Five years ago, my MBA degree was my biggest asset. Today, I use its photocopy to apply for a business visa. But the pointis, I still have it and I still use it.

There could be several reasons for you to do an MBA. It could be to fulfil your father’s dream. It could be a matter of pride for you, or may beit is to achieve the best possible career. But how many times do you really dig deep and do a long-term post MBA career assessment analysis? Do you think how much your MBA will be worth after five or 10 years? Most of us do not do that and that is why, it is time that we take a systemic approach and apply predictive judgement to our career.

2 years after MBA: your degree appears in ‘bold’on your CV

When we are fresh out of an MBA college, our degree and specialization are our biggest strengths. We highlight our college assignments and summer internship experience and talk about them in placement interviews.Our only aim is to market our projects and scores to get a decent job. We hardly ever think- what next? I am sure very few of us ask ourselves – for how many years will my MBA degree get me a job? Will my scores always be considered so important?It is in your interest that you answer these questions, or at least think about them in advance, to deal with the competition.

5 years after MBA: your experience matters more than your degree

Five years ago, I remember people introducing me to other team members by just saying “he is an MBA in finance”.  Today, they introduce me by what I have achieved in the company or my expertise. An MBA is a way to distinguish you from others in the workplace, but only for the first few years.You need to map the journey for yourself later.

Coming back to my point about the validity of anMBA degree, students must take a very informed decision regarding their placements. Their experience of working in a corporate, their understanding/knowledge of the business environment and processes will play a greater role in defining their long-term career rather than just the MBA degree.

So the next logical question is – how doyou do that? Here are some tips:

• Prove the MBA perception right

MBAs are perceived as people who have gained significant theoretical knowledge of business and are ready to apply this in the real world. They are expected to solve complex business problems and work across dimensions with ease. You can best gain from this perception by proving it right. By this I mean, you must get so deep in the business and its processes that you actually come out with practical solutions. You must take the lead in building teams, creating project plans, measuring output and reporting it to the leadership. By doing this, you will gain exposure to a variety of business aspects and develop expertise in select fields as well. This expertise will help you grow in the same organization or others. At the same time, this experience and expertise will complement your MBA degree.

• Broaden your knowledge basket

Once you have gained expertise in a particular area, you must also consider expanding your understanding of other domains. For instance, you joined an operations set-up of a bank, and you have understood that function completely. Now it will be a good idea to look for an opportunity in other functions of that bank, such as sales and marketing, credit policies etc. By this I do not mean that you should neglect your core focus – operations, but broaden your knowledge base.

• Make yourself important

An increasing number of MBA schools across diverse disciplines are churning out a higher number of post graduates. In such a scenario, it is important to stay competitive and relevant to business needs. One of the key ways of doing this is to make yourself important. There could be many people talking about a vast number of MBAs in the market, but you need to keep yourself distinguished—the way you graduated five years ago. The skills and knowledge you gain in your corporate career will give you a chance to make yourself unique. However, this statement is to be dealt with caution.There is a severe risk of getting lost in the crowd. You must be updated, business ready and relevant at all points of your career to be ahead of others.

10 years after MBA: a sustainable career welcomes you

I am confident that having acquired several business skills post your MBA, you will have a sustainable career in any organization or your self-started venture. You will be placed much more comfortably than some of your peers with your MBA degree complementing your growth. Although the significance of your degree may diminish over the years, it will continue to play a key role at various instances. For example, the eligibility criteria for a certain position in a company may always require an MBA degree, or applying for senior freelancer role may have an MBA as a minimum requirement.

What does it mean for you?

Credentials always strengthen your profile and so will your MBA degree

An individual builds his/her credentials over a lifetime — step by step. None of these credentials are less or more important. They are all relevant and critical, but their importance depends upon the stage of one’s career. While an MBA degree will be most important in the early stages of your career, skills and experience become more important at a later stage. Everything you acquire during your career is yours and of utmost importance. Make sure you use it at the right place and right time.

Contributed by Virag Jain ( Class of 2010, IBS MUMBAI )

The selection process at IBS Hyderabad consists of Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). The final selection is based on previous academic record coupled with the candidate’s performance in GD and PI.

