Tuesday, March 22, 2011

April is the cruelest month

‘April is the cruelest month’, said 20th C poet par excellence, TS Elliot in his acclaimed poem ‘ The Waste Land’. I am sure some of you in the corporate world would agree with Elliot. What with appraisals ending there without apt raises! This in at least some cases would be unjustified, you could not meet the targets since the team was weak, funds and resources were limited, the target was unrealistic, the list can be made endless, if we wish to.
Don’t you, at least some of you find the ‘un-raise’( can we coin a new word?) unjustified? Or that you got a raise in pay and perks, but the moving up the ladder seem elusive?
Why don’t you think, one of the ways is to upgrade your education?

A business course for instance- MBA, PGPX, PGPMAX, MDP – eMBA, they come in all shapes and sizes.
Consider April as the new year( any ways it is, in biz jargon).. plan to apply for an MBA or executive program from prestigious colleges- IIMs, ISB Hyderabad, US, UK, Singapore.. start preparing for the GMAT, take the GMAT 3-4 months from now..be in a program this year itself

Is this unrealistic target? Nay… then let’s GMAT…

Monday, March 21, 2011

College Junior Resume,SOP, Statement of purpose,essays

College students aspiring for the innovative MBA routes such as the Harvard 2+2 and the ISB Young Leaders Program often ask, what should I write in my resume and how. There is a tendency to follow standard formats available in the web and use high octane diction that the writer herself doesn’t understand. Why do they do it?

For one, a false notion that the more abstract scholarly words you use, the more impressed will be the admission board.
Yet another, the B Schools often challenge the aspirants by wording the requirement as ‘ if one seat is left for program X, why should you be offered it?’. So the applicant tries hard to put the best ingredients together.

Here are some pointers
Tailor-make your resume to evoke a B school’s interest
The personal qualities and competencies pertinent to say, a tech job, may not be hot on a Bschool’s wish list. Present clearly those few competencies and achievements that define you, rather than use all words psychologists use to describe people! Be honest about yourself. For a professional selector it isn’t difficult to locate overstatements such as ‘ I can motivate and guide people, solve other’s problems, strategise’… hold on. Aren’t you supposed to be still in college? Write the language of a student, an eager learner.
Don’t mistake signs of leadership as proven leadership
The latter is more relevant to and expected from guys with 5+ yrs of work ex. Being a class leader, college cricket captain, cultural secretary ‘ can best be termed ‘signs of leadership’.
Present these in modest ways. Acknowledge wherever necessary. A reader shouldn’t get the impression that you have done and achieved everything independently. That is hard to believe.

Use as Strong points
Internship, voluntary work, training camps, special talents( arts, photography, writing, debating), awards, prizes etc. And yes, do not forget to include any setbacks, failures, risks..
Write in functional English
Use your active vocabulary to write your statement of purpose. The SOP should have a modest, yet vibrant feel with no repetition, no exaggerations. Make it impressive and above all present yourself.


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Friday, March 11, 2011

MBA options galore

MBA options galore.
There are loads of management specializations to choose from. Here I have listed 29 popular management specializations.
1. Human resource
2. Marketing
3. Finance
4. Information technology
5. International business
6. Production
7. Operation
8. Mass communication and journalism
9. Construction
10. Insurance and banking
11. Foreign trade
12. Leather goods and accessories design
13. Foot wear design and development
14. Travel and tourism
15. Retail
16. Agri business and rural
17. Pharma
18. Emergency care
19. Logistics and supply chain management
20. Banking
21. Public governance
22. Infrastructure & investment
23. Clinical
24. Hospitality and tourism
25. Hospital administration
26. Corporate investment
27. Financial planning
28. Securities analysis and trading
29. Media management
Not all the Bschools in India/aborad offer these courses. Choose wisely.


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