With various MBA entrance examinations scheduled ahead in the year 2021, it becomes essential for students to be cognizant with the changing dynamics in the online education system. Work has gone online and so has the education. In spite of our nation battling with the second wave of untimely pandemic, reports state that placement of India’s management school graduates touched an eightyear high in the year 2019-20.
So, what makes top companies hire and pay management graduates heftily in spite of such stagnancy in the national market? With the change in manner and mode of teaching, what should one keep in mind in order to excel in their academic career. What all to make sure in order to be the “hot-pick” of your dream company?
Often, students are observed treating online education in a trifling manner because of its unavoidable drawbacks and loop holes. Various major aspects of interpersonal growth like presentation skills and communication skills have been inevitably compromised upon. Various online course provider portals offer free as well as paid courses where one can learn about developing soft skills, presentation skills and other skills as well. Students should make sure they are capable of confidently presenting themselves. These skills are most neglected upon by the students but are quite essential before entering into the corporate world. The pandemic has changed the ongoing industry requirements in various domains of the workforce and so has it increased the benchmark for the students to make themselves “count” in the rat-race.
It becomes essential for students to understand the industry requirements in their respective domains as it helps one understand the areas to majorly focus on during their tenure of MBA. Online Learning is more of a proactive process of studying. Apart from college curriculum students should take upon research projects in order to apply what they’ve studied in their academics. Such research project signifies that one has understood the concepts and also adds up value to the resume. Students are advised to write the research papers under the guidance of a faculty from the college.
Apart from doing well in college examinations, students should actively look to participate in intra and inter- collegiate competitions organized by various colleges across India. Such participations not only build up one’s competitive spirit but also provides with an exposure to people from various streams and domains. In the times when answering in examinations are suspicious to malpractices and unfair means, such certifications not only proves your mettle but also adds a great value to the resume. Dare2Compete (D2C) is one online global platform that provides students, professionals and educators opportunities to participate and organize various business competitions like Case Study Challenges, Hackathons, Quizzes, Article and Blog writing competition and many more. Students can simply register themselves on D2C by logging in with their Email IDs. B-Schools have various “Cells” or “Student Committee” which are managed and run by the students themselves under the guidance of concerned faculties. By being a member of various cells, students can develop the ability to work in team and learn to generate synergy. Cells organize and manage various competitions and events which helps student in exploring their creativity and managerial skills. Management certificates indicates that student is capable of working in team and possesses leadership and managerial skills.
MBA is not just about sorting, organizing and showcasing the data in the most presentable way but its ambit is much more than that, which is coming up with innovative strategies and long-range blue prints for the organization. Entrepreneurship is one quality one should try to self introspect and foster during the 2 years of MBA. B-Schools heavily promote ideas and business plans and even fund potential ideas.
The biggest litmus test is starting a business of your own! Being a student entrepreneur proves that you can multi-task and this will surely result in a gold star on your resume as well as impressed future employers. Take advantage of mentorship programs and all the resources available by the college. A growing trend noticed over the past few years is the rising interest in working for start-ups.
The rate of growth along with competitive salaries attracts MBA students to these aspiring enterprises. This is a mutually beneficial situation as the start-ups also gain from having MBA graduates in their company.
Lastly, Students should keep on networking and making new connections. Starting from your first day at Bschool, get into the habit of introducing yourself and talking to new people. This ability will help you meet a variety of people across ages and industries. You never know just when a group mail could result in you landing your first job! Create your profiles on job portals like LinkedIn etc. Interact with more and more people, exchange ideas, learn a bit about something even if it is not about your domain.
Networking is very essential, especially for budding entrepreneurs. The saying “Your Network is your Net-worth” is an axiom in today’s time and students should continuously interact with as many people as they can and establish connections.
Dhawal S Mamtora
128
PGDM 2020-22
Vivekanand Business School