How honest should we be in job interview situations when it comes to what we don’t know? Srikanth Bollavaram, our guest in episode 335, would encourage transparency in these situations, but we should also find a way to communicate what our capabilities are and our potential to meet the challenges of a role.

Srikanth is a product development leader with experience spanning the financial, railroad, and consumer packaged goods industries. His story showcases stepping beyond building systems to become a well-rounded leader capable of driving real business impact. Listen closely to the story of an unexpected job assignment in Switzerland that jumpstarted Srikanth’s embrace of industry expertise.

Pay special attention during this interview to learn from Srikanth’s experience:

• Supplementing technical skills with business acumen and continued education
• Embracing the mindset that every challenge is an opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem that way at first
• Explaining complex concepts through the lens of practicality to stand out as a job candidate

Original Recording Date: 03-30-2025

Topics – Meet Srikanth Bollavaram, Practical Approaches to Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, Relocation and Experience as a Consultant, Execution and Delivery, Continued Education and a Step Beyond Building Systems, End-to-End Solutions in the Railroad Industry

2:13 – Meet Srikanth Bollavaram

• Srikanth Bollavaram leads a product development organization for a global consumer packaged goods (or CPG) company. His organization is currently focused on building a product for a major business transformation.
• Srikanth is originally from India but had the opportunity to relocate a couple of different times beginning early in his career. Srikanth relocated first to Switzerland to work in the financial industry and then later to the US. Today Srikanth and his family reside in Dallas, Texas.

2:54 – Practical Approaches to Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science

• Growing up in India, Srikanth wanted to be an engineer. He was curious about how to build things and how things worked. But at that time there was a general expectation to become either a doctor or an engineer.
  • After being unable to dissect a frog in middle school, Srikanth realized his path was engineering.
  • When you want to be an engineer in India, you have to pass a test similar to the SAT. Based on overall rank, students in the top 1% get to choose their major. Most pursuing higher education would go to either a government school or a private college.
  • Srikanth had only a couple of minutes with a counselor to choose between pursuing mechanical engineering at a top state school or attending a private college to focus on computer science. At the time, Srikanth chose mechanical engineering because he had always wanted to go to the school where this program was offered.
  • While he did like mechanical engineering, Srikanth wanted to be a computer science engineer as well. Many of his courses for mechanical engineering were computer courses, and he focused on the practical uses of computer science for mechanical engineering tasks.
• John mentions listeners might not know that the test and ranking Srikanth mentioned in India is nation-wide. Universities might differ on the requirements for entry based on your ranking.
  • Srikanth mentioned there was a state-level test in addition to the nationwide test, and based on your ranking you get a choice of major. But you don’t know which major you will get into until you go to counseling.
  • When Srikanth graduated there were not many national or state-wide engineering colleges. Now there is a quite a bit of choice for students in India.
• Was engineering as a discipline of study as interesting as Srikanth thought it would be?
  • Before he began studying engineering, Srikanth says most of his education leading up to high school was heavily theory based. Srikanth tells us this did change but not to the extent he would have liked.
  • Srikanth tells us engineering designs were basically hand drawn 2-dimensional models. He was studying computer languages and wondered if he could draw a design in real-time on a computer screen, which provided an opportunity to experiment and observe.
    • Srikanth says he was more comfortable with the hands-on aspects of learning than the theoretical parts. There were lab exercises, but they weren’t representative of real-world scenarios.
  • Srikanth was also studying thermodynamics. While they did have labs, if he wanted to see how energy transfer worked (i.e. heat energy converting to electrical energy), Srikanth could go to a power plant to see the entire process. The practical aspect was more interesting.
  • “In engineering what I tried to do is focus less on academics but more on the practical applications of those academics, and that turned out…in my favor…. When I was graduating, all the consulting companies were coming and interviewing, and they were more looking for that broader application or mindset, and it was easier for me to get selected even though my academics were not the top in the class. But I had a broad variety of experience both in computers and engineering, and I could explain things in an easy way.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
• Consulting firms partnered with many of the universities and would interview graduating students for jobs. Srikanth mentions a computer-based consultancy that was willing to consider candidates from various majors (including mechanical engineering, for example).
  • The consulting firms might ask candidates to take a competency test or conduct interviews to determine how candidates solve problems.
• Nick says the desire to understand how things work and the practical application of it sets someone up nicely to be able to communicate how things work in a simple way.
  • Srikanth remembers a specific question from his interview about internal combustion engines. The internal combustion engine had been built based on Western designs, but Srikanth explained an example of how Indian engineers had built a stabilizer for fuel efficiency when vehicles traverse rough terrain. Srikanth’s approach to answering the question from a practical standpoint instead of solely a theoretical one really impressed the interviewer.
  • John mentions being able to ground complex concepts in reality and explain them in a way people can understand is something solution engineers constantly have to do, but as a skill this is useful in any discipline or field.
  • Srikanth stresses the importance of taking the time to understand a problem and its practical applications before narrowing to solution.
  • John says this feels like it falls into a pattern we’ve seen in the past. If you think you understand a concept, can you write down an explanation of it in your own words that you will be able to read and understand at a later time? If you cannot explain a concept to yourself, you might not understand it as well as you thought.
  • Srikanth remembers working for a leader who shared a similar lesson related to design. Put the design on paper, and try to explain it to yourself. This process would help someone think through all of a design’s implications and remember more about it in future days and even months afterward.
• Was this process of explaining things to cement learning something Srikanth found himself doing when he made the move into consulting after graduating from school, or was it later in his career?
  • Srikanth thinks it was later in his career when he moved to technical leader and architect after some coaching from his leaders. Earlier in his career, Srikanth was a programmer driven to learn new concepts through testing and asking questions.

