At the GAIN Credit Group, we pride ourselves in nurturing and fostering a culture of shared success and mutual growth. Our emergence as a company-of-choice in the alternative lending industry is due to the dedication, focus and commitment of our workforce – a group of supremely talented, loyal and experienced fintech professionals, who leverage their deep domain knowledge and expertise to create great value for our business!

Today, we introduce you to one such professional: Swarnima – Sr. Analyst (Risk Analytics)

Let’s chart her journey of success with us…

Life before joining the GAIN Credit Group

It’s a story of Rs70, a chance meeting, a difficult choice and an opportunity of a lifetime

In the summer of ’15, while I was basically interning with an organization and getting ready to take a full-time role at their main premises in Bengaluru, a chance email from GAIN Credit – indicating their interest in interviewing me – changed my life on its head.

At first thought, I did a quick Cost-Benefit-Analysis of the opportunity; reaching the GC office and coming back would set me back by Rs70 (Rs35 each way) which I could very well afford (as a fresher who’s branching out on her own – money matters!). Once I got in at the interview, I was evaluated on my knowledge regarding a college project which I was doing (simultaneously with my job), my case-study evaluation skills and my overall attitude and aptitude.

Before I knew it, I was offered a full-time role in GC’s Chennai office. This again created a conundrum for me; do I take up the role offered by the Bengaluru-based company where all my friends (and effectively, my life at that point in time) were headed, or, should I opt to go for GC. That’s perhaps the first time I realized that life doesn’t have easy answers or middle paths – you got to do what you think is best for you!

That’s precisely what I did – took a conscious call, jumped in the deep end of the pool, and hedged my bet with GC.

My role in driving value for the GAIN Credit Group

I work with the Collections arm of the organization.

Key aspects of my job include reducing the company’s bad debts, dealing with third-party debt collection agencies, relationship management with key stakeholders in those agencies among other aspects.

Recently, my role is shifting towards adopting a more project-centric approach. While stepping on to the new process, I am also mentoring a team-member to take parallel ownership of the tasks I used to handle.

It’s a tough balancing act which drains me out at times. But, I still push myself to perform, to give my best each day – something which I have imbibed as an employee of the GAIN Credit Group.

Key people I work with 

Kamal Kalwani (late), Ashwin Sekar and Yeshwanth Reddy are the 3 main individuals who have played the most important part in shaping my career story.

From teaching a fresher the skills needed to excel in the corporate world, mentoring and training her at every stage, giving her the freedom to fail and yet learn from her mistakes, protecting her reputation by taking ownership of her ‘mistakes’ (which are bound to happen in anyone’s first job), inculcating the habit of taking notes and documenting discussions for reference later – their contributions have been priceless in terms of making me what I am today.

Why do I look forward to each day@GAIN Credit Group?

Because it has been a coming of age of sorts for me; a transformation which has seen a fiery, direct girl become a focused, matured and knowledgeable professional.

As in life so as your job, everything isn’t always a bed of roses: there are ups and downs, crests and troughs which either inflate your ego to insane levels or test your patience at dealing with stressful, unwanted situations. Between all this, one struggles to find a middle path – identify the direction he/she wants to take in life and pursue it with zeal, passion and commitment.

Having been thrown in the deep end of a technology which I was previously unfamiliar with, I found that everything can be learnt – you just need to be focused.

Losing the ‘protective umbrella’ of my college life and the pampering that I enjoyed as the perpetual kid in the family, I learnt how to swim against the waves and still find my path in choppy seas.

Most importantly, by taking ownership and accountability for my tasks and projects, I realized – quite literally – that you never learn to be responsible till you are forced to (even if initially it feels that way)

The GAIN Credit Group truly helped me identify sides to my personality which I was personally unaware of: making me realize that I can always be a better version of what I was yesterday, by putting in a little bit of effort today.

The best part? The learning never stops here!

Why a career with GAIN Credit Group could be the best decision of your life

First up, let me be upfront in stating that this is my first job.

I don’t have any reference points to compare my experience here – more so because the company is yet to give me a solid reason which compels me to consider a change. As a bachelorette doing her first job, I get everything here: nice food, end-to-end transportation, flexible working hours, challenging project opportunities… the list is endless!

On a more professional note though, working here will give you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn all the tricks of the trade, master the entire process from the beginning till the end, and train yourself on the core value economics that form the bedrock of our business.

Why do I say that? Because, unlike huge conglomerates where individual roles run the risk of becoming as important as the 11^th man in a cricket team, here you get to work on multiple platforms, collaborate with key stakeholders across verticals and functions and basically learn the functioning of the entire value chain – it almost infuses an entrepreneurial bent of mind in your thinking and attitude, as you start to feel a sense of ownership with the business.

Out-of-Office: My personal time

“Single, with all the time in the world.” That’s the phase of life where I am right now.

I have my own ‘bucket list’ of to-dos that I wish to complete: first on the list was getting myself back into shape, which I have managed to do!

Having recently added driving to my list of skills, I now plan to swim professionally very soon – much like I love to challenge the status-quo for the better at the GAIN Credit Group, I would now like to challenge the professionals on what they are best at.

Life is all about moving forward. And here I have learnt never to hold back – that’s what I plan to do in my personal domain as well!

That was Swarnima’s Story of Success. And, the next one may as well be yours! Interested in working with the GAIN Credit Group? Click here and check open positions available with us – it could be the best career decision you’ve ever made!