interview call resume

8/7/2019 Interview Call Resume

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Will your resume get you the interview call?

IT is an act in creating your personal brand image. Your resume reaches the interviewer before

you do. Yet, many people lose out on an interview opportunity thanks to a poorly written one.Your resume is the first step in projecting yourself effectively to the recruiter.

So create an image that you genuinely identify with it is a sharp world out there and no one isbuying false niceties. We address ten important issues related to your resume.

1. Should your resume have a career goal/ objective statement? A resume that is worthy of

representing you, should clearly state your career objective. A career objective is an indirect wayof advertising what all you would bring to the company/ role. It must display a giving attitude

and not a taking attitude.

Take a look at this: To achieve an appreciable status in an organization that offers full scope for

growth and where I can fulfill my aspiration of becoming a world class software professional.

And this: Be a part of an organization that recognises my skills and provides me with suitable

environment to perform to the best of my ability.

Do either of the above display a giving attitude? Your answer is correct. They dont. So now

you know how NOT to write an objective statement! It is advisable to keep the objectivestatement simple and specific. Let it focus on the direct value addition that you can provide.

Example: A certified Software Programmer seeking opportunity in the area of Software

Development in a competitive work environment to utilize my skills to deliver robust and

innovative software solutions.

2. What sequence should your story follow?

Be it work experience or education, always tell the story from the current/ most recent to the first.

NEVER write it the other way round.

3. Does your resume need to mention your marital status?

The new age resume does not require you to mention your marital status. However, if the job

advertisement clearly states this as a requirement, do fulfil it. Quick Take

* Include a sharp Career Goal

* Choose the pdf format with discretion

* Fonts: Use Times New Roman, Calibri or Verdana

* Run a spell check

* Tweak to suit position and company of a potential employer


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* Your latest work stint must appear first

4. How should you treat references?

Unless you have been specifically asked to provide references, it is acceptable to state in yourcovering letter/ email that you will provide references on request. Usually, two references are

sufficient. Try to provide references from the two most recent phases of your career.

It is a good idea to inform the referees that you are giving out their contact information. It will

also help if they know what kind of jobs you are applying for.

5. Should you send the resume as an MS Word document or a PDF? Some organisations ask youto upload your resume. Usually they ask for an MS Word document. If you are mailing across

your resume, you could choose either format.

A word of caution do not get carried away if you decide to make it a PDF. Keep it simple leave out visual histrionics. And whatever software you choose send the resume in the most

commonly used version.

The biggest advantage of using a pdf format is that it preserves the formatting irrespective of the

version of the Acrobat Reader version or user settings.

In MS word, however, the formatting can change based on the MS Office version and UserSettings, leading to awkward situations like a two-page resume becoming a 3 -page document. Or

a section title like Educational Background coming on Page 2 comes with the details going toPage 3.

However, if the company insists on a word document, please send the resume in word format

only. Lot of organisations have tools to extract information from Word documents and if you do

not send your resume in Word document, your resume may not get processed at all!

6. Should you incorporate links in the resume?

If you are an engineer who writes a technical blog, go ahead and incorporate the link in your

resume. If you are a website developer, the links to the pages created by you would certainly help.

However, spare the recruiter from links of your personal blogs, photographs and anything andeverything that you scatter on the World Wide Web. In fact, providing the link to your personal

blog may even prove fatal if you publish office gossip or crib about your job!

7. What sort of job profiles demand a portfolio?

Artists, designers, photographers, models and those from the performing arts definitely need toprovide a portfolio. An artist model/ photographer/ designer may want to include a Power Point or

PDF, while a dancer/ actor/ singer may want to mention links from sites like YouTube.

Irrespective of the type of portfolio, the intention is simply to showcase your best and most

relevant work.

8. What fonts / presentation styles make sense?


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Go easy on choosing fonts and presentation styles. The most acceptable ones are the simpler ones.It is advisable to use fonts like Times New Roman, Calibri and Verdana. Do not get tempted

by the fancier ones. The resume is not the platform to exhibit your artistic inclinations. Also, keepthe fonts and font sizes uniform across different categories in the resume.

You should zero in on a presentation style with just one thing in mind it should be extremely

presentable. By creating minimum chaos, it should elicit the maximum attention.

Some people choose to give the resume a fancy header with their name and contact information in

bold. This gives it a letter head look. Some go for a more conventional style by listing out such

information in bullet points. Either style is absolutely fine.

In writing about your project work, education and work experience, you could provide a box

format or a neatly tabulated one.

9. What are the worst resume gaffes? The worst thing you could do is to send in a resume withoutrunning a grammar/ spelling check. In this age of MS Word, grammar/ spelling mistakes in a

resume are just not tolerated. Needless to say, anyone would straight away trash a resume that is

saved as supersexy2010.doc or rockstar.doc. One gentleman I knew failed to get a singleinterview call after sending out more than 80 applications. I probed a little and was shocked to

find out why he had sent out group mails! Do not try to pass around your resume/ covering letter

without modifying it to suit the company / role you are applying for. It is offending if your

application reads like:

Dear _______, I am applying for the role of ___________________ at your esteemed

organisation _____________________.