I was selected for ICFAI B School, Hyderabad few years back. Since selection process is coming near for the current year, want to share my experiences to help those who are going to appear in coming days.

• Even though the reporting time was 7:00 AM, I reached at venue by 6:15 AM, so that I can be part of earlier Groups (A or B). Each group was consist of 10 members with varied experiences and bachelor degrees.

First Phase- GD:

I started my GD preparation seriously only after the IBSAT results. I used to read the newspapers and articles from various websites and magazines. I also prepared from the preparatory material provided by coaching classes. I had also enrolled for GD preparation in coaching classes, which helped me learn how to gather my thoughts and communicate them in a actual GD atmosphere.

But, an aspirant shouldn’t wait for results to be out to begin the preparation. Preparation for GD should begin at this very moment, because the earlier we start, the better. There are two vital criteria one should keep in mind while preparing for GD.

1. Knowledge: It is very essential. Knowing about current affairs helps one accumulate points that can be put forward in GD. It would also help the aspirant come up with points to chip in when the GD is not going in right direction or when there is no different aspect to GD that can be provided.
2. Communication: Just knowing the topic won’t help in a good performance. The importance of GD is communicating what you know. So listening and putting across the points in an understandable manner is equally important.

• On selection day, the overall process was really smooth. There was no fish market and everyone got enough time to raise forward their points. The moderator/observer just gave us the topic to discuss and said we’ll get around 10-12 minutes to discuss, with a 1 minute in beginning to gather our thoughts. We were asked to summarize in the end. The group size was seven for my GD. The topic was “Political parties or voters; who are more responsible for criminalization of politics in India”. I had read a lot about politics and knew what points I wanted to raise. I gave a couple of examples from recent happenings. I had my view that both Political Parties and Voters in some way were responsible for the criminalization of politics and had points that supported this view. My logic was based on the fact that the voters are the one who elect political parties into power. Secondly, there are people who don’t vote or vote without knowledge which eventually result in wrong parties coming in power. Also, the false promises made by politicians was a concern, Where in the genuine voters are taken for a ride and the promises are not kept subsequently. The group was pretty much in unison with regard to the topic and there wasn’t any disagreement as such.

Second Phase- Interview:

Get well prepared. Go for versatile reading and mock personal interviews. Questions could be framed on your views expressed in GD. So be ready to effectively answer the probable questions based on your GD performance.

Enjoy the generic and specific questions in PI:

A top notch Business school personal interview can go for specific questions related to your work experience, your goals, your strengths and weaknesses, your grasp on your favourite subject and the things you might have filled up in the form. There may be generic questions based on broad aspects like “ Tell about yourself”, “ How do you OR Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line”, “Why go for MBA after Engineering”, etc. Such questions make you a little relaxed since you already know what to put forth as the answer. However, the more important thing is your approach and how you respond to it.

For example the common question “Tell us about yourself” may not be answered by telling your bio-data, it is already available in the form you filled up. Repeating the same will be a waste of time creating a bad impression. Please also do not speak something stereotyped or something which appears having been practiced before the mirror number of times.

On the contrary, you could narrate some incident highlighting your personality but be brief. You could also answer like-Apart from the details in the form submitted; I am a quick learner and learn from mistakes. I believe in human values, a sharp and clear vision of life. I am confident enough that the various levels of learning that I have had till now and will have in this Institute will help me to bring out the finest of me which will enhance my competence, aptitude and skills.

Avoid Irritation

Don’t get at all irritated, come what may. Your interviewers have the capability of assessing you with your gestures, postures and the response you come with, to their very first question. The saying ‘First impression is the last impression’ is true to a large extent. When you face the interview, after the first few minutes the interview board is simply confirming itself of your first impression.

Avoid figurative communication

Use simple and communicative language in an effective manner.  Any wrong use of figurative and idiomatic language in conversation might get you deviated and put you in trouble. Sometimes the panelists could get deeper into the selection of your words asking for further explanation of the same. Hence it is better to avoid it.

