What Is Phonathon?

Tell me about yourself

I did my bachelor’s in Instrumentation Engineering from University of Mumbai, India. I used to work for Jacobs Engineering as Instrumentation Design Engineer for two years. I am passionate about playing and watching soccer. I support Manchester United. I like to watch Movies and TV shows during my free time. I also read books occasionally.

Last Movie: Martian

Last Book: 1984 by George Orwell

What is Phonathon?        

Phonathon works to raise funds for the university and specific departments. They help in providing scholarships for deserving students and funds for research. They also raise funds to improve campus infrastructure and provide funds for modern equipment in labs.

Why do you want to work for Phonathon?

Financial benefits aside, I want to use my free time in a productive way which would help me enhance my skills and there’s no better way than to work for Phonathon. Convincing people is an art, and a very important life skill. I want to be better at that. Working for Phonathon is also a great service to the university and to future students who will reap the fruits of our hard work. Also I get to make new friends and talk to loads of interesting people. It also looks good on a resume. There are a lot of positives.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Organized, Determined, Eager to help others and very patient. I don’t usually lose my temper
• People tend to underestimate me for some reason, but in the end I always prove them wrong. Being an introvert has some disadvantages.

Why do we hire you?

I believe I could be a valuable addition to your team because I am hard working and patient, I also used to interact with international clients regularly so I have some experience in communicating with Canadian and American people. I also know a thing or two about convincing people. I can give you an example. Engineering is a vast and complex field, there are always more than one way to solve a problem. All of them might have the same or different advantages. Convincing my superiors of why I chose my particular way of doing things was a part of daily routine. I always had to justify my decisions and convince the team about how it would be better compared to someone else’s ideas.  

How would Alumni’s benefit?

First and foremost, they get to show gratitude by donating to the university which provided them with a strong platform to be successful in life. They also get to keep in touch with the university and help future students by donating. Their involvement might also inspire students in many ways. They get to improve the campus in any way possible and if they decide to send their children to S&T then their kids will have an even better experience than them. They are improving the value of their Missouri S&T degree by improving the quality of the university.

How will you handle if someone speaks rudely to you?

Being polite at all times is absolutely essential. Perhaps I might have called at a bad time. I would try to figure out if they are unhappy with their experience during their time at the university in any way and try to offer a corrective solution if possible. I would try convincing them to donate even if they are rude but if they don’t want to, then I would still thank them for their time and consideration and hang up. There is a possibility of them being a donor in the future so it’s important not to burn bridges.