The First Two Years

The Ken
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The First Two Years

An early careers podcast from the newsroom of The Ken, hosted by Akshaya Chandrasekaran, The First Two Years will ask—and answer—the most important and interesting questions about learning to succeed at work.

  1. Season finale: Finding joy in your first job

    09/24/2024

    Season finale: Finding joy in your first job

    In the final episode, host Akshaya Chandrasekaran searches for what makes people in the first two years of their careers happy. And the right way to say goodbye to the listeners.  One last thing before we go. You can always write to us at podcasts@the-ken.com with feedback, tips, and suggestions for upcoming shows. Thank you for listening. 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.

    27 min
  2. Best early-career advice we've got so far (part 2)

    09/17/2024

    Best early-career advice we've got so far (part 2)

    Take the happiness survey to be a part of the season finale here. 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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    23 min
  3. Best early-career advice we’ve got so far (part 1)

    09/10/2024

    Best early-career advice we’ve got so far (part 1)

    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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    24 min
  4. How to take a gap year without being left behind

    09/03/2024

    How to take a gap year without being left behind

    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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    25 min
  5. Special episode: Know when to walk away from an 'unhappy' job with Annie Duke

    08/27/2024

    Special episode: Know when to walk away from an 'unhappy' job with Annie Duke

    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.

    26 min
  6. InMobi's Piyush Shah on ditching passion in favour of curiosity

    08/20/2024

    InMobi's Piyush Shah on ditching passion in favour of curiosity

    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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    33 min
  7. "Can you even have a personal brand without any work experience?"

    08/13/2024

    "Can you even have a personal brand without any work experience?"

    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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    26 min
  8. How to say no to ‘non-promotable tasks’ and advance your career

    08/06/2024

    How to say no to ‘non-promotable tasks’ and advance your career

    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 akshaya@the-ken.com 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.

    23 min
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An early careers podcast from the newsroom of The Ken, hosted by Akshaya Chandrasekaran, The First Two Years will ask—and answer—the most important and interesting questions about learning to succeed at work.

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