Be skilful: Drive PI to your knowledge domain

Try to take the interview board to your domain of knowledge and skills.  When you answer a question, you may use such sentences and words on which the interview board gets curious but you are comfortable with the same. It depends on your skill how to mould the interview to your desired direction.  The opportunity is to be created by you while presenting the answers to their questions.

In view of the experts on PI preparation, the success will come once you know how to market yourself before the interview board. This is your approach to present yourself in the interview and the way you answer the questions, will secure your seat in your desired B-school and not the questions themselves.

Conclusion:

Be confident. Prepare the generally asked questions properly and be honest about your opinions. Be aware of your surroundings and what’s going in the world and in India. Have your own opinions formed and be confident and firm on your stand taken. Learn to drive your interview to your areas you are strong in and make sure you know well about yourself, key interests and other relevant details mentioned in the form. Never ever lie in an interview as the professors are really smart and will get to know in a moment and will cross question you a lot until they find some discrepancies.

Contributed by Suchin Kulshrestha, (Class of 2008, IBS Hyderabad)

Preparing for D Day

D-DAY is the day when we go through theselection process of anyMBA Institution. It is more or less similar when any candidate goes for an Interview we cannot imagine his anxiety at that point of time .It is very crucial as we are taking first step towards shaping our career and obviously it is going to decide our future so we need to be very well prepared for the process and give our best that day.

How I prepared for my GD and PI at IBS Hyderabad.

One thing which I had in my mind that all the students who would accompany me in selection process would  be at par with me as they might have same academics which I had or could be better than me. All the students who would participate in the processwould have also cleared the IBSAT/CAT exam and probably few might have scored better than me. Keeping in mind the entire thing I started preparing myself for GD and PI. First thought which came to my mind was –

“What should be my USP to clear the process?”

Prompt answer which clicked my mind was “DOMAIN Knowledge”.

Answer was very clear but then it was very important to know that how should I improve my Domain Knowledge. Surfing on internet and advices from different professors helped me finding the solution. Following ways helped me to improve my knowledge-

• Current Affairs – It is very essential to be aware of what is going on in our country and across the globe. In this era all the things are inter dependent and we need to understand the same. Our life doesn’t only get affected by internal factors but it also gets affected by external factors.
• I started reading newspapers and magazines which helped me to understand the current situation of our country and Globe. I also read about few events which occurred in past and which had major impact globally.
• Finance and marketing – It is necessary to know basic about the course which we are going to study in our masters. There are chances that topics of finance or marketing may come in our GD. Being aware of the basic of the subject gives a good impression that we are prepared to start our next stage of career.
• I started reading books of Finance and marketing. For finance I read” Prasanna Chandra’s” book and for Marketing I read “Philip Kotler” book. I did not read whole book but I started reading the basic which was given in the book. Few Basic questions which I went through thoroughly were – Difference between Accounts and Finance? Difference between Marketing and Sales.
• Bachelor’s Degree Knowledge – After completion of graduation it is very important that we know most of the syllabus of the degree as it shows how sincere we were while pursuing our graduation. It is assumed that if we are sincere about our bachelors then we will obviouslybe sincere about our Masters as well. It also shows our attitude towards studies and our career.
• I started evaluating myself and found out weak area in which I faced problem during my grads. I went through all the things again and again and didn’t leave a stone unturned.

All the above process helped me in gaining in depth knowledge of the subject and also helped me in improving my reading habit. Current affairs knowledge helped me in knowing more about the external environment and widened my thought. It not only helped mein getting knowledge but also helped in gaining confidence which made me more out spoken and prepared me to share my thoughts in front of others. This was very essential for Group discussion.If you have knowledge then people around you come to know about it and they pay heed to your talks. This preparation also brought a confidence in me that I have an upper hand on others as I was well prepared and did what it take to clear the selection process.

Few other Things to learn before D-Day –

CommunicationSkills – It is very essential to have good communication skills. It has been observed that people having good knowledge are not been able to express their views due to poor communication skills so their effort to towards expressing the knowledge goes into vein. Knowledge and communication skills works hand on hand and it is inevitable to have both, any of the single skill cannot do well for you.