It shows and it is NOT acceptable!!!

10. What is the difference in writing a resume for a BPO professional/ Engineer/ MBA? If you area BPO aspirant, you need to highlight your ability to deal with all kinds of people, chase targets

and work in shifts. If you are an engineer, your resume should clearly talk about your projects and

internships. Expect a fair number of questions from these areas in the interview. An MBA student

would also need to write about projects and training.

Amit Bansal is a Career Counsellor, Trainer and CEO of PurpleLeap.


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IT has long been your dream to get into a good B-School. But you realise it is not to be, at leastnot this year. Do not despair. Career planning is an ongoing process and a reality check on your

decisions allows you to make adjustments and see if your desired outcomes are being achieved.This does not mean your initial decision was 'bad'. Each one of you must look at 'what if not?'

options to the Holy Grail of modern youth - Common Admissions Test (CAT). This re-evaluation

may lead to minor changes in your career choices or a complete revision of the options on your

table.

There is a plethora of career options awaiting you. To evaluate these options objectively, you

must first answer the following two questions honestly - what am I good at? What would I enjoy

doing in my career? If you return 'MBA' for both, you may lose sight of some of the very

promising options cited below.In this list, we have deliberately omitted some of the more popular

career choices, and included some, which you may not even be aware of.

* Banking and Finance

Banking courses include Operations Management, Finance, Marketing, Human Resource

Management, International Finance, Strategic Planning and IT. After completing a banking

course, you can hope to be absorbed into a bank as a middle-level executive officer. Severaluniversities offer banking courses. The most popular exam to gain entry is the Bank Probationary

Officers' exam, popularly referred to as the Bank PO. They are conducted depending on vacancies

in PSU banks. The Banking Service Recruitment Board (BSRB) conducts this test. Your

preparation for MBA exams will come in handy in these exams too. PSU banks recruit mainly

graduates at the entry level on basis of all-India level examination. However, professionals like

engineers, doctors, technologists, lawyers, ex-defence personnel, etc, are also recruited for senior

positions through all-India tests.

* Actuarial Courses

Actuaries are experts in assessing the financial impact of tomorrow's uncertain events. Their job is

to look at the past data and analyse it. They provide future models to enable decision making with

confidence. In simpler terms, they assess risk and interpret it in financial terms to help in decisionmaking. It helps to be a graduate with a background in Mathematics, Statistics or Econometrics.

The course has no fixed duration. You have to pass the requisite number of subjects to be awardedthe fellowship. The placements are primarily in the insurance sector.

* Chartered Financial Analyst Of late, this programme has become very popular. Even students at

premier B-Schools seem to be doing this, along with their core curriculum. Any graduate can

pursue it. You need to master its study material and take the test to become a charter member.

Once you become a CFA, the opportunities in finance will open up significantly.

* Mass Communication

People with Mass Communication degrees, diplomas or certificates get into a variety of media

jobs, the most favoured being in print and television journalism. If journalism pumps up your

adrenalin, there are a number of diploma, graduate or masters courses in Mass Communication on

offer from a number of reputed institutes.

* Media Jockeys


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Being a radio or video jockey is a matter of style, personality and presentation andcommunication skills. Degree or diploma holders in Mass Communication, Acting and Drama,

Music or Media Studies may and this career. There are people who do not possess these degreesbut still get in through auditions. If you love music, have the gift of the gab, a good voice or sense

of humour, you could fit into this career pretty easily. The extensions to these roles are anchoring

events or hosting various competitions.

* Technical writers

In some organisations, there is a special desk for technical writers. The job essentially involves

translating business or technical jargon that the organisation needs to communicate to its clients

and customers, in user-friendly language. The organisations could be product companies, FMCGs,

KPOs, etc.

* Copy writer

"Thums up! Taste the thunder!!" This is a copywriter's creation. If you are not short of ideas, and

have a way of expressing your thoughts in simple but powerful language, this is the job for you.

Advertising agencies and other creative organisations looking for such people will lap you up.The good thing is they do not associate creativity of a copywriter with any degree

* Languages

If you have a knack for picking up languages, do consider a career in this field. You could bag a

range of jobs that use language skills, from the travel industry and freelance translation to trainingin organisations. You can opt for certificate, diploma or PG diploma courses to pursue this career.

* Travel and Tourism

A career in the travel and tourism industry in India will lead you into the tourism, airline andhospitality industries, both private and government-owned. There are many good universitiesoffering postgraduate diploma courses in tourism. This is a good option if you have an

entrepreneurial streak. &nbspMasters in Social Work Keen on social work? Did you know there

are courses that prepare you for it? MSW course prepares you scientifically for this aspirational

career. An ideal springboard to work in NGOs.

* MS in Library and Information Science

Have you ever considered this as a career option? The MS (LIS) course is offered at the Indian

Statistical Institute, Kolkata. This is an advanced programme in Library and Information Science(LIS) with special emphasis on application of information technology. The objectives of the

course are to create manpower having the capability to work efficiently at higher levels inlibraries and information centres, design and develop information systems, and contribute

academically to the area of Library Science. Any person with a bachelor's degree from an Indian

university with a score of at least 60% is eligible to apply.

