Tech Analyst Interview

As the tech industry evolves at a blistering pace, organizations need to adapt to new ways of working in order to survive!Laveena Iyer, our next pathbreaker, Tech & Telecoms Analyst at Economist Intelligence Unit (London), helps businesses, governments and academia make sense of developments and policies in the tech and telecoms industry.Laveena talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy fromThe Interview Portal about how her initial exposure to working in smaller media houses steepened her learning curve in the world of tech, finance and business !For students, the first few years are always hard, the world is not a fair place but you will ultimately get what you deserve !Laveena,tell us about yourselfHello, my name is Laveena Iyer and I’m currently employed as a tech and telecom analyst at Economist Intelligence. This is the business intelligence and research wing of The Economist Group and the commercial arm of the magazine (internally referred to as the newspaper), The Economist.I’m an only child to two South Indian parents who both had very different perspectives on academic excellence. But both strived to impose on me the importance of hard work, good education and financial independence from a very young age. I studied at a state-education board school in Mumbai, where I was born and raised. Growing up I excelled at academics solely due to my mother’s need to see me as a rank holder.I was personally very much interested in dancing, I trained for six years as a Bharatnatyam dancer only to give it up in my teens as the dreaded Board exams approached (not my best decision). By the time I cleared my 10 th
grade with a reasonable distinction score, I surprised everyone except my parents when I chose Humanities.What did you do for your graduation/ post-graduation?I studied at a Mumbai University-affiliated college where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media. Across six semesters, I studied English Literature, World History, International Relations, Economics, Psychology, Business & Finance among other subjects.Following my graduation in Mass Media studies, I pursued a nine-month long comprehensive journalism degree specializing in print media with electives in Urban Cities, National Politics and Child Rights.This was a Post-Graduate Diploma at The Asian College of Journalism in Chennai, which was one of the few options at that time that would culminate in an almost guaranteed job offer. My family did not have the funds for a degree at Columbia University, my dream college at the time, where I wished to study Financial Journalism. But destiny ensured I achieved the goal albeit via another route.The learning has not stopped and that’s key. Upskilling is important, never stops and do it for yourself more than anything.Can you talk about some of the influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career?I think my key influencers were Rajdeep Sardesai and my dad, who would not miss a ‘Face the Nation’ episode if he could help it.I was inspired by the Rajdeep Sardesai brand of journalism back then and was building up my repertoire and skill set for a career as a political journalist, but more like a 9.00 PM TV anchor (I did achieve this partly but my goals changed).I had the habit of watching the 9.00 PM news, older news shows of Christiane Amanpour and Fareed Zakaria which inspired me.There were three professors in college who made sure I had a holistic approach to the subjects of World History, International Relations, Literature and Economics. They are Aarti Chandru, Avina Taneja and Zinat Aboli.Nine months in Chennai and having been trained by some of the most respected voices in journalism, I realized I didn’t want to be on TV (Important note: Goals will change, paths will change and it is very important to know when to pivot). It dawned upon me that the print medium would offer me more intellectual rewards and I worked hard to charm the editors at Outlook Business to hire me as a trainee correspondent (Campus placement after two rejections at other firms).Outlook Business gave me the opportunity to make the most of challenging moments. I learnt everything I did because of my editors then.How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career pathCampus placements may generate enviable job offers, but not all jobs that look glorious turn out that way after a year. So, be patient with yourself and work towards your goals. I worked my way up at Outlook Business across four-and-a-half years and did everything from fortnightly productions to managing marquee corporate events to kickstarting the brand’s digital ambitions. Digital news media was only just picking up back then. Some of the magazine’s competitors had high investments while we had to make do with the same budget for a couple of years. The task was to showcase some gains in terms of audience retention, meeting advertising targets, before we were given a budget to expand. The beauty of trying your hand at something new is that nobody is an expert and there is so much to learn. I feel the field of AI is similar, the possibilities are immense and there is no set path to success. Digital media meant upskilling for myself and training a team alongside me, encouraging them to try, not being disheartened by failure but picking up lessons and trying again.The benefit of working in a relatively smaller media house meant I had the opportunity to try my hand at every task, master it and have a resume that showcased a wide array of skills.I used this experience to land my next role at The Economist Group. Here, I learnt the benefits of working for a global brand in terms of basic admin processes, professionalism, continued pursuit of