• To improve your communication skills you need to develop reading habit. It will help you in learning new words and you will come across “jargons”. Learning new words and jargons will help you to communicate effectively and conveying your message shortly, which makes good impression in front of others.

  “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere”

Public Speaking – Public speaking cannot be learnt but it comes when you are confident about yourself and you have good communication skills. So to be a goodpublic speaker it is essential to have domain knowledge and effective communication.

• To practice public speaking try to listen to your friend when you are in group and make your point at the same time. At start you will feel a bit awkward but then slowly and gradually you will be confident enough to share your views and this will help you a lot.

“If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence you can change lives”

D-Day – Long wait of GD and PI came to an end and now was all prepared to give my best.

G.D. Round – When I entered the college there were many students who came for D-Day,I had a quick look and started thinking that maybethey were prepared may be they  were not prepared but what helped me is that I was confident enough to face the round as I was well prepared. Entering the hall of Group discussion, I saw two professors were sitting to evaluate and find out right students for their college. I was feeling a bit nervous and Adrenaline was flowing in my body. I was not aware what is going to happen and what will be the result. All I knew was I needed to do my best and leave the rest to god.

“KarmanyevadiKarasteMaphaleshuKadhachana Ma Karma PhalaheDurboMatesangatsvaliKarmani“

P.I. Round – While entering the P.I. room I was bit nervous as I wasn’t aware what they are going to ask and people coming out scared me by sharing their experience. But when I entered I forgot all the thoughts and concentrated on the answers which I prepared for the day. I knew that I need to go inside and be honest as it will be reflected and there are chances that being honest will help me in getting selected. If I would fake my knowledge then they would come to know and make situation worse for me, as interviewers are more intelligent and experienced than me.

Finally the day came when results were out, I got selected for every campus and it brought a smile on my face as all the hard work done by me got paid and I was through.

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”

Contributed by Kandarp Gandhi, (Class of 2014, IBS Mumbai)

“Clouds form and then go away because atmospheric conditions, temperatures, and humidity cause molecules of water to either condense or vaporize.” The natural world around us constantly adapts and responds to what it needs in order to function. Why couldn’t our organizations do this, too? – Chris Rufer (Founder of Morning Star)

To answer the above question, it is simply human nature to fear change. This can be attributed to the survival and preservation instincts developed over thousands of years.

Anything new, any change, is pregnant with the potential to harm.

Getting to trust the new is a time-taking process. This may surely have saved our ancestors many a toothy trouble in the past but what of when our current environment becomes threatening?

Revolution is necessary to subsist and prosper.

Self-Management, however, is not a new fad that has suddenly sprung up.

Its existence can be credited to observation of nature. Nature too is a firm practitioner of Self-Management. And what is older than nature?

At the micro level, ‘you’ yourself are the best testimony of what this sort of management can accomplish. Who manages your daily activities? Or more importantly major life decisions? It is the self that governs us.

Similarly, people are not appointed leaders in self-managed organizations. They simply decide to lead.

Self-managed employees do the things that are worth following and inspire co-workers. Employees feel a sense of responsibility towards their workplace.

They have no bosses and no titles of promotion. The liberty to deliver results for customers provides the employees all the personal incentive they need.

When the communication with customers and co-workers becomes more efficient and decisions lead to desired output, self-management structure is said to be well developed.

PROS                                        CONS

Lower Costs                              Tougher Adjustment

More Collegiality                        Accountability Challenges

Greater Initiative                        Longer Induction

Proactive Employees               Growth Issues

Higher Loyalty

Deeper Expertise

Better Decisions

Increased Flexibility

*As recorded by Gary Hamel

The concept of “self-management” hasn’t quite managed to capture the imagination of our business world yet, because a doubt exists regarding its viability as an organizational structure.

It is the Top-Down Hierarchy that comes to mind when talking about organizational design. The idea of an organization “self-managing” itself is treated as bizarre.

A Traditional Organization – once hailed as a perfect business model – is run within a definite structure. The structure is less definite in case of Self-Management. Both aim for similar things but the means expended differ.

In order to keep up with the variable external economy, most bureaucratic organizations turn even more rigid. Instead of adapting, they fight the change.

