After completing my bachelor’s degree, I faced that uncertain, post-college phase where you feel aimless—just doing small tasks around the house and feeling the weight of joblessness. My mom was my biggest support during this time, and thanks to her encouragement, I’m here today, sharing this journey.
Discovering SEO
At that point, I stumbled across something called “SEO.” I didn’t even know what it was, but I started reading up on it, eventually finding a blogging platform to experiment with. It was my first hands-on project in SEO, and I spent hours learning how to drive traffic to my site through Google search techniques. As I made progress, I discovered that these tactics I’d been testing were part of a larger field—Search Engine Optimization.
That discovery fueled my interest even more. I spent 10–12 hours a day studying SEO tactics, seeing the results firsthand as my blog traffic grew. I dived deeper into related areas like social media and link-building, and that’s how I honed my skills in SEO.
Breaking Away from Academics
While diving into SEO, I began to lose interest in my engineering studies. I questioned the value of learning courses like Engineering Mathematics and Software Quality Assurance, which felt disconnected from my actual career interests. Despite being tempted to switch to full-time blogging, I decided to finish my degree and stay engaged with friends and other college activities.
My First SEO Opportunity
Fast forward to after graduation—I was still unsure of my next steps. My mom suggested pursuing a master’s degree in computer science, but I was reluctant. Then, a friend on Facebook shared a job opening for an SEO Analyst position at Zoho Corporation, specifically for freshers. I was thrilled and immediately started working on my resume, which, until that moment, I hadn’t even created.
After piecing together my SEO resume with help from friends (and a bit of Google searching), I was ready. I took an aptitude test at Zoho’s office, only to find myself among 150 other hopeful candidates. Unfortunately, the questions were unfamiliar, and I left the test disappointed, wondering what to tell my dad about the outcome.
A New Plan to Get Hired
After that setback, I took some time to regroup. A friend shared his story of how he got his job with an innovative approach—he created a website specifically targeting the company he wanted to work for. Inspired, I adapted the concept and used Tall Tweets by Amit Agarwal to create an impactful Twitter thread targeted at SEO leaders in startups I admired.
I started seeing results quickly; HR calls started coming in, and in one day alone, I received four interview invitations. Despite feeling unsure during some of these calls, I learned what companies valued in SEO—mainly link-building techniques and specific results I could bring to the table.
Landing a Job Close to Home
Most of the job offers were in cities like Gurgaon, Pune, and Mumbai, but my mom preferred I stay closer to home. So, I focused on opportunities in Chennai and Bangalore, using platforms like Quora, YourStory, and Social Samosa to identify promising startups. I followed the same strategy of reaching out to executives directly.
Eventually, I emailed Arun Athiappan, CEO of TicketGoose, and received a quick response. He forwarded my profile to Karthi Easwaramoorthy, Co-founder/President of TicketGoose.com, and I soon received a call from their office. It was my first face-to-face interview in Bangalore, and I was both excited and nervous.
Starting My Career in Bangalore
My first visit to Bangalore was memorable—I arrived early, visited a nearby temple for a quick moment of calm, and then went to the office for my interview. The workplace was a hub of energy and focus, with SEO strategies scribbled across the conference hall’s whiteboard. When Karthi, my future manager, entered with a warm welcome, I knew this was the right environment for me.
The interview began, and that day marked the beginning of my professional life as an SEO Analyst.
This was how my SEO journey started—full of trial and error, resilience, and the guidance of those who believed in me.