What employers are looking for in you.

So you’ve just completed your post graduation,congratulations, you’re now an MBA! You will be fast tracked to the front of the line in your future job assignments. The boss’ eyes will always look to you for a suggestion or a valuable input. Your future is set… or is it? While getting an MBA was always part of the plan, here are a few things you will need to know before you apply to your first off campus job in the real world. Most of these are unwritten expectations that employers have of you, and it is best to inculcate these values while still in college than try and retrofit yourself into them a few months into your job.

While an MBA will equip you to handle most of any situation that may arise in your professional lives this list is more about attitude and character traits that will help in the process of being an indispensable member of a management team.

1) Be proactive, not reactive:

Being proactive means sensing a need before it arises and planning a process such that when the need does arise, you have a solution in place to take care of it. Say you have a presentation the next day to a client that you know can be bettered, bring it to the attention of your superiors, and volunteer to make adjustments to it, such that the client is completely convinced that your firm amongst all others is the most suited to undertake the project.

2) Be a teamplayer:

No one person ever built a gargantuan monument all by themselves. It would be practically impossible to do so. The same is true in the modern business environment. Teams of dedicated employees strive together, bringing their collective expertise, skill sets and insights to deliver the best solutions. Being a team player entails being a people’s person, putting the needs of the team above individual needs and most importantly sharing the credit! Remember being egotistical will get you nowhere.

3) Be self-motivated:

Being self motivated simply means not dwelling too much on setbacks and being able to learn from mistakes. It also means being creative, showing an interest, perseverance and above all having single minded focus in pursuing your goals. Self-motivated individuals are most sought after in organisations with strong focus on innovation. Especially in the fields of new media, marketing, advertising and finance, where the need to innovate is high!

4) Never lose your inner child:

While this may sound pedantic, the childlike qualities of boundless enthusiasm, energy and infectious humour are extremely important, especially as part of a team. The inner child in us can help lift morale, build relationships and most of call reinvigorate the people around us. A smile and an attitude of curiosity will go a long way in making a positive impression on all and sundry. Overdoing it though will mean you get branded as a ‘good times guy or girl’ and that is not something you’d want for your reputation!    

5) Focus and determination:

Determination and focus are two key attributes that employers will look for in you. Determination to lead and follow without hesitation, focus to reach the goal and on all aspects of the execution of a project.

6) A clean reputation:

Employers are looking for employees who are, who they say they are in their CVs. Maintaining a good rapport with all you come in contact with, not indulging in malice or gossip and keeping your own reputation untarnished by the same will go a long way in ensuring that you have a clean bill of health character-wise. Always provide your prospective employers with references that are genuine and can bear testament to your character.

Follow and inculcate these simple tips and you will find that life and your professional career are on the right track in every way.

How to be a super employee: Start by being a super MBA!

Education is never complete. Both in life and in the academic sense. We evolve through the experiences we have and the precepts we assimilate in our interactions with people. Why is it then that some of us seem to go further ahead in their career than others? Is it that an MBA makes such a huge difference to a person’s natural skill set that they evolve and grow at a faster rate than non MBAs? While the outcome of this discussion is debatable, there is little doubt that an MBA degree, does add a significant edge to a candidate’s job worthiness. Again, while in some cases, candidates may go through an MBA course, to simply embellish their resume, thankfully that isn’t the norm.

So why is it, or more pertinently, how is it that an MBA can add value to a person in his/her professional life? To answer that question, contemplate this story from the Mahabharata: The five Pandava Princes were learning the art of archery from Guru Drona, when they were asked to aim at the eye of a clay pigeon. Out of the five, Arjuna was the only one who actually, when asked what he saw, is said to have replied that he saw nothing, other than the pigeon’s eye.

The moral of the tale is simple, single mindedness of purpose. Now while no institute in the world can offer you that, there is one thing that an MBA course can, and that is simply inculcate the value of thought in you, the student.

What else is it that an MBA institute or course offers you that can set you apart? Quite simply, the skill set to be efficient and the ability to think differently in order to solve age old problems. These two things come with a condition though, that your mind needs to be open in order to absorb these precepts and you need to instill in yourself the drive to make these your personal mantras.

On the job front, there is a serious tendency amongst corporate houses and companies to hire MBAs. The job market today isn’t a level playing field and a candidate would be well advised to arm himself with any and every advantage he can. The thorough nature of the MBA course itself, with its emphasis on practical and sound theoretical knowledge give the candidate an edge in the competitive marketplace. Add to that thorough preparation and emphasis on soft skills like communication, interview preparation, and body language, and it is safe to say that an MBA candidate has a significant advantage over his non MBA contemporaries.

An MBA degree moulds an individual into a thinker, a strategist and not just another employee. In today’s hyper competitive environment, an employer looks not just for an employee who can complete tasks assigned adequately. An employer though will seek out an individual, who can contribute at every stage of the work cycle. In a recent survey, most blue-chip companies show a marked proclivity to hiring strategic thinkers, who will not just be employees, but partners in the long run. One look at the who’s who of the top companies reveal one single detail, all the heads of the world’s most competitive, profitable organisations are MBAs.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, where do you see yourself in the value chain? Being adequate and competent is now a vice, you need to be focused, strategic and most importantly, you need to have the will to bend all the obstacles that come your way, to your will.

Being a super employee isn’t about doing the most amount of work, it’s about being the best at what you do and more importantly, about being a leader. And that’s where an MBA really comes to the fore.