The contradictory expectations confuse the employee behavior and affect the output of a Traditional Organization. To face the fluctuating market, they need innovation so they ask of their workers to think ‘out of the box’ but follow the rules within a bolted-down bigger box.

The fear of ‘surrendering control’ prevents some organizations from backing this Management system completely. They take solace by invoking their organizational right of surveillance. This transforms the management into something quite non-functioning and uncomfortable. It kills the same creativity that it demands. The management process is neither here, nor there. It is precariously suspended in the middle. Surveillance simply reeks of distrust and is viewed as such. It creates hostility.

This is a typical example of psychological reactance. When one fears loss of freedom, they will make self-serving decisions to avoid it from happening. If they lose deserved freedom (real or imagined), they will do whatever it takes to recover it, even if it is detrimental to their organization.

‘Traditional Management is grossly inefficient, claims Gary Hamel in the HBR article, “First, Let’s Fire All The Managers.”

In a Traditional Organization, the boundaries enforced on the workers are unyielding. Aggressive Competition and malice routinely raise their ugly heads. The best idea gets lost in the haze of posturing and political games. And, hierarchy beats down creativity.

Self-Management on the other hand, is grounded in the Democratic Design Principle. Everyone is equal and motivated to do better by the organization. Work fulfillment, positive innovative vibe and self-actualization are all rolled into one. Most high-performance work places have been found to embrace change. Just take the example of organizations like Wikipedia or Alcoholics Anonymous to see how Self-Management has proved successful for decades.

Employee Self-Management employs management best practices and aims at improving productivity, which is a much comparable goal to that of any eager organization.

CHECKLIST

•  A to-do list

Specify the crucial tasks for developing self-management skills. Use task management software to generate and manage your tasks.

• Prioritizing Tasks

Rate the tasks by importance, based on current needs and employment requirements.

• Scheduling Tasks

Set deadlines and timeframes for your tasks.

• Flexibility

Adapt to the shifting external factors and not be bogged down by problems.

Distinguished authors Jaclyn Jenson and Jana Raver found a positive correlation between autonomy and more positive discretionary acts (organizational citizenship behaviors or OCBs).

When the communication with customers and co-workers becomes more efficient and decisions lead to desired output.

Since the pay offs are so big, companies tend to spend a lot on self-management skills & self-assessment training. The HR department supervises the task or external trainers are hired.

The process also benefits the employee in terms of professional advancement.

The theory of Self-Management can be explained through the major values it implies:

1) There must be no discrimination of power

2) Commitments to each other must be fulfilled

There are other rules as well but these two can change the very foundation of an organization.

The organization makes careful selection of entry-level employee. It takes into account the attitude as much as the potential employee’s skills.

Certain skills reflect and uphold the ideal of Self-Management. These should be willingly adopted by the employees for the model to be a winner.

1. Stress-Resistance

Stress leads to blunders. A stressful situation has the capability of hindering a ability to think rationally and make decisions. When stress overwhelms the employees, this directly affects the productivity of the organization.

Resistance to stress is a key skill that must be mastered by all employees of a self-managed business.

2. Problem Solving

Application of knowledge is a must when it comes to finding a way to cross the hurdles and confront problems. Mental processes need to be well oiled if they are to overcome the toughest challenges. A complete knowledge of facts is used to analyze of the situation, review problems and finally reach an effective solution.

3. Communication

Competent communication of information means that information is shared with the minimalized possible distortion and in the quickest way possible. Self-governed workers understand the value of clearly and timely conveyed information.

4. Time Management

When things are done in a timely fashion, the expected results are more likely to manifest sooner.

5. Memory

Having a good memory is essential so that work can be conducted smoothly and without inviting unnecessary hiccups.

6. Physical Activity

Physical activity will keep most diseases at bay. If the body is in good shape and nervous system is robust, any challenges that arise can be coped with.

Personal effort is as important as the training if not more.

When members are allowed to govern their own work, it is a move that increases the probability of success for the organization as a whole. It raises the chances of greater job satisfaction and better observance of organizational policy.

The resistance to self-management sprouts from the top-heavy management’s dread of losing perks and privileges.