* Entrepreneurship

You could become an entrepreneur without investing much. There are organizations whosebusiness models are based on franchisees, which are licensed out across the world. These


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franchisees play the role of 'Sales Agents' for the organisation. In turn, the organisations sharetheir revenues with them. A good choice of an organisation and product would help you become a

millionaire without an MBA!


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THE essence of my critique of current MBA programmes in general is captured by this couplet byAkbar Allahabadi.

Taleem jo di jaati hai humein uff kya hai faqt bazaari hai Jo aqal sikhaai jaati hai who kya hai faqt

sarkari hai

In the context of management education in India, the IIMs need to take a bulk of the blame for the

current state of unimaginative curricula that trails the needs of society by a generation! Beforesharing a few examples about the good work done by a few private institutions in this space, I

would like to categorise the present curricula and its delivery by diverse colleges as per a schemaof my own, I would put them under three levels.

Level 1: Inertia-driven

These are the courses that are victims of inertia. They are offered and taken because they have

been offered and taken for decades. No one complains. The professor knows it by heart. It can

easily be couched as a must and the tamasha continues. My own reading is that over 70 per

cent of the courses and teachers fall in this category. Chances are that these teachers at the IIMs

are drawing more from the IIM brand than the IIMs drawing from them.

Level 2: Market-driven

These are usually courses that are market-linked. Typically, this is an outcome of the professorsor the institutes competence and working linkages with the industry outside. These constitute

about 15-20 percent of the courses offered. The professors who run these would command respectfrom the industry or companies. They would be happy to partner for curriculum development,

research and case writing collaboration and so on. MBA, being a real world education, has to be

at least at this level. While this category would come close to being cutting edge for management,it still falls short of being inspiring and transformational.

Level 3: Thought leadership-driven

This is the category of original research where the world is waiting to eat out of the hands of the

researcher, professor or/ and institution. This category looks at management and leadershipeducation that is needed for tomorrow. Core competence, a renowned concept by the late C.K.

Prahalad falls under this category and Fortune 500 companies will spend the next decade to learnand follow this mantra.

Imagine him teaching a 25-year-old face-to-face. Mind-blowing, isnt it? Isnt that the benchmark

that the self-proclaimed top guys should aim to better? Professors or teachers such as the lateSumantra Ghoshal, Ramnath Narayanswamy (Indian Institute of Management Bombay ), J

Ramachandran (IIMB), Anil Gupta (IIMA) and Indira Parikh (Flames) fall under this category.

What is special about the level-three programme?

The core attribute of a level-three programme is the deep and original insight that it carries from

the understanding of the human psyche or the society, at large. The emphasis is to understand itab-initio in the current context and covert these insights into a body of knowledge that can be


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structured, fleshed out and taught to a learner. Thought leadership driven programmes look atmanagement and leadership education needed for tomorrow

Applying this model in India

In the context of India, we transformed from being an administered society to a managerial

society about two decades ago. However, India is fast emerging as a society of entrepreneurs indiverse ways. The ethos of democracy coupled with the economic well-being is throwing up

opportunities like never before in the history of mankind. In this context, entrepreneurship and

personal leadership-linked programmes and offerings rank very high in my ratings. Shining

examples from private B-Schools

The family business programmes by S.P. Jain almost a decade ago is a shining example of an

institute demonstrating this thought-leadership which continues to be of greater relevance eventoday. At least 90 percent of the economy is driven by the unorganized enterprise run by an

individual or a family! Makes sense?

The work done by ISB to go after the aspect of management education for the working

professional and even senior management is another role model example of what was donesuccessfully with deep insight. Continuing education or back-to-education was the mantra for

ISB. Works wonders and IIMs followed suit. I would think the work done by Wellingkars over

the past decade too is praiseworthy here.

The wholesome development at Flames (Under Prof Indira Parikh) and Symbiosis (under Prof

Pillai) are two shining examples and the students gratitude to them is the best testimony of these

level-3 courses and programmes. The focus on personal growth is worth emulating for any other

institute worth its salt.

Similarly, the focus on entrepreneurship at IWSB (Greater Noida) has begun to find mention and Ibelieve this to be a levelthree programme.

The work being explored by SOIL (Anil Sachdev) and Great Lakes (Under Prof Bala) are other

examples of new-era and original think outcome, in my view.

IIMs Bring the inspiring guys back into the class room

It would be unfair to categorise IIMs as non-innovative. However, that these marquee institutions

need to move from the current 10% of the courses being in level three to about at least 50% ofthem to be in that area. The market-savvy courses could be left to the lesser mortals in the

management education space by the IIMs and they would do well to bring back the top-notchprofessors who do exist on the campus but do not find it motivating to offer any courses for the

PGP programmes. For instance, if Ramnath (Ramnath Narayanswamy), Sundi (S Sundarajan), IR(Indira Rajaraman), RamC (J Ramachandran) teach the PGP batches in my own alma mater (IIM

Bangalore), there is no way anything is going to be anything less than level three.

Conclusion

Aaj mujhse hazrat e naaseh yeh jalkar keh gaye Aasman se ab farishtay aayenge taalim ko - Daag


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Entrepreneurs are optimists and incorrigibly so! I am no exception and would like to end on a noteof hope. The above couplet by Daag shares his optimism about a near future when our education

would be so inspiring that the farishtay would want to come down from the skies to be learnersin our world. Insha Allah (by Gods grace), we will get there!

THE essence of my critique of current MBA programmes in general is captured by this couplet

by Akbar

Taleem jo di jaati hai humein uff kya hai faqt bazaari hai

Jo aqal sikhaai jaati hai who kya hai faqt sarkari hai

In the context of management education in India, the IIMs need to take a bulk of the blame for the

current state of unimaginative curricula that trails the needs of society by a generation! Before

sharing a few examples about the good work done by a few private institutions in this space, I

would like to categorise the present curricula and its delivery by diverse colleges as per a schema

of my own, I would put them under three levels.

Level 1: Inertia-driven

These are the courses that are victims of inertia. They are offered and taken because they have been offered and taken for decades. No one complains. The professor knows it by heart. It can

easily be couched as a must and the tamasha continues. My own reading is that over 70 percent of the courses and teachers fall in this category. Chances are that these teachers at the IIMs

are drawing more from the IIM brand than the IIMs drawing from them.

Level 2: Market-drivenThese are usually courses that are market-linked. Typically, this is an outcome of the professors

or the institutes competence and working linkages with the industry outside. These constitute

about 15-20 percent of the courses offered. The professors who run these would command respect

from the industry or companies. They would be happy to partner for curriculum development,

research and case writing collaboration and so on. MBA, being a real world education, has to be

at least at this level. While this category would come close to being cutting edge for management,

it still falls short of being inspiring and transformational.

y Must-read: What is a Deemed University? Careers360 decodes

Level 3: Thought leadership-driven

This is the category of original research where the world is waiting to eat out of the hands of theresearcher, professor or/ and institution. This category looks at management and leadershipeducation that is needed for tomorrow.

Core competence, a renowned concept by the late C.K. Prahalad falls under this category andFortune 500 companies will spend the next decade to learn and follow this mantra.

Imagine him teaching a 25-year-old face-to-face. Mind-blowing, isnt it? Isnt that the benchmark

that the self-proclaimed top guys should aim to better? Professors or teachers such as the late


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Sumantra Ghoshal, Ramnath Narayanswamy (IIMB ), J Ramachandran (IIMB), Anil Gupta(IIMA) and Indira Parikh (Flames) fall under this category.

What is special about the level-three programme?

The core attribute of a level-three programme is the deep and original insight that it carries from

the understanding of the human psyche or the society, at large. The emphasis is to understand it

ab-initio in the current context and covert these insights into a body of knowledge that can bestructured, fleshed out and taught to a learner.

Applying this model in IndiaIn the context of India, we transformed from being an administered society

to a managerial society about two decades ago. However, India is fast

emerging as a society of entrepreneurs in diverse ways. The ethos of

democracy coupled with the economic well-being is throwing up

opportunities like never before in the history of mankind. In this context,

entrepreneurship and personal leadership-linked programmes and offerings

rank very high in my ratings.

Shining examples from private B-SchoolsThe family business programmes by S.P. Jain almost a decade ago is a shining example of an

institute demonstrating this thought-leadership which continues to be of greater relevance even

today. At least 90 percent of the economy is driven by the unorganized enterprise run by an

individual or a family! Makes sense?

The work done by ISB to go after the aspect of management education for the working

professional and even senior management is another role model example of what was done

successfully with deep insight. Continuing education or back-to-education was the mantra for

ISB. Works wonders and IIMs followed suit. I would think the work done by Wellingkars over

the past decade too is praiseworthy here.

The wholesome development at Flames (Under Prof Indira Parikh) and Symbiosis (under Prof

Pillai) are two shining examples and the students gratitude to them is the best testimony of theselevel-3 courses and programmes. The focus on personal growth is worth emulating for any other

institute worth its salt.

Similarly, the focus on entrepreneurship at IWSB (Greater Noida) has begun to find mention and Ibelieve this to be a levelthree programme.

The work being explored by SOIL (Anil Sachdev) and Great Lakes (Under Prof Bala) are other

examples of new-era and original think outcome, in my view.

IIMs Bring the inspiring guys back into the class roomIt would be unfair to categorise IIMs as non-innovative. However, that these marquee institutionsneed to move from the current 10% of the courses being in level three to about at least 50% of

them to be in that area. The market-savvy courses could be left to the lesser mortals in themanagement education space by the IIMs and they would do well to bring back the top-notch

professors who do exist on the campus but do not find it motivating to offer any courses for thePGP programmes. For instance, if Ramnath (Ramnath Narayanswamy), Sundi (S Sundarajan), IR

(Indira Rajaraman), RamC (J Ramachandran) teach the PGP batches in my own alma mater (IIMBangalore), there is no way anything is going to be anything less than level three.

Thought

leadership driven

programmes look

at management

and leadership

education needed

for tomorrow


11/22


12/22

Tips for Group Discussions/ Personal interviews

An analytical bent and arguments with meat, will do. More insights to help you gear up for B-

School admissions.

by Careers360 - 22 Mar, 2011

GROUP DISCUSSIONS (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI) are standard selection tools for

admission into good business schools in India.

While your academic record, work experience (if any) and scores in the entrance test qualify youfor an interview call, your final selection depends largely on your performance in the last mile.

I will talk about two things here - what the moderators/ interviewers are looking for, and how

students should prepare for success.

We will also bust some myths while we address these questions. I have been a recruiter from

prominent B-schools during my days in the corporate sector and am now part of the selectionpanel for Praxis. I also do some training in this area. So I have a fair idea of what it takes to win.

Lets begin with GDs. A group of students is assigned a topic for discussion for 1520 minutes.

The panel is looking for an effective combination of knowledge and skills in the candidates.Knowledge comprises some understanding of the topic assigned, and also a good level of

awareness of the world around us. Preparation the only way to prepare is to read more, developa keen interest in current affairs and seek opportunities to discuss these in groups. Knowledge

gives the content in a discussion without good content you cannot score well.

MYTH: Candidates perform well because they are smooth talkers.

REALITY: Candidates perform well because they talk sense and there is sufficient meat inwhat they say.

B-Schools seek a variety of skills in the aspirants. These comprise analytical skills,communication skills, team skills, ability to handle stress, decision-making skills etc. Lets talk

about the first three. Management is an applied discipline students need to use their analyticalskills to apply theory effectively to solve day-to-day problems. The panel wishes to see whether

the candidate is able to think clearly about a situation, dig into his treasure of knowledge andapply it usefully in the short time he has to make his point. Preparation - students can train

themselves to think analytically it is an attitude that one can develop as opposed to not think atall. Make it a habit to get to the why and how of issues dont take things at face value think

about them before you form an opinion.

MYTH: Academic brilliance equals analytical skills.

REALITY: Students with lower academic achievements sometimes demonstrate better capability

to relate their learning to practical situations.

Communication skills are perhaps the most critical attribute of the modern manager. These

include listening and articulation skills. Moderators look for the candidates keenness and ability


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to listen to others mature managers are very good listeners because every time you listen, youlearn.

Preparation - train yourself to be a good listener develop the patience to listen attentively.

Acknowledge that everyone has something valuable to say. When speaking in a GD, your job is to

articulate your point of view in a way that is easy for others to comprehend. Preparation -

inculcate the good habit of structuring your thoughts and presenting them logically. Writingessays on a variety of topics is good practice developing thought structure.

QUICK TAKE

* Train your mind to think analytically * Your GD arguments should have meat * Respect otherpeoples views * Listening is important. Practise patience * Writing essays can improve thought

structure

MYTH: Good communication is about speaking a lot, speaking in a stylish accent and using bigwords.

REALITY: Good communication is about listening, speaking at the appropriate time, using easy-

to-understand English and getting your point across in as simple a manner as possible.

B-Schools prepare you for jobs that involve being part of and managing teams. The GD is the first

test of how good your team skills are. Do you listen to others? How do you handle points of viewdifferent from yours? Are you able to get across your point of view without appearing to be trying

too hard?

Do you cross the line from being assertive to being aggressive? If you are a good team player, theother members of the group will tend to connect with you. This will be evident to a moderator

even amidst the chaos that marks a typical GD.

Preparation learn to respect others for what they are. Learn to be open-minded and recognize thefact that people think differently about issues. Seek opportunities to discuss topics of mutual

interest in diverse groups.

MYTH 1: Candidates who try to run the group and ensure everyone gets a chance to speak etc.

demonstrate great team skills.

MYTH 2: People who dominate a discussion and reduce others to submission do well in GDs.

REALITY: Candidates who work with the group, accommodate diverse viewpoints and assertthemselves without aggression score high.

STUDENTS HOWLERS!

* Starting with the phrase Myself XYZ theres no better way to put the panel off. * Getting

into details about siblings and cousins especially the ones who seem to have done well. We wish

to know about you, not about your extended family.

* Citing making friends or meeting new people as their hobby. Wonder how one pursues a

hobby like meeting new people!


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* Saying things like I studied this in my first year as an excuse for not knowing some basicstuff related to their subject of study. The panel members studied this about 20 years back they

still remember it!

* I will get to learn how to manage people as an answer to the question What do you expect

to learn in your business management education? An MBA is a technical course that teaches you

the fundamentals of a number of functions of running a business.

In short, the GD panel is testing whether you know the topic well, are able to present your point of

view in a logical manner, are interested in understanding what others feel about the same subject

and are able to conduct yourself with grace in a group situation.

And now the very last phase of the selection process the PI. Some of the GD attributes we have

spoken about remain as important in a PI knowledge, analytical skills, communication skills.

However, the PI is a little more predictable as there is a set of questions that is likely to be askedto a majority of the candidates. It makes sense to know what these questions are and to be

prepared with the answers. Lets look at some of these questions:

The most frequently asked first question is Can you tell us something about yourself? It makes

ample sense to prepare a comprehensive answer to this the trick again being able to structure it

effectively.