13:59 – Relocation and Experience as a Consultant

• Srikanth tells us that his relocation to Switzerland was somewhat unexpected. At the time, he was a programmer, and he really wanted to go to the US. Srikanth had heard about a project in Switzerland that would last a few months and was eventually told he had to go.
  • When Srikanth was chosen for the assignment in Switzerland, he did not know what type of work he would be doing.
  • Srikanth learned he would be acting as a liaison between the customer who had hired his employer (a consulting firm) for the project and the IT team.
  • “A lot of times people are observing you, what you do…. Your skill set or what you are is determined by what people are observing. And they somehow thought that I was a better fit for this.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
  • Srikanth remembers his boss on the customer side asking him a lot of business questions the first time they met. In that moment, Srikanth was honest about what he knew and what he did not know but also spoke to the things he could potentially do.
  • “Talking about relocation…it’s all about context…. A lot of it is built on how you take it. I could have been sent back on the next flight because I was not fit for the job, but I talked to him and explained what I know and what I could do potentially based on if somebody could give a training. So, they sent me back on a business side training for like 3 days to get up to speed quickly. Initially I was supposed to be there 4 months, but they liked my work. So, they extended me for like 2 years…. I was a consultant. You just have to go and look at the job you have been assigned, not necessarily just ‘this is what I am going to do.’ What is the problem at…hand? …Do it well, and if you don’t know, build that trust you don’t know but you will learn and still do it. It was a great experience from that regard. It could have ended up otherwise. But it’s what opportunities come to you, and then how…you take it and run with it…makes the difference.” – Srikanth Bollavaram, on being a consultant
  • John reiterates the lesson here in being honest about what our capabilities are and are not. It’s not just about what you don’t feel qualified to do. Speak to what you can do and how you would get up to speed to do what a hiring manager / employer would need you to do.
  • Srikanth tells us it is about building trust and then following it through, even if extra effort is required in the beginning to serve the needs of the problem at hand. Even though Srikanth did not know what the job was initially, he was curious enough to learn and focus on solving the problem.
  • Nick thinks the manager in question really had 2 choices after understanding Srikanth’s current competencies. There is a lesson here for those in the manager’s seat to consider giving people the chance to learn something if they have the potential rather than dismissing a candidate because they don’t fit exactly what was needed.
    • Srikanth feels he has had leaders in the past who provided him with a chance to adjust and still execute. Even when we are competent, we still might struggle when initially pursuing something new (i.e. a new assignment / job, a new project, etc.).
    • As a people leader now, Srikanth tries to keep these things in mind when considering the holistic candidate based on the lessons he has learned and the opportunities previously granted to him.

19:20 – Execution and Delivery

• What kind of pressure did Srikanth feel (if any) knowing he wasn’t fully qualified for what he had been asked to do? Though he did take the training, was there something more?
  • The first days of training helped Srikanth understand how the business ran and what they were asking him to do. This helped him feel more confident.
  • Srikanth also built relationships with others during the training to contact in the future for guidance if needed.
  • After about a week, Srikanth was much more confident. He also describes making an intentional mindset shift.
    • “I knew the programming. I knew all this. But this is something I cannot learn anywhere…. This is once in a lifetime opportunity. If I put in enough efforts, I could learn quite a bit in this area. So, I got more energized by that…. There was some…impostor syndrome, but I believe early in your career you are kind of ignorant to some extent. The excitement to learn and the opportunity overshadowed me, at least initially…. There is so much to learn, so let’s go and learn and do it.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
    • The company’s business was related to the Swiss stock exchange, clearing, and settlement on a domestic and international level.
• Are some of these things we’re discussing inherent in the consultant role? Usually this is someone from outside an organization who is brought in to give some feedback or to solve a problem.
  • Srikanth tells us there was a specific problem to solve. The company who had hired him was working with a specific 3rd party company to build a solution. There were some gaps between what the business wanted and what was being provided, and they needed someone in the middle to help.
    • There were not really product-focused roles at this time. Even business analyst as a term was pretty new.
    • They needed a mix of technical and business knowledge to ensure the appropriate requirements were gathered to design and deliver a solution for what was needed. The company who hired Srikanth’s company wanted an external entity to provide the technical skills they were lacking and to execute the project representing them.
    • John says we might think about this today as being an external product manager who works with an external contractor that is developing a product.
    • “In a lot of ways, I was holding my own company people accountable to deliver that sitting on the other side, which was a bit awkward at that point…. But I think that was a very valuable experience because at the end that drives trust and accountability in a way that was not existing before.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
    • John says a company might do this to not ruin a relationship with another company. It would allow someone else to act as the “bad guy.”
  • Srikanth says whether you’re a consultant or in any other role, it is about building trust, keeping your promises, and then executing and delivering.

24:51 – Continued Education and a Step Beyond Building Systems

• Nick sees elements of leadership in Srikanth’s role. He was in an interesting spot between the business and the extremely technical side, which provided multiple options for a next career step. How did Srikanth decide what to do next once the job in Switzerland came to an end, and how did the previous experience influence his decision?
  • “That did kind of teach me you just have to be multi-faceted. You need to…gain a well-rounded experience. Work on the business side. Try to understand the business. Do various roles…. Take whatever the role is thrown at you. Don’t ask whether it is specifically this or that. Try multiple areas, and then you can choose which direction you want. And that also enables you to be a well-rounded person.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
  • Srikanth wanted to come to the United States, and he would end up working for a credit rating agency, which he describes as a completely different challenge. At the time, this was not an extremely intentional choice, but Srikanth would later embrace an intentionality in his career, changing areas every 2 or 3 years to gain more experience.
  • John highlights the collision of / tension between 2 ideas here. First, there is confidence – determining what an employer needs and figuring out how to deliver it regardless of your current skill set. The second is the lesson Srikanth learned about intentionality as a contributor to career growth.
  • Srikanth mentioned upon coming to the United States, he also wanted to continue his education in addition to working full-time. He would enroll in a master’s program in MIS (management information systems – which we refer to as a computer science related field).
    • Even after completing the master’s program, Srikanth would take courses in leadership, program management, and other areas to add another layer to his skill set which he says was very much needed.
    • John highlights the MIS degree program as one of the few that could have at that time pointed Srikanth toward what we call IT (information technology) today.
    • Srikanth tells us the MIS degree was a combination of business, information technology, economics, and finance. Srikanth knew programming and how to build systems, but these additional courses provided a more complete picture.
    • “…I believe 5 years into my career at that point, and I knew the programming. I know how to build the systems. At that point, I felt that it was more appropriate to not only build the systems but also understand the other aspects to be more complete.” – Srikanth Bollavaram