Those who argue against the suitability of the Self-Management system exclaim that they cannot envision a world without managers. To answer simply- It is not a world without leaders for everybody in the enterprise is a leader.

Once this realization sinks in, organizations will welcome self-managing practices with open arms and expectant eyes. The day will come soon when Self-Management will finally supersede Traditional Management.

“You are your own leader. Where are you driving yourself to now? You can’t afford to go wayward! Rise up and break new territories and live life so well.” – Israelmore Ayivor

Designing the Self-Managing Organization by Ronald E. Purser discusses the criteria for a self-managed employee and how the employees can test the efficiency of the Management themselves. Each worker personally organizes self-assessment surveys to confirm whether they have the required skills set.

TEST FOR SELF-MANAGED EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR

I can make my own decisions. (0……………………10)

I require close supervision. (0……………………10)

I understand that I should operate within my prescribed limits and boundaries.

(0……………………10)

I find work provides me with no opportunities for developing or sharing knowledge

and skills. (0……………………10)

Work gives me challenging goals that engage my attention. (-5….0….+5)

I always get a timely feedback and the opportunity to improve my performance

(5….0….+5)

My work is neither too demanding nor is it too easy or boring (-5…..0….+5)

People in my work group help one another without being told to do so, even if it is

beyond their scope of work. (0……………………10)

I have a good knowledge of the products and services my company provides.

(0……………………10)

I personally feel a proud connection to these products and services.

(0……………………10)

I know what my contribution to my organization is. (0……………………10)

This organization will help me grow and advance down my career path.

(0……………………10)

 Contributed by Ankita Verma, (Class of 2009, IBS Hyderabad)

On-campus and online MBA programs have become quite popular in the business world – and with good reason. Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees have played a part in the business world for a long time, but over the past few decades their importance has skyrocketed. ICFAI Business School MBA programs have emerged as the standard, and online MBA programs are becoming increasingly popular as the web-based format matures. Now, most business professionals consider an MBA to be an essential prerequisite for attaining high-level management and executive positions.

But why, exactly, do employers consider MBAs important? Here are four reasons:

1. Business knowledge. This one seems pretty obvious, and it is. Perhaps the degree attracts you because you work in a less business-intensive field and would like to better understand how your field fits into the business world as a whole. Earning an MBA means that you should have a thorough understanding of advanced business concepts and practices. Most employers prefer that you graduate from an ICFAI Business School MBA program; because the IBS ensures that the B-schools it has adhere to strict teaching and curriculum standards.

There are specialized MBAs in a variety of areas. Most teach core concepts during the first year, then concentrate on a specific area of business during the second. Most MBA programs allow you to focus your studies in a particular area of professional interest during the second year. Finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, accounting, human resources and international management are among the most popular MBA concentrations. Recently, sustainability and environmental risk management have also become popular.

The specialized second year curriculum allows students to return to the workplace with an increased cutting-edge understanding of their field, or prepares them to launch a new career in an area where they may have previously had limited knowledge. So a marketing MBA will give you specialized knowledge about marketing, while an executive MBA will emphasize leadership and management. Employers will generally look to hire MBA holders whose concentration closely matches the position they’re applying for.

2. Teamwork. Teamwork for me is the actions that members in a group take in order to achieve a common goal, which is much greater than the personal aspirations of each team member. Communicating openly, working towards conflict resolution and supporting each team members in achieving a common objective are the three key aspects of teamwork.

Regardless of specialty, all MBA programs teach teamwork. It is critical to success in today’s fast-paced, highly competitive business world. Employers want professionals who can work well with others – following or leading as necessary. MBA students also learn how to challenge and disagree with others in a constructive way, which is important for producing quality results. A team that can identify and correct problems without creating personal friction is a huge asset to any organization.

Some MBA specialties place more emphasis on certain aspects of teamwork than others. For example, an executive MBA program is going to concentrate on leadership and management skills, because graduates will typically be headed for positions where those abilities are essential.

Most of recruiters looks for the candidates who have below qualities:

 You have worked with a diverse team (team with diverse experience, skill type, nationality and cultures)

 You took the initiative in setting up and facilitating meetings which clarified the common objective of the team. The meetings can be one on one or group meetings.