The competitive advantage an MBA degree provides

The modern business world is cut-throat, competitive and ever evolving. To be able to get ahead you need to be able to adapt to the environment as well as a duck takes to water. While natural talent and ability has no replacement, adding to your arsenal with an MBA degree can add a great advantage to your chances of being the next big thing at your chosen vocation! An MBA degree moulds an individual into a thinker, a strategist and not just another employee. In today’s hyper competitive environment, an employer looks not just for an employee who can complete tasks assigned adequately. An employer though will seek out an individual, who can contribute at every stage of the work cycle. In a recent survey, most blue-chip companies show a marked proclivity to hiring strategic thinkers, who will not just be employees, but partners in the long run. One look at the who’s who of the top companies reveal one single detail, all the heads of the world’s most competitive, profitable organisations are MBAs. And that is no coincidence.

MBA or Master in Business Administration is a course that enables an individual learn in a systematic, experiential manner about the workings and nuances of the business ecosystem. What sets an MBA apart from the other postgraduate courses is the emphasis it places on experiential learning and the inter-personal communication that is an intrinsic part of the course’s curriculum. There are many such advantages of pursuing an MBA from a reputed institution and they’re as follows:

Managerial Skills: The MBA course is structured such that the knowledge students derive from the curriculum is contemporary and if applied correctly, makes one a good manager. Add to the theory, real world internships at leading corporate houses, where exposure to already efficient managers will bring the knowledge from the classroom to life and makes a world of difference to the student.

Developing and fine tuning business expertise: A major plus for students who come from a non business background. An introduction into the world of business is a vital component of the MBA education and provides real insight into the way a businessman thinks and the skill sets that sets him/her apart from an employee.

Competitive advantage: A competent MBA program prepares candidates as highly qualified leaders. The specialized skills and leadership qualities taught in MBA programs, provides you with a competitive advantage over others. Most of the leading business organizations prefer to hire MBAs for higher management positions.

Career advancement: While an MBA is by no means a golden ticket to the higher echelons of the corporate world, and a candidate has to prove his mettle in the competitive market. The career advancement of an MBA over his non-MBA peers is a matter of academia. Employers look for competence and excellence, two virtues that MBA students are taught to aspire to. That aside the real world knowledge and experience component fuel the career advancement roadmap for an MBA candidate in a lot quicker time than a non-MBA candidate.

Career Change: An MBA in general and a Dual MBA in particular, provide you with the cushion of switching your career. An MBA with particular specialization makes it easier for you to move across industries.

Business Connections and Networking: Social networking during the MBA academic term helps in establishing business contacts and referrals. In the long run, you can avail these contacts in improving your business position in the market.

It’s about being the best at what you do and more importantly, about being a leader. And that’s where an MBA degree really comes to the fore.

International Education: Fostering the future leaders of the global village: Part I

Education, formal education has its roots in ancient India. The Gurukul, was literally the first ‘boarding’ or residential school in the world. The Vedas delineate the world’s first curriculum as teaching students not just the basics of astronomy, science and mathematics, but a strong moral, ethical and value code, which would turn them into citizens of the world.

Circa 2014, the world as we know it is getting smaller by the day, and the need of the hour is or education to evolve to accommodate the changes, both social and cultural, in order for young minds to be moulded into future leaders and ideal citizens. It is here that a hark back to the curricula outlined by the Vedas is somehow the need of the hour. That’s where International education steps in.

In this series, we will explore the nature and scope of International education and evaluate the practical aspect of how it adds to a child’s growth as an individual and as a citizen of the modern world.

The brass tacks: What is International Education?

According to Wikipedia: An international school is a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting a curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national curriculum different from that of the school's country of residence.

In its simplest form an International Education represents a break from the conventional, established and widespread form or standard of education in a country and sets a more global, practical and wider scope of education in its place.

A little bit about International Schools: A brief history:

The notion of international education can be traced back to the time globalisation first manifested itself in the late 19th century, and a need was felt for a ‘global standard’ of education that would, in effect, enable peoples of the world to understand each other a bit better. With this end in mind the first international schools were set up in countries like Japan, Switzerland and Turkey. Today nearly 200 years later, this trend of uniform, quality education is now a part of the Indian context as well.

When does a school qualify to be or call itself an International School?

First of all, for a school to qualify as an International School, it needs to meet a set of criteria laid out by International Association of School Librarianship, in 2009 in Italy. The criteria are as follows:

●      Transferability of the student's education across international schools.

●      A moving population (higher than in state schools or public schools).

●      Multinational and multilingual student body

●      An international curriculum.

●      International accreditation (e.g. Council of International Schools, International Baccalaureate, North Eastern Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

●      A transient and multinational teacher population.

●      Non-selective student enrollment.

●      Usually English or French language of instruction, plus the obligation to take on at least one additional language.

The distinct advantages of an International Education:

There are several distinct advantages of an international education, chief among which are:

●      Standardisation of curriculum, enables a student to learn, without being left behind, wherever in the world he/she might be, in case of a family move.

●      Greater interaction with fellow students of varied nationalities, helps foster greater tolerance, respect and cultural exposure for a student.

●      Teachers of varied nationalities expose students to cultural nuances that are unique to the teacher’s own nation and helps bring to life the ‘world’ in a way.

●      A non-selective enrollment system makes international education accessible to a larger number of students

●      International education encourages the adoption of multiple languages that add immense value to a student.

 

The next part of our series will examine each of these advantages and go into greater detail about the rising number of such institutions in the country.