29:24 – End-to-End Solutions in the Railroad Industry

• Nick mentions that the studies compliment Srikanth’s desire to build things and understand how they work. One of the best ways to figure out how something works is to build it.
  • When Srikanth joined the railroad, he discovered there are few industry specific products for the railroad. In fact, most of the technology solutions needed to be engineered and built in-house. They needed employees with both software and hardware expertise. Some of the hardware components on a locomotive were very specific, for example.
  • Srikanth says working for the railroad really satisfied his desire to build things.
  • “I was very surprised to see how technically advanced the railroad information technology or engineering were. That’s where I would say I cut my teeth…. And the leaders there were just fantastic, even coaching and…growing us in the way that we could solve those bigger problems.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
  • During his time working for the railroad industry, Srikanth had the chance to be part of large programs which made a big impact both on the overall railroad industry and the greater US economy.
  • John highlights that this is an industry specialized enough to be somewhat unfazed by advances in commodity technology. It requires the operations teams to have an end-to-end system where they own all the parts or what John calls “owning things end-to-end.” Commodity items purchased off the shelf might need to be tuned to the specific use case (i.e. ruggedized hardware, for example). This was at a time before internet of things was really a thing.
  • Srikanth tells us it was about building end-to-end solutions and thinking about how to productize them to sell for other railroads to use. He gained some design experience during this time as well.
  • “Everything is an opportunity. When there is not a solution, you build it, but you can also productize and market it.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
  • Srikanth describes the introduction of a safety mandate for autonomous control of trains and needing to build something that could adapt to future technological advances. While autonomous control would stop a train if a human could not, it also introduces other considerations which must be addressed.
    • Srikanth was fascinated by the process of building real-time control systems. He stresses the importance of having deep engineering talent to support the end-to-end solution from a software and hardware standpoint.
    • These control systems are also safety critical.
    • “You need to make sure it not only performs the function…you asked to do but in all cases,…the safety of the system is not compromised. So, you have to think of all those boundary conditions as well.” – Srikanth Bollavaram
• Nick feels like this is a great blending of the computer science and engineering background Srikanth had. Did Srikanth seek out the railroad industry specifically, or did the opportunity come to him?
  • Srikanth says he did not seek it out, but it was a logical decision. He had moved from Switzerland to California and would then move to the midwestern United States for the railroad job mainly for family reasons. Srikanth says his wife was studying at the University of Nebraska at the time.
  • “It happened to be the best decision…in terms of…combining all of those experiences and really growing myself. It was a very good environment to nurture the talent, experiment, do things, even sometimes fail…but recover and really enjoy the engineering work.” – Srikanth Bollavaram, on relocating to the Midwest for a railroad job

Mentioned in the Outro

• Srikanth understood the technology but spotted opportunities to learn about the use and impact of technology within the scope of a certain industry’s business operations. The industry exposure and experience was the opportunity for learning in his mind.
  • These decisions took Srikanth’s knowledge beyond just building systems. It was a great exercise in truly understanding all the requirements a system must meet (including architectural considerations, design implications, etc.) based on the business need.
  • If you are looking for other stories of guests who embraced industry expertise to progress in their career, check out these conversations with Amy Arnold about her experience in the public sector:
    • Episode 281 – Packets Don’t Lie: Quality of Service for Technical Exploration in Network Engineering with Amy Arnold (1/2)
    • Episode 282 – All the Networking Things: Project Management, Pre-Sales, and Broadening a Technical Specialty with Amy Arnold (2/2)
• Building end-to-end solutions required supporting every piece of the solution. This was truly product management and treating the solution like a product. While the railroad productized the solutions to sell to other railroads, not every company may productize things to sell outside the company. They may productize to use internally for different business units with different use cases. The product mindset can still be an effective approach.
  • Remember, if you are looking to progress into product management, you do not need to limit your search to only technology vendors. Product management roles can exist in many different places.
• Your homework before we release part 2 of Srikanth’s story is to listen to this episode featuring Daniel Lemire’s story of taking on too much change in his career at once:
  • Episode 325 – Overwhelmed by Ambiguity: DevOps, Innovation, and the Search for Clarity with Daniel Lemire (3/4)

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