  You were able to plan your project, prioritize tasks, identify skill sets of your team and were able to allocate tasks to the right people. In case you were a team member, highlight how well you coordinated with other team members, how you escalated issues to the team leader and how you focussed on the common good of the team.

3. Problem solving. MBA programs teach students how to identify and solve problems by seeing the big picture, asking the right questions, doing essential research and coming up with a solution that actually works. Graduates are professionally trained how to do this, often in different ways and using different processes.

Solving problems often involves flexibility and unconventional thinking as well. For example, maximizing creative talent (graphic artists, interactive designers, copywriters, etc.) is a responsibility that frequently falls on marketing managers. But when something isn’t working on the creative end, there can be a lot of ambiguity. Where is the problem? In the design? The copy? Is someone simply not able to do the job, or is there a problem with how well the creative team understands the product? MBA programs are designed to teach you how to find answers when the questions aren’t straightforward.

Most of recruiters looks for the candidates have convergence which means:

– Good at solving problems and finding practical uses for ideas and theories. Good at helping steer a team through

conflict and discern the best path. Ideal for the Imperative Stage.

4. Critical thinking. MBA programs also teach you how to think critically: Approach ideas with a skeptical eye, separate good information from bad information, and understand how a given action can affect different areas of the business (and the business as a whole). Like problem solving, there usually isn’t an official class in critical thinking; instead, it’s a skill learned and practiced throughout the entire MBA program.

Most of recruiters looks for the candidates have accommodating which means:

-Good at learning from hands-on experience and leading teams through brainstorming and testing concepts until a final solution is achieved. Ideal for the Solutions Stage.

Case studies, which are a part of many individual MBA courses, are excellent for developing your critical thinking ability. They are also generally real-world examples that reflect current business issues, which is yet another benefit of MBA-level studies.

Conclusion:

When any candidate applying for campus placement at campus in second year while doing MBA course, recruiters generally look for the above four points. The benefits for recruiters get is they have to invest less time and money while on boarding them in their companies.

Contributed by Suchin Kulshrestha  ( Class of 2008, IBS HYDERABAD )

To better understand what would make you a successful manager in 2015, you first need to ask “What Challenges do i face?”…A lot! I am sure.

Perhaps a more pertinent question would be “What are the most critical challenges that i face…

i. At the workplace?

ii. Within my Team?

iii. Across Key Departments?

iv. With my seniors?

And the list goes on….

It’s no surprise that in today’s work environment with its fast pace and increasing volatility, many challenges demand a manager’s attention…simultaneously!!

So much so that most managers’ dread the Monday mornings, when work seems like an untamed beast! A study published by the American Healthcare Foundation voiced this concern. According to the study, the stress of returning to work on Monday could trigger a dangerous increase in blood pressure. Medical records showed that 20% more heart attacks occurred on Mondays as compared to other weekdays!

So how do we as managers prepare ourselves to cope up with stressful situations better and emerge as winners? The answer certainly is not a simple one…

The Good news is that the Beast, can indeed, be tamed with adequate planning and a keen sense for Goals in the long term and “small but important wins” in the short term!

If you are a manager in 2015 or will be in the near future, and have probably nodded your head in agreement till now, welcome aboard!!

Here is a list of my “Super 6 Winning Habits for 2015”and beyond…

1. Understand and Share Department’s Objectives

“Successful people are backed by successful teams”- The same holds true for managers…

Managers are successful when teams succeed and function like a well oiled machine. For this to materialize, a common perspective needs to be communicated and built across the department.

Successful managers are masters at communicating and sharing the Department’s objectives with all team members!

It also has the added advantage of moving the team up to speed with the managers’ expectation. It’s like a car on automatic transmission, as the leader accelerates the team shifts to higher gears automatically.

Once you as a manager understand the key deliverables of your department, the next step to being successful is enrolling team members. People respond to being given responsibility.

Successful managers assign individual responsibilities to each and every team member creating a balance within the team. They are keenly mindful of the talent pools and “activate talent” by mapping tasks to individual competencies.

