The First Two Years

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The debut season of TFTY was jampacked with insight, international guests, and interesting takeaways. This season, we learned how to ask for help without worrying about looking stupid, turn a job that you have into the one that you want, network when you hate networking, look for a Dravid in a mentor and build a personal brand with no work experience.

On this episode of TFTY, Akshaya Chandrasekaran and Rahel Philipose (from The Ken’s flagship business podcast Daybreak) assemble the entire crew and give a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast came to life. The ensemble gathers ‘round the mic and shares their favorite early-career advice of the season. Stick around for what has to be the best part of the episode - updates from the TFTY community and loyal listeners who tell us where they are right now.

If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

The debut season of TFTY was jampacked with insight, international guests, and interesting takeaways. This season we walked away from unhappy jobs, built trust with difficult colleagues, asked for feedback even when we dreaded it, fought for promotions, and bounced back from mistakes. We spoke to forensic psychologists working in maximum-security prisons and former poker players turned decision strategists. 

On this episode of TFTY, Akshaya Chandrasekaran and Rahel Philipose (from The Ken’s flagship business podcast Daybreak) gather ‘round the mic to round up their favorite early-career advice of the season. They talk about how they applied that advice to their own lives, share some surprising updates from early-career folks who were on the show, and give a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast is made each week.

Did Arjun get the promotion? Has Pranav figured out a way to build trust with senior members of his team? How did Harshit eventually get the feedback he so badly wanted? You’ll find answers to these questions and more.

If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Graduates entering the workforce are no longer quitting jobs because they are unhappy. They are doing so because they realize they could be happier. After facing one of the most challenging placement seasons in years, many are left with the feeling of compromise. They either compromised on the role, the company, or the pay package. 

Instead of, making do with what they have, they are relooking at their career paths. This leaves many contemplating a gap year. These are all questions our listener this week is facing. 

Rohan graduated from a tier-1 B-school. Six months into his first job, he knows this is not the path he wants to take. He is choosing between staying at the job to fulfill the work experience quota or taking a gap year and doing something radically different. But how do you know if a gap year is right for you at this point in time? And if it is, what do you do with it? And if it isn't, how do you make sure that you get the most out of whatever you’re doing right now? 

On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran consults Krishna Vij, Vice-President, TeamLease Digital for advice. She has worked in the early career space in recruiting for close to ten years. Krishna’s advice reorients the way you look at gap years and goes against the grain of what is typically recommended. 

If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Have you ever struggled with knowing when to walk away from a job?  You know you’re not happy with where you are, but you are scared about taking the next step. You don’t entirely know what the future holds. This is especially harder when you are starting out in your career. You don’t have the benefit of hindsight or years of experience to leverage.

Every decision you make – whether to stay or quit – feels like a big, life-changing decision and you want to get it right.  You don’t want to have regrets. Well, now you’ve “overthunk” it and reached a stage called decision fatigue where you feel stuck and stagnant. Does this all sound too familiar to you? Well, many TFTY listeners are in the same situation.

Meet our expert - Annie Duke. She knows a lot about making decisions under pressure. And the reason why is because she's a former professional poker player. She's won more than $4 million playing poker. In poker, knowing when to fold separates elite players from amateurs.  Elite players were good at exercising the opportunity to quit way more than amateurs. They were more flexible in changing their mind as and when they received new information - when they were dealt new cards. 

But as we'll hear, it’s not just amateur poker players. In the face of tough decisions, we’re all terrible quitters. And that is significantly holding us back. So on today's show, we're going to hear from Annie. A decision strategist, an author, and a business consultant, about not just quitting - but quitting in time and how that is going to set you up for success in the long term.

P.S. The Ken podcast team is looking for a talented podcast producer and an audio journalist. If you fit the bill or know someone who does, please apply!

The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Career paths are spoken about as though it's linear. When we say climbing the career ladder, we mean no change in directions, no jerks in movements, only straight ahead and upward.

But today’s guest has a career path which is anything but linear  – Piyush Shah, co-founder of InMobi group and President of Glance. His entrepreneurial journey has seen numerous pivots, innovations, and many unconventional choices

It resembles somewhat of a road trip. When you set off on a road trip, you don’t get to your destination as quickly and directly as possible. There are detours. There are sites you want to see and experience. And sometimes you take the longer, more scenic route to get to your destination.

That’s exactly how Piyush’s career has been. In this episode, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran spoke to him about the art and science of career pivots, following curiosity and not passion, and the worst career advice he’s received.

If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show!

Tune into Two by Two's latest episode, 'Swiggy needs to reclaim its past glory' on Spotify, Apple or other platforms!

The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

It is conventional wisdom that building a personal brand is good for you. But in a tough job market, it can become your competitive advantage. Something that will set you apart. Something that will give you an edge. Something that will get you a foot in the door. But how does one build a personal brand without any work experience? Is there a way to do it without coming across as inauthentic and cringe? Where does one start? 

This week's listener was exactly in this predicament.

On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran consults Karthik Srinivasan, a communications strategy consultant and author of the book Building Brand YOU. Well-known for out-of-the-box thinking, Karthik shares surprising tips that can make anyone go on their own personal branding journey.

If you liked this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us about your early-career problems, both big and small. We might have you on the show!

Tune into to Two by Two's latest episode, 'Delhi pricked the Bengaluru bubble' on Spotify, Apple or other platforms!

The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

A year into her first job, Shreya feels like she’s not learned anything concrete. She said yes to every task, every request, and every opportunity that came her way as an associate product manager. 

“Proofread your colleague’s presentation.” 

“Take notes at a meeting” 

“Plan an intern’s onboarding” 

“Participate in someone’s brainstorming meeting”

Shreya wanted to be reliable and become indispensable. So, she did it all. But soon enough, her calendar filled up with a list of Non-Promotable Tasks (NPTs). 

NPTs are essentially “office maintenance work.” Everyone benefits when these NPTs get done. Yet, nobody likes doing them. So, the person who does not say no gets scapegoated each time for doing it. And sadly, it robs them of valuable time and the promotable work that actually grows paychecks and careers.

Research suggests that women volunteer for these tasks more and also get assigned to do them more. Especially, women in their early career like Shreya, have internalised the expectation to say yes. 

How do you break character and start saying no - especially when you like being known as the person who does it all? Will your manager take notice of it? 

On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran turns to Leo Fernandez who has leadership experience of close to two decades. He was a managing director with Accenture Singapore and COO of Hewitt before he founded TalentEase. As a leader, how he spends his team, and what he says yes and no to, dictates the future of the company. He has some advice on decision-making and strategy. 

If you like this episode, you should check out the latest business podcast by The Ken - Two by Two. Listen here: Is Zepto a gold medalist or a bronze medalist?

Also, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and tell us your early career problems. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

Your starting salary determines all your future raises and bonuses — meaning it will have a long-term impact on your career earnings. Still, most companies have fixed pay ranges for entry-level positions with little to no scope for negotiation. 

You are new. You don’t have years of experience. You probably went to a decent college. But you have very little bargaining power even if you have to negotiate. You also risk losing your job in an ultra-competitive employer’s market. 

There’s a good chance that you want to say “yes” immediately and skip the negotiation process entirely. What do you stand to lose? Should you negotiate? Where is the line? 

On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran invites Mansee Singhal, Partner, Mercer, and Roopank Chaudhary, Partner, at Aon India to help us decide when to negotiate and when to not.

If you like this episode, share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and let us know. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff.

P.S. Check out the most recent episode of Two by Two, our brand new business podcast, where the hosts ask: why has all the disruption and joy gone out of startups? Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or other platforms!

In his first few months at his first job, Arya had made some lifelong friends. Unlike many work friendships, his just happened to include a nearly three-decade age gap. It all began when Arya, a multimedia producer, decided to join a TV news company. Shy and new to the city, he looked around to see there was nobody in his age bracket except him. “Initially, it was a bit daunting,” Arya says. “But slowly, we became friends only to realize that, despite the age gap, we are all the same. That was a wonderful feeling.”

After all, as of 2024, there are four generations in the workplace - baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zs. It’s never been harder, or more essential, to forge intergenerational friendships in the workplace. There is a fascinating body of research that an ideal work friendship with someone senior can help you thrive by delivering honest assessments of how you come across on the job. Especially, without any competitive rivalry that you would otherwise experience with work friends of the same age group.  It’s never been more essential to forge intergenerational friendships in the workplace. 

On this episode of TFTY, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran brings to light stories of people who have formed deep relationships with coworkers across generations. Do you have a career question we can help you to solve? Share a note with the host at [email protected] or take this form and let us know. We might have you on the show! The First Two Years is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive business stories, deeply-reported newsletters, and a whole lot of stuff. 

From over here at The Ken's newsroom, we have a very exciting announcement: our first premium podcast – India's first premium business podcast – is now live!

It's called Two by Two – and this podcast will be your personal investigative brain. Each week Two by Two will be where hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Praveen Gopal Krishnan will be joined by a few interesting and opinionated guests to discuss some of the biggest questions from the world of Indian business.

But, why's it called Two by Two?

Here it is: each episode of the Two by Two podcast will feature an important story investigated and discussed and visualized as a 2x2. A simple matrix that's the purest form of conflict – that places the players and their motivations on both axes. Along with incredible guests, the hosts will discuss what is going on, why is it happening, who gains and who loses, and where is all of this leading to?

Two by Two is a premium podcast – but for now, the first episode is free for all listeners. On this episode, the hosts speak to Professor R Srinivasan and Srikanth Rajagopalan on the brewing rivalry between Flipkart and PhonePe, once parent and child, but now more like cousins. Flipkart, which is now venturing into FinTech with Super.money and Phonepe, which has launched the grocery delivery app Pincode are both stepping into each others turf.

What happens next?

Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple or YouTube – and if you like it, please leave a review, wherever you get your podcasts?