A necessary condition is to understand your own self your strengths, weaknesses and nature

before attempting an answer. Other common questions relate to your reasons for doing an MBA,your career goals, reasons for switching streams or giving up a job etc. Students often ask me for

help in answering these types of questions.

Please remember that these are questions about you and only you can give honest answers to

them. A counsellor can at best help you structure the reply.

The candidate should be prepared to face questions on his areas of interest in academics and his

area of work. He has to demonstrate the capability to think and present his thoughts cogently.

Highlight your areas of strength try to direct the interview towards your area of comfort.

A panelist looks at a candidate with two things in his mind would I like to have him on campusfor the next two years, and, will I be able to place him with a good organisation two years from

now. The interviewee should thus come across as an honest, capable and sincere person.

Speak the truth while answering personal questions nothing works quite as well as truth.Diligence, genuineness, maturity and an awareness of the environment around you are positive

traits.

Cynicism, arrogance and indifference are negative traits. A seemingly innocuous question on whoyour role model is and why he is your role model can yield lots of information about you across

these dimensions.

Highlight your learning from your academics and your job. Emphasise your interest in pursuing

an MBA, and that too from that B-school. Avoid running down your college, your current area of


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study, your current job etc,. to justify your decision to pursue an MBA. Learn to say I dontknow instead of making wild guesses!

There is no substitute to preparation. Listen attentively to each question asked and keep your

answers brief and to the point. Hope you enjoy the GD/ PI process and get admission to the B-

school of your choice


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ONE day, she walked up to me and said she was miserable, wanted to quit studies! says ChaitaliVaishnav, an English professor, sharing the plight of a first year BCom student. Her parents were

unhappy about her desire to take up Performing Arts, despite having a talent for singing. Marriagewas first priority, and hence she was coerced into the Commerce stream.

So Vaishnav, Professor at MK Amin Arts Science & Commerce College, a constituent college of

The MS University, Baroda, suggested that her student pursue subjects she liked, which wouldalso satisfy her parents. The young girl, a diligent and disciplined student, took her advice,

switched to Arts and despite losing a year finished her programme, a happier student. What then?

She took up a job as a music teacher in a school which helped her keep her passion alive and earn

a living too.

Dear student, what career path will make you happy? This is not an easy question to answer, for

the lakhs of students who will complete Class 12, and wont make the cut for professional fields

like Medicine and Engineering or even established areas like Hotel Management, Fine Arts or

Physiotherapy. Well, Vaishnav suggests a good starting place ask yourself what kind of work

you would like to do in the real world? Typically, a students foresight ends with the stream they

will enter or college name they would like to have on their rsum. Perhaps, it is time to reverse

that trend of thought, work backwards. Think of the job and plan your education path accordingly.

Take note of your passion

Nimisha Jaiswal, a science alumnus from Welham Girls School, Dehradun got a whiff of what she

might want to do whilst editing her school magazine this experience piqued her interest in

journalism. The corresponding course was a BA (Honours) in Journalism, she shares. That took

her to Delhi University where she gave entrance exams in three colleges which offered the

programme. Lady Shri Ram Colleges entrance was tough a photo essay, a sizable GK section,

applied GK, an essay on a contemporary issue. No interview, she recalls. Nimisha was selected

and is currently a third year student of BA (Honours) Journalism at SLR. Which leads us to

another question why did she not explore the option of a Bachelor of Mass Media? Her focus isamazing! I am not too keen on electronic media and wanted to focus on print journalism. Hence

gave BMM a miss, she shares.

BMM is one of the many industry-oriented graduate degrees, introduced so as to help makegraduates more employable. Other programmes include Business Studies, Visual Communication,

Computer Application, Social Work, Biotechnology, Pharmacy, Retail Management and TourismStudies. A case in point is the four-year integrated Bachelor of Elementary Education, which was

established in Delhi with the aim of developing elementary school teachers. The programme isoffered by several Delhi colleges such a Gargi College, which even places students.

The real world perspective

Since students pursue these studies to hike up their prospects in the real world, it is only logicalthat we look at how employers view graduates with these specialised degrees. Do they have an

edge over those with a general BA, BSc or BCom degree?

For an entry-level position, we tend to favour a student with a job-oriented course over those

with a generic degree, shares Aditya Narayan Mishra, CMO & VP Staffing, Ma Foi Randstad,

citing examples. A business studies programme such as a BBM, BBA, BBE or BMS is a straight

fit for a role in admin, secretarial, coordination, sales and recruitment-related job. Courses in retail


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are a straight fit for a retail company or an FMCG. BMM works for media and entertainmentcompanies, event management, market research, etc.

According to Amitabh Das, CEO, Vati Consulting, an HR services provider for the IT and ITeS

sector, IT companies are favouring BCA and even BSc (Computer Science/ Maths/ Physics/

Chemistry) graduates over engineers due to business imperatives like cost, level of aptitude

required, bottomlines and price pressures.

They start at entry-level jobs in coding and testing post boot-camp trainings, and then graduate to

higher levels based on their performance. In most of the cases, they get into technical jobs. We

have also seen non-engineering graduates joining organisations as business analysts,

implementation engineers and also for customer-facing jobs. Their aptitude and attitude towards

learning is the differentiator, he adds.

