In today’s podcast, we’re bringing you a fascinating success story from one of our recent graduates, Mr. Manan Shah. He completed our Data and Business Analytics Specialization Program and landed an amazing job as a Data Analyst. In this conversation, Manan shares his journey, his challenges, and the key factors that helped him achieve his career goals. Let’s dive in!

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Podcaster:
Good afternoon, everyone. We are back with another lovely placement story. Today, we have with us Mr. Manan Shah. How are you, Mr. Shah?

Manan:
Yeah, I’m very much fine, thank you.

Podcaster:
So, Manan, I’ve been informed that you’ve landed a fantastic role as a Data Analyst, right? Is that correct?

Manan:
Yes, that is correct.

Podcaster:
Lovely! Congratulations! For our audience, could you please introduce yourself and tell us more about your background?

Manan:
Okay, so I’m Manan, from Vadodara, Gujarat. I recently graduated in July 2025 with a BTech degree. I was looking for a full-time role in the IT field, particularly in Data Analytics. While searching online, I found Jobaaj Learnings and their job guarantee program. After researching and realizing how valuable the program could be, I decided to enroll in their Data Analyst placement program.

Podcaster:
That's great to hear! And just to clarify, you’re a fresher, correct?

Manan:
Yes, I am a fresher. I had done a virtual internship in data science and data analytics before but didn’t have any full-time job experience.

Podcaster:
Got it! Now, in your BTech, did you get exposure to data analytics concepts? Was there any practical learning involved? And what made you choose Jobaaj Learnings?

Manan:
During my BTech, we mostly covered theoretical concepts—topics like data analytics, front-end development, full-stack development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. However, we didn’t get much practical exposure. I realized that to secure a full-time role, I needed hands-on experience, which is why I decided to join Jobaaj Learnings.

Podcaster:
That’s a very important point. Many colleges still emphasize theoretical knowledge but miss out on practical learning, which makes a huge difference when job hunting. I believe your decision to join Jobaaj Learnings has really paid off. What did you learn from your program coordinator, Kashish, and Jobaaj that you didn’t cover in your BTech?

Manan:
During my time at Jobaaj Learnings, I got to learn various data analytics tools like Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Excel, Python, MySQL Workbench, and many more. These are industry-standard tools that I wasn’t exposed to in college. Kashish was a huge help during my projects—she guided me with project evaluation, helped me fine-tune dashboards, and gave valuable feedback on my formulas and overall project work. This practical exposure was a game-changer.

Podcaster:
That’s wonderful. For someone like me, who is in finance and doesn’t understand data analytics fully, can you break down what your projects were like? What exactly did you do in those projects?

Manan:
In data analytics projects, we focus on analyzing data to generate insights that help businesses solve problems and improve services for their customers. For example, I worked with Power BI and Tableau to collect data, clean it, and then analyze it to create dashboards. The main steps included cleaning the data, analyzing it, and visualizing it through dashboards to uncover meaningful insights.

Podcaster:
Okay, so when you say “cleaning the data,” what exactly does that mean?

Manan:
When we collect data, it often contains null values, duplicates, or missing information. Data cleaning involves removing duplicates, filling in missing values, and ensuring the data types are consistent across columns. This ensures the dataset is clean and ready for analysis.

Podcaster:
Got it! Now that you’ve completed your assignments and projects, you’ve got some fantastic projects to show on your CV, right?

Manan:
Yes, absolutely.

Podcaster:
Then you went into placements, working with Vishaka, correct? What was that process like?

Manan:
Yes, after completing my projects and mock interviews, my profile was handed over to Vishaka for placement purposes. She explained the entire placement process to me and helped me work on my resume, LinkedIn profile, and other job portals like Naukri.com. We then started applying through LinkedIn and Naukri.

Podcaster:
How many interviews did you face?

Manan:
I’ve faced around six to seven interviews so far.

Podcaster:
And how was your first interview? Since you didn’t have much experience, what was that like?

Manan:
The first interview was pretty normal, but the interviewer felt I was relying too much on AI tools for my responses. I was rejected, but I got valuable feedback, which helped me improve my communication and vocabulary. I worked on those areas, and it made a huge difference in the later interviews.

Podcaster:
That’s a great learning experience. But despite those challenges, you’ve finally landed a role, right?

Manan:
Yes, I have.

Podcaster:
So, which company did you get placed with?

Manan:
I got placed at Exciler, an IT company based in Ahmedabad that focuses on data and AI.

Podcaster:
That’s amazing! What will your role be as a Data Analyst there?

Manan:
As a Data Analyst, my role will involve analyzing company data and generating insights. The company works with clients who have data in different formats, and my job will be to clean, analyze, and generate insights using different BI tools.

Podcaster:
That’s excellent! You’re going to apply everything you’ve learned. Now, what’s your impression of Vishaka and the placement team?

Manan:
Vishaka and the entire placement team were fantastic. They worked tirelessly on my profile and supported me throughout the placement process. I’m really impressed with their efforts.

Podcaster:
I’m sure Vishaka will be thrilled to hear your feedback! Now, as a final question, you’re a BTech fresher who landed a job just two to three months after graduation. Many people struggle to find jobs even after completing their degrees. What advice do you have for them?

Manan:
My advice would be to never give up. Keep working hard, continuously improve your skills, and learn new tools. Keep building projects to add to your portfolio, and eventually, you’ll land a job. It’s all about perseverance and consistent effort.

Podcaster:
Well said, Manan! To summarize, your message is to work hard, diversify your skills, and keep learning, right?

Manan:
Yes, exactly.

Podcaster:
A great three-point message from you. I hope everyone who listens to this podcast finds inspiration in your words.

..............

Don’t miss the full conversation—watch the podcast now and get inspired by Manan’s journey!

 

General interview questions answered by Manan during his selection process

What tools and technologies have you worked with in your data analytics journey?

Sample Answer: During my training, I worked with a variety of tools including Power BI, Tableau, Excel, Python, MySQL Workbench, and SQL. I’ve also gained experience in using these tools for data cleaning, data visualization, and building dashboards. I’m comfortable with both structured and unstructured data and have applied these tools to real-world projects.

Tell us about a challenging data analysis project you worked on and how you solved it.

Sample Answer: One of the most challenging projects I worked on involved analyzing sales data for a retail company. The dataset had several missing values, duplicates, and inconsistent data formats. I used Python to clean the data, removed duplicates, and handled missing values by imputation techniques. Once the data was cleaned, I used Power BI to create a dashboard that visualized key sales metrics and trends, helping the business optimize their sales strategies.

How do you ensure your data visualizations are effective and meaningful for stakeholders?

Sample Answer: I always start by understanding the goals and objectives of the stakeholders. I focus on creating visualizations that highlight the most important insights in a clear and concise manner. I also make sure to use the right chart types and colors to avoid any confusion. In addition, I ensure that my dashboards are interactive so that users can drill down into the data if needed.

Can you explain what data cleaning is and why it is important?

Sample Answer: Data cleaning involves identifying and correcting inaccuracies or inconsistencies in data to ensure that it is accurate, complete, and usable. This process includes handling missing values, removing duplicates, and ensuring proper data types. Cleaning data is critical because dirty data can lead to incorrect insights, which can affect business decisions negatively.

What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN in SQL?

Sample Answer: An INNER JOIN returns only the rows where there is a match in both tables. If a row in the first table doesn't have a corresponding row in the second table, that row will be excluded. On the other hand, a LEFT JOIN returns all rows from the left table, and the matching rows from the right table. If there’s no match, the result will include NULL values for columns from the right table.

Explain the concept of normalization in databases.

Sample Answer: Normalization is the process of organizing a database to reduce redundancy and dependency by splitting large tables into smaller, related ones. The goal is to ensure that data is logically stored in such a way that it avoids duplicate data and makes it easier to update, delete, and insert data. There are different normal forms, with the most common being 1NF, 2NF, and 3NF, each aiming to reduce specific types of redundancy.