Ex-banker who sold clothes door-to-door shares ‘untold story’

Shalani Kutty is an Associate Partner at global recruitment firm MSG Talent.

PHOTO BY SUPPLIED

Ex-banker who sold clothes door-to-door shares ‘untold story’

A former banker who gave up her career to sell clothes door-to-door has shared her “untold story” of job rejections and how she bounced back from it all.

Shalani Kutty, who is now an Associate Partner at global recruitment firm MSG Talent, said she faced rejection and a lot of criticism when she left her career in the banking industry several years ago.

Finding a suitable job was her first hurdle. “No other industry was willing to accept me as I had no relevant industry experience or exposure,” Kutty said on LinkedIn.

The Sri Lankan said she applied for work in many companies, including real estate, digital and logistics, and had many hopeful interviews that unfortunately never turned into a job offer.

“The wait was too long, and I had to find a way to survive,” she recalled. So, she started The Wardrobe, a Facebook-based clothing store in Sri Lanka.

“I used to deliver clothes, sold other designs [of clothes]..which were stored in my car boot,” she said. She was a one-man team. “I modelled for my designs, created a logo, did the packaging, invoicing, accounting, marketing, and even learnt Photoshop to do the editing by myself,” she said.

Kutty was belittled for selling clothes. “I had a lot of haters who criticized me for moving from a well-established global bank to selling clothes door-to-door. Some friends and family disconnected from me as they were no longer interested or proud of my company,” Kutty said, “But I was always proud of my decision and was counting on my husband, closest family, and a few friends who supported me, despite the circumstances.”

Eventually, she got a job offer from an IT firm for software sales. She also had to give up her business, admitting that it “was not my destination”.

Kutty said that as a talent recruiter today, she would like to help those who are looking for a job, just like she once did. She hopes to support “many who are going through the same arduous journey that I once walked”. ICA/Expat Media

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