But that not mean any industry-oriented course will give you the edge. It is not just the degree but

the curriculum and method of course delivery that matters. We have seen a significant differencein the quality of pass-outs from different colleges offering the same programme, Aditya

observes. Industry interface and practical training are two top differentiators, which can be

incorporated in several ways. The other is quality of students, which is dependent on howcompetitive the admission process is.

It is not just the degree but also the curriculum and method of course delivery that matters. We

have seen a significant amount of difference in the quality of pass-outs of different colleges

offering the same programme, observes Mishra.

The industry interface

To get an idea, listen to what Vikram Khanna and Juhi Malik have to say. Both are third-year

students of the coveted Bachelor of Finance & Investment Analysis programme at ShaheedSukhdev College of Business Studies (CBS), Delhi. We have two compulsory internships. Also,

guest lectures from industry experts, industrial visits to factory plants and short-term live

projects, shares Khanna, who was recently absorbed as a Junior Research Analyst by Mckinsey

Knowledge Centre through campus placements. Students can take extra courses like Actuarial

Science, Chartered Financial Planner training or NSEs certificate for financial markets, which are

not compulsory but designed to give exposure. Malik, who was absorbed by I3 Consulting says,

The atmosphere in college is so competitive that even though there are two compulsory summer

internships, many people do a winter internships as well.

This competitiveness kicks off before even students enter class; around 15,000 students write the

entrance test for admission to the Bachelor of Business Studies, BA (Honours) Business

Economics and BFAI (unique to CBS) programmes. Their score makes them eligible for

admission to 13 colleges in Delhi of which CBS gets the best students. This is followed by a GDand PI. Maths and English in Class 12 is a must to qualify for the entrance and 30% weightage isgiven to the Class 12 score.

The industry finds other ways into programmes. For instance, Mangalyatan University (MU), a

private institution in Aligarh offers a BEd (Innovation) that gets its innovative edge from a

compulsory six-month internship at a school. According to Mohan Lakhamraju, Vice Chairman,

MU, the institution has signed MoUs with educational societies such as DAV and DPS, to

facilitate hands-on training. Theres an explosion of schools in India, all needing qualified


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teachers; this is targeted at that. We also have a tie-up with Educomp, to help familiarise studentswith their educational technologies and content used in classrooms across schools, he shares.

Look before you leap

Though government colleges and private institutes offer industry-oriented programmes, the latter

tend to charge a much higher fee, some costing up to Rs 4 lakhs for a three-year programme.Mishras advice to students and parents is to ask the admissions in-charge. probing questions on

industry collaborations. The intention of the institute may be to invite industry people to deliver

lectures or make students participate in real-time projects. But has the action happened? I know of

institutes where a student has to spend a minimum number of hours or days in a week at a

company doing real work, he shares.

The other element that must be investigated is placements. According to many students of CBS,placements are a major draw. For the batch of 2007-2010, the average placement figure stands at

5.6 lakhs per annum for jobs in consulting, stock markets and research, and Ernst & Young made13 placement offers, according to the website. Yet, by virtue of CBS being a government institute

the fee is low - approximately Rs 5000 for the CBS and Rs 10, 000 for the BFSI programme. Now

thats not a bad deal for a mere graduate, right?

However, not all industry-oriented courses offer such a value proposition. The way the

educational institutes are busy advertising with attractive marketing materials to attract students,

they may be mislead, adds Mishra. Hence, talking to alumni and current students about job

profiles and companies that come to campus is a must. Abhiram Kotha, a 2009 BBA graduate

from a private institute in Kolkata, rejected the insurance sales job that came his way through

campus placements. Instead, he worked as a research analyst for a position he scouted for on his

own.

His course cost him approx. Rs 1.4 lakhs, and according to the institute website, this figure has

been hiked to Rs 2.7 lakhs for the courses. The BBA programme lacks depth but familiarises you

with business jargon, hierarchy of organisations etc. It is a passport to an entry-level job involving

one process. But for scalability you need to do an MBA, he says.

Both government and private universities and institutes offer a range of industry-oriented

programmes, but the seats are fewer in number as opposed to BA, BCom and BSc seats. Hence,

most students will end up taking the latter.

General courses get started

Choose subjects you enjoy, are passionate about and some that are new, unexplored, suggests

Nimisha. Further more, combination of diverse subjects can help widen your horizons. For

instance, besides media-related subjects, Nimishas programme has traditional subjects likePsychology, Economics and Political Science. An area like International Relations paved the

way for freer, energetic, interactive discussions, she shares. On completion of the programme,

Nimisha aspires to pursue a Masters in International Relations, and use her domain

understanding to be a better journalist in this area.

Know your options


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Before choosing a course, exposure to the various options in terms of range and subject, isimportant. A good starting place is your own high school. Kartikeye, Divya and Chavi, three first

year students from CBS got information from the career counselling divisions of theirs and infact, heard about the concept of industry-oriented programmes through coaching institutes that

conducted seminars in their high school. Two, understand the range of subjects across streams.

View our basic listing for the full range in BSc and BA programmes. Most university websitesalso list colleges and courses offered. Three, it is important to understand the essence of subjects

before taking them up.

In earlier issues, Careers360 reviewed the BCom stream in depth as well as subjects like

Agriculture, Pharma studies, Geology, Food & Nutrition (Home Science), Computer Science,

Psychology and Economics. We also explained in brief several disciplines like Horticulture,

Performing Arts, Physical Education and Forestry. Visit our careers/ courses section to read these.

Choosing college and course

A common dilemma faced by students is whether to go for a college with a brand name or a

course they enjoy. It is a subjective decision. But according to Mishra, a recruiter looks at twofactors besides a brand name - academic performance and projects/ internships done during

college. An average performance from a reputed college versus from an unknown college would

benefit the former.

But, ultimately ones performance during the interview and written test will make the difference,

he shares. Scrutinise curriculum delivery and faculty. If you are doing a BA in Spanish or

German, the faculty must be fluent in written and oral communication and know the nuances of

the cultures of the home countries. We have labs with language softwares. We watch films, use

audio-visual aides and visit to cultural centres, shares Jaspal Munjal, Head, Amity School of

Foreign Languages.

Beyond academics

Dr. Hema Raghvan, former Principal of Gargi College, Delhi, cannot emphasise enough, the

importance of looking at the extra courses offered by the college, which may not be a part of the

curriculum but give exposure to career avenues.

For instance, St Josephs College in Bangalore offers courses such as Space Science,

Econometrwics, Principles of Genetic Engineering., Journalism and Media, Analytical Chemistry

and Medical Transcription.

It is also a good idea to find out more about the activities on campus. First-year students of CBS

are welcomed with the adage, At CBC, its what you make of it, referring to the umpteen extra-curricular opportunities, that have all been conceptualised to offer some sort of learning curve.

At the end of the day, both merit and luck, play a role in securing the best education for you. Yet,

for many of those who dont get admission to a college of repute, take heart in a sentiment

expressed by Infosys Chairman NR Narayana Murthy in Career360s November 2010 issue, In

life, more than what degree you get from what college, whats important is whether you have

discipline, commitment, hard work, focus and, of course, a little bit of smartness. So, Id suggest


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to students not to worry about which college they go to as long as they get the best out ofwhatever education they are being given.

Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA)

This programme is a precursor for those who want to pursue a career in IT, particularly software

development, and a gateway to entry-level positions.

Students are exposed to various areas of computer applications including the latest developments

keeping pace with the industry. However, it is advisable to go for an MCA, for further growth.

Mass Media/ Journalism & Masscom

If you are sure that the media is the place for you then this programme may be the way to go.Most programmes focus on electronic media and hence it is important for your institute to have

good infrastructure such as a TV studio, model computer lab, movie cameras, a good library, andfacilities for indoor and outdoor shooting as well as a community radio station set-up. Placements

mostly dont happen, but an internship could be a ticket to an entry-level position.

Business Studies

A BBA/ BBS/ BMS offers theoretical knowledge of subjects studied during MBA and you

specialise in one area in the final year. Some colleges have a mandatory internship and also assistin placements for entry-level jobs in corporates. However, you would do more of back-end work

and provide support services to your seniors. Exceptional candidates could expect to do somecustomer interface, though it is very rare. Invariably, you would hit the glass ceiling and would

need to pursue an MBA to progress up the ladder, faster.

ForeignLanguage

The demand for those with a language proficiency in Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese, Chinese

or German spans across verbal and written communication in the working world for organisations

that have some link to the home country. You dont need to have a prior knowledge of the

language, yet most institutes do have an entrance test just to gauge your flair for languages.

Jobs in the real world include translation, language teachers at the school-level as more schoolsmake a foreign language compulsory and business communication in the respective language in

corporate and other organisations.


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imminent entry of foreign players, good schools would only make the cut in the medium term.And a rigourous accreditation process is a good way to know where one stands. To begin with, a

school must go for a NAAC process, then move on to an international one.

Named Degrees versus specialisation: Many institutes have recently hopped onto the

bandwagon of announcing named MBA/PGDM programmes in addition to their flagship

programme. They come in two flavours; either as verticals like biotechnology, pharmacy and e-business or functions like HR, Marketing or Finance. In most cases, the flagship programme

continues to offer the same functional specialisation, and consequently during placement time two

programmes from the same school compete for the placement pie.

Infrastructure: Its good if you provide a gym and pool to your students. But in our list of

priorities to judge a B-School, that comes much later. And infrastructure doesnt mean cement,

bricks and concrete. A great building doesnt become a good institution. We need spacious, well-

connected class rooms, well-anointed learning resources, good faculty and an ambience that

speaks academics.

Foreign Collaborations: It has become the in thing to seek foreign collaborations without

understanding the purpose. The depth of these collaborations matter more than the numbers.Student exchanges, faculty exchanges, course material and the curriculum - unless all these are

done the right way, collaborations dont mean anything. And sooner than later, the demand-led

market will see through the foreign collaborations game.

interview call resume

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