Your dream job does not exist. You must create it.

“First Rate Core Values: Love, Give, Serve, and Enjoy inspired me to create my dream job.”

My day starts with pampering my baby Arfa and then checking emails, thinking about the  tasks for the day, and catching the metro train to come to the office after escaping from Arfa (you know how demanding an almost-2-year-old can be).  However, from when she was only 5 months old until her first birthday, she used to come with me to the office at First Rate India. My favorite memory from that time was when everyone celebrated her first birthday at the office and we were surrounded by my First Rate family. I am thankful and happy that Praveen and Jessica were very understanding and allowed me to bring Arfa to the office each day.  They  have literally lived and shown one of the FR Core Values  –  Love to my family.  Feeling accepted into the First Rate India family felt so seamless.

As an engineering graduate, I have always aspired to work and become financially independent. I wanted to show gratitude to my parents, who have provided me with the opportunity to study and prove my ability and skills in spite of all the hardships and sacrifices they had to make. I am also lucky to marry the man I love, Ismail, who always stood by me and encouraged me to pursue my dream.

I landed in my first job with ICICI, where I did a brief stint for 20 months. Not able to bear the grind of a multi-national company, I had to bid adieu to that a firm where the people and machines were equated at the same level. I wanted to pursue an opportunity that gave me wings to fly, to learn and show my caliber. I also wanted to be valued as a human being and respected for the time and effort I spent in the company pursuing my dream.

An opportunity at First Rate came to me through the relationship my brother had with Praveen. I had to prove my caliber and desire to work in a smaller company that has the ability to grow 100-fold. I was offered a role in the Service Bureau department as an Analyst, and my journey since then has been like a beautiful dream!

My observations have been that many companies are get caught up in a culture of ‘busyness’ and neglect to care for our wellness. However, First Rate honors our need for a work-life balance and insists that we prioritize our families, which has been the foundation for many of the relationships I have built at First Rate.

The First Rate core values, Love, Give, Serve, and Enjoy, are genetically embeded into each person who is working in it. I am very privileged to work with a company whose values include Trust, Equality, Balance, Respect, and Care for employees at all levels. I believe these are not just words, but they are practiced at the office and even in day-to-day life.

At our office, we enjoy our work and daily lunches with our team, including cooking in the office kitchen. I had never experienced this joy, peace, and kindness in my previous job, and First Rate’s flexible schedules and friendly atmosphere make me feel more comfortable, like family.

Experiencing challenges and accomplishing my daily goals brings so much fulfillment.  Investment Performance was a new domain for me since I come from an IT background; however, I was determined to learn and excel in this field. Our team has excelled in sharing and providing knowledge when needed. There was never a difficult or silly question. All questions were heard and were answered with compassion and understanding.

The team worked with respecting each other for their skills and knowledge that has been acquired over the years.  We all respect each other’s ideas, and our team is truly passionate about the work that we do. I strongly believe that when a person is respected or valued for who he/she is, they feel engaged and motivated. They are more likely to go above and beyond, and that’s what happened with me.

At First Rate, I am motivated to excel my skills and, in an effort to provide more value to the team, I recently passed the Investment foundation exam. This only elevates my position within the team and understanding of the subject. The main motivation to write and pass the exam was to learn more, provide excellent service to our clients, and to be more confident while approaching any query or issue within the product.

I am blessed to be surrounded by people who value a well-balanced life. The First Rate culture has encouraged me to work hard, raise a family, be charitable, and pursue my outside passions.