excellence, self training and taking initiative. This was a much bigger organization within India itself. There’s no hand holding, you do as well as you’re willing to work hard. You work smart and quick. This was quite a different pace and culture than what I was used to, but hard work always pays off. There were days when my ideas were shot down, my work was not up to the mark, but I learnt the importance of not taking things personally and moving on. You have to stay focused on the goal, create short-term goals and tweak your approach as you go because nothing will ever go as planned.I completed five years with the group this Diwali and transferred internally to the London office. I have had the opportunity to work with clients on research projects, contribute to the company’s initiatives on AI, and represent the company in the media such as on the BBC. I had to be flexible and change my goals as I went along and it wasn’t easy but you learn it graduallyHow did you get your first break?Campus placements come with their own set of challenges and opportunities. Use every test/interview to improve for the next one and stay focused on the goal. Think about the salary, the role, the learning potential before accepting a job. What may be good for a peer, may not be the best role for you. What may look good on paper, may not be the best place to start. I gave a test for a financial magazine that I was almost about to walk out on because I thought I wouldn’t know enough. I spoke confidently in the interview and was honest about my lack of expertise in the field with an assurance of picking it up on the job. Hard work, speaking skills and probably a lot of prayers from family that I don’t get disheartened may have resulted in the first job.What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?No expertise in the field of economics, business or finance. It was overwhelming, it didn’t help that the organization did not have a training program in place. That meant we were on our own, I enrolled for multiple courses, was patiently picking up while working as a desk editor and I never shied away from asking for an opportunity. I have gotten rejected multiple times before I was given my first reporting task.Being a young woman going out to interview very senior corporate India leaders was daunting. Some leaders extended their patience and some chose aggression when difficult questions were asked. Full credit to my editors to ensure we were a magazine that was not afraid to ask an uncomfortable question around the finances/performance of a company. It took me a very long time to learn not to take it personally, move on and focus on the task at hand.Racism when dealing with external stakeholders, you report it but that does not make it go away. So you still report it, focus on the task at hand and gradually you learn to grow a thick skin. If anything ever affects your mental peace, focus your energy on finding another role. No pay cheque is worth any mental distress.Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?I currently work at The Economist Intelligence Unit, where I help businesses, governments and academia make sense of developments and policies in the tech and telecoms industry.At Outlook Business, I was part of a consumer facing enterprise. The reader was my consumer, the writing style was different, the purpose of the work was different. With The Economist, it’s a B2B service so there was a lot to learn before I became an expert. The work ethic as part of a global organization is quite different as well and you can’t rest on your past laurels.What skills are needed for your role? How did you acquire the skills?Macroeconomics, self-learning; writing (learnt that at my first job) and public speaking (many years of practice on the job)What’s a typical day like?Lots of news tracking, writing, prompt client servicing, cross-functional team interaction and time managementWhat is it you love about this job?The organization culture and a couple of women mentors at work who have given me many opportunities to showcase my skills. The informed debates with some very knowledgeable and insightful colleagues. The opportunity to work on real client problems and to grow along as a thought leader.Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!At my first job, I had the opportunity to lead a marquee event we’d hold annually for women entrepreneurs. I had a very small but hard working set of colleagues to work with, but I also had to do a little bit of everything to make it a success. Six months of planning, managing, writing, speaking culminated in a wonderful panel discussion on women empowerment. I had women leaders in the audience whom I looked up to, and having them pat me on the back at the end of the night was a worthy reward and that will always be one of my most memorable work projects.Your advice to students based on your experience?Pick up a degree that has some element of technical expertise, those skills you may not always have time to master on the job. Be flexible and know when to pivot if things are not going as planned. The first few years are always hard, the world is not a fair place but hold onto your values and let your family catch you if you fall. Be bold and raise your hand, speak up, ask for what you deserve: be it a project or a promotion. You may not always get it but you’ll get over the fear to ask, to speak up. Learning never stops so take a break if you must but even if you land your dream job you’ll have to keep learning if you want to grow.Future Plans?I’ll keep you posted on this one as things change. But the long-term goal is to do more policy-oriented work in the digital space.
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