IIM graduate quits Rs 21 LPA job in just 10 days – IIM graduate quits Rs 21 LPA job in just 10 days after realising role involves sales
A Reddit user narrated the story of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) graduate who quit his job within just ten days of realising his role required sales work.
In a post titled “Funny incident of an IIM grad”, the Reddit user recalled the particular incident involving the IIM graduate, which has triggered a debate on social media.
“In my previous avatar as an inside sales representative, when I was just 21, they assigned me an account executive who was a management trainee straight out of one of the top three IIMs. His CTC was above Rs 21 LPA with a 2 lakh joining bonus,” the user said in his post shared on the subreddit r/IndianWorkplace.
The IIM graduate, who was highly enthusiastic on his first day, was eager to begin his journey in the corporate world. His passion for the job, however, was short-lived.
After his first visit to a distributor in Gurugram, the IIM graduate resigned just ten days into the job. Asked about his abrupt decision, he said, “Yaar, main socha woh marketing mein hire kiye mujhe, and now I’m told to do sales for one year (I thought I was hired for marketing, but now they are making me do sales for a year).”
The Reddit user told him that handling accounts in sales was a common expectation in the role. But the IIM graduate was firm in his decision.
Take a look at the post here:
In the comments section of the post, social media users shared their opinions on the incident, with several weighing in on the confusion between sales and marketing.
“Can we blame him though? I have seen recruiters taking interviews for a sales role in the name of ‘marketing’,” a user said.
Another user emphasised that it is “absolutely necessary for marketers to have sales experience, otherwise they will live in their bubble.”
“While misrepresentation is a problem, we need to acknowledge marketing is a sales enabler. In the end, there are only two jobs, building and selling. Everything else is just chai-tea-latte-isation of these 2 core functions,” they added.
A user further elaborated, saying, “Sales is one of the sub-functions of marketing. Marketing creates demand, sales converts that demand.”
Discussing the challenges of sales roles, a user said, “Sales is not for the weak. Most who sustain in sales are either extremely passionate or driven by sheer necessity.”
Another user addressed the role of prestige in job expectations: “Ego is deeply ingrained in people, and an IIM tag only magnifies it. The tag might be a ticket to a high CTC, but it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll always be doing high-end work.”