2. Conduct Regular Team Reviews to ensure Objectivity

Once clear goals are laid out for the department and mapped with the deliverables of the team, the next step is to work towards measuring the same.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”.

Regular team reviews bring objectivity to everyday working.Good managers help team members with course correction during these reviews and help steer the team to become efficient and clearer in decision making.

Successful managers understand this aspect and hold team and individual reviews.Another important approach is holding individual reviews with all team members to understand their progress and ensure objectivity. This lays out a framework for holding the team members accountable.

3. Communicate regularly by providing real time Feedback 

“Good managers are good communicators, successful managers are excellent communicators”

Effective communication is fundamental to a strong management skillset. Successful managers provide ample feedback to their teams, which in turn, helps them into “tuning in” with the leader’s expectations.

Successful managers also understand that communication is a two way process. They acknowledge that it’s not only important to speak clearly but also to be heard and understood.

We may not realize, but unseen communication blunders not only hurt leaders and teamwork, but also cost companies millions of dollars in product recalls and press justifications!!

A case in point is the 2003 launch of a new curry sauce by British Food Company called Sharwood. Their new sauce named “Bundh” was targeted at a Punjabi Clientele, which was visibly embarrassed to report that the new product sounded like the Punjabi word for “backside/ bottom”!!

4. Conflict Resolution

Successful managers understand why conflicts happen and recognize them as important milestones to arrive at business solutions. It may come as a surprise, but teams which achieve breakthroughs are in a perpetual state of managing conflicts!

Successful managers have important attitudes which make them exceptional at resolving conflicts. In fact, most successful managers are “go-to persons” for conflict resolution not only within the team but across the organization.

So why are they so good at resolving conflicts?

1. Successful managers understand the employees’ needs.

2. Successful managers acknowledge the conflict and assess the situation

3. Successful managers engage in a collaborative approach thereby changing the direction of the conflict by being a good mediator

4. Successful managers understand the power dynamics in a conflict situation

5. Successful managers “attack” the conflict by hunting for “win-win” or workable solutions. They resist trying to arrive for a perfect state of agreement.

5. Encourage Creativity 

Hold on! We thought successful management was all about objective goals, timely planning and effective execution. Where does creativity fit in?

Earlier, Creativity was considered to be too elusive and dreamy to be managed on a day to day basis. It also has to do with the fact that, creativity also seems difficult to measure in terms of tangible goals which can result in immediate payoffs.

However, today, all that is changing with the innovation – led economy. Successful managers identify the right minds in their teams to foster creativity. They are aware of the power of creative ideas which, can result in breakthrough projects. To trigger the same, successful managers regularly encourage teams to adopt unconventional methods to approach business challenges.

6. Understand and Measure KPI ( Key Performance Indicators)

Successful managers measure their environment in terms of KPIs.However, before putting KPIs in place; it is prudent to understand the role of your department in the overall organizational strategy. They are the essential metrics that enable you to track your performance every step of the journey towards your goal, course-correcting and navigating your way to success.

Successful managers are adept at devising KPIs around things that matter and tracking the performance of those KPIs religiously.

So what are the KPIs across the KBAs (Key Business Areas)? , A simple list (not exhaustive but the tip of the iceberg…) which can keep your business on the saner side:-

1. Your Customers

a) Likeability- How Likely or probable is it for your customers to refer your product/service?

b) Profitability- while you work endlessly to attract and retain customers, how much are your customers working for your business? I.e. how much profit are your customers bringing in?

c) Loyalty- how do you fare on retaining customers who would want to come back for more?

d) Conversion – How many new customers are coming into your fold? What the new business generation looks like?

2. Your Business

a) Return on Investment (ROI) – Revenue generated by investing money into a particular aspect of the business, in comparison to the cost involved for making that investment. It also helps you in making an informed decision on whether to make that investment in the first place or not?

b) Net Profit – How healthy is your bottom-line? In other words, Income minus expenses

c) Conversion to Cash – How long does it take for money invested in operations to come back as increase in revenue generated? Japneet Singh

d) Margins – Yes, the omnipresