates the 12 emails and 30 messages to after he completed his projects.
• Application guidance. He names the HR side, and Vishakha in particular, as helpful in navigating the process during a stretch when he was not getting selected.

Pros and Cons, Based on Kanishk's Account

What worked:

• Practical Excel and financial modelling training, from a genuine zero base
• Projects that produced visible output and inbound responses
• Guidance through the application process while he was being rejected
• A finance role with real analytical responsibility at a US FinTech, as a fresher

What his account shows was hard:

• He wasn't selected at first. His words: “initially, I wasn't able to get selected.”
• The volume was heavy. 100–150 applications for 5–6 interviews.
• The outcome is an internship, with a full-time conversion still to be earned.
• Prior certifications didn't help. Worth knowing if you are counting on NISM or similar to be sufficient on their own.

Investment Banking Interview Questions to Prepare For

How do you manage multiple tasks, deadlines and pressure?

Model answer: By prioritising and breaking large tasks into smaller pieces with their own deadlines, so progress is visible rather than assumed. Under pressure the part that matters most is communication — telling a supervisor early that something needs more time or help, rather than discovering it at the deadline.

Tell us about a challenging project and how you handled it.

Model answer: Analysing the financial health of a company in a volatile market, where projections needed constant adjustment as conditions moved. I worked closely with the team to keep the underlying data accurate and kept stakeholders updated as the picture changed, rather than presenting one number and defending it.

What tools are you most comfortable with?

Model answer: Excel above all — it is where financial modelling, data analysis and projections actually happen. PowerPoint for presenting findings so a non-analyst can follow the logic. I am also building familiarity with Power BI for heavier visualisation work.

Where do you see yourself in three to five years?

Model answer: In a full-time investment banking role, progressing towards an associate position — working on larger mandates, deepening modelling and analysis skills, and taking on more client-facing responsibility as that expertise builds.

What's the most important skill for an investment banker?

Model answer: Financial analysis. The core of the job is evaluating financial statements, assessing risk and judging whether a company or project is viable. Excel and modelling are the instruments; the judgement about what the numbers mean is the skill.

What is due diligence, in simple terms?

Model answer: Checking whether a company's account of its own financial health is true. You review the financial records, verify the position they describe, and then judge whether the business is worth investing in or lending to — and on what terms.

Kanishk's Advice for BCom, BBA and BFM Students

Asked what he would tell a commerce or finance student who wants to get into finance rather than a sales or branch banking job, Kanishk begins: “First and foremost, they need to build their...” — and the recording we hold cuts off there. Rather than complete his sentence for him, here is what his own account demonstrates:

• A finance degree is not a skill set. He had one, plus certifications, plus profitable trading, and still could not pass a screening without Excel and modelling.
• Certifications that stop at theory won't move you. That is his explicit comparison with what he had done before.
• Expect to apply at volume. 100–150 applications is his number, not a discouraging estimate.
• Take the internship. His entry into a US FinTech doing real credit analysis came through an internship, not a full-time offer.

Full Podcast Transcript

The complete conversation, unedited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Jobaaj Learnings genuine, or is it fake?

This page documents one recorded case: Kanishk Goyal, a 21-year-old fresher with a Bachelor's in Financial Markets, selected for an Investment and Due Diligence internship at Trip Capital after the Investment Banking Program. He states his rejections and his full application funnel on camera, which is not what a scripted testimonial contains. It is one case, not a placement rate. See the wider review set on the reviews page.

How many applications did it take him to get hired?

By his own count: around 12 emails and 30 messages in response after his projects, 100–150 applications, 5–6 interviews, and a stretch of not being selected before the Trip Capital offer.

Is the Trip Capital role a full-time job?

No. It is an internship. The interviewer says the company intends to convert it to a full-time role based on performance, but that had not happened at the time of recording.

Are NISM certifications enough to get a finance job?

Not on Kanishk's evidence. He held NISM certifications and had three profitable years of trading, and still could not convert applications, because he lacked Excel and financial modelling. His criticism of those certifications is that they taught theory and formulas without teaching application.

Can a fresher get into investment banking without work experience?

Kanishk did, as a complete fresher one year out of a Bachelor's in Financial Markets — through an internship at a US-based FinTech doing credit analysis and due diligence.

What does an investment and due diligence analyst do?

In Kanishk's description: analyse a company's financial statements and data, verify that its stated financial condition is accurate, assess creditworthiness, and decide how much debt the firm should extend to it.