When Sharmila Somasundharan got ready for her first day of work as a Staff Consultant, she could’ve never imagined that a mere three months later the entire world would be locked indoors. Used to face-to-face support from her team, she worried how it would be possible to continue learning the ins and outs of her job from home. Despite the uncertainty of the situation, she quickly realized that although things were now exclusively virtual, nothing had really changed. One year on, she shares why she feels lucky to be a part of Oracle Financial Services Consulting (OFSC) and why you should apply to join her.
When did you join Oracle and what is your role here?
I joined as a staff consultant in December 2019. It was hardly three months into me getting familiar with the office and colleagues and boom… the virus shook the world and we were all confined to our homes.
The team is very compact, with only three members for development who handle all modules such as front, back end, server, and testing, so it’s our duty to ensure everything works fine. I got to understand about the project flow and behaviour in the process. I didn’t have much knowledge on project deployment activities in the server, so it definitely was a bit of trial and error in the beginning.
Why did you join Oracle Financial Services Consulting? What drew you to this team?
Oracle Financial Services is one of the largest software companies in the world and it has a very good work culture for people to learn and achieve career growth. The other major attraction was its focus on providing us with a great work-life balance.
Tell us about the innovative work OFSC is doing. How is it making an impact on peoples’ lives?
Oracle always encourages us to upgrade our skills on a regular basis by making us understand the importance of innovation—adapt, evolve, and grow through disruption. This is important as it develops customer intimacy and customer empathy, which in turn accounts for improved capability, extended vision, consistent growth, and the ability to take the right actions during unexpected situations.
What do you think your competitive edge is as a professional? What do you bring to the team?
My competitive edge is stepping up. I support my team at all times with my ‘never say no’ attitude. During a crisis, I never ignore the situation; instead, I tackle things head on. Whenever productivity is affected, or leaders come under pressure, I extend my support by jumping into action. Because of this, I’ve built very strong relationships with team members.
What’s it like being a woman in tech at Oracle? Does your team value diversity and inclusion?
As a woman, I feel proud to be part of tech at Oracle as they have always focused on diversity, equality, and inclusion. There is a sense of belonging established in my team and everyone is treated equally. When it comes to any success or failure, we all take equal responsibility.
Is work-life balance a priority on your team? How do you make time for family and work?
Proper work-life balance is encouraged in all teams—it’s the one ingredient that drives an individual to be the most successful person in their career as well as in life. I usually prioritize things, which allows me to make time for family and friends. We have to train our mind to follow the ‘keep work at work and be home at home’ policy; these two things should never get mixed up as it will only end in disaster for both areas.
What are you most excited about in your future at Oracle?
I believe in continuous learning, as this helps an individual to acquire skills, knowledge, and learn a wide variety of things that are not only those related to your current role. Oracle has always given such opportunities through lot of online sessions, so I’m expecting that whatever I learn on a regular basis will be helpful for me to apply in future.
Why would you encourage professionals to join your team?
I would encourage professionals to join my team mainly for the reason that they will get an opportunity to work on an end-to-end application, and will always be given space to share their own thoughts or ideas on any requirements. Whenever there’s any new implementation, team members are given the freedom to apply any new learnings to the project. We have good leaders who will ensure that they train and communicate with us, so we get quickly adapted.
Do you have any advice for new starters who are worried about remote working?
My learning experience during the pandemic has been awesome. It taught me many lessons, and I’d like to share a few here:
- It’s important to get exposed to hardships as they help you transform yourself and will stand you in good stead in the future
- It’s always good to ask questions
- Don’t let any communication gaps pile-up, it will affect the work to a greater extent
- When work is assigned come up with multiple solutions, don’t just go with one straight solution
- One person alone doesn’t complete projects so team collaboration is hugely important for success.
Finally, in spite of everything, I got to work on extremely challenging assignments, which I not only accomplished, but also emerged as a more confident person, ready to take on bigger challenges. I will always be thankful for the support and encouragement I got from my teammates and leaders.
Looking for a team that values a healthy work-life balance as much as you do? Oracle Financial Services Consulting is hiring in India! Explore our range of career opportunities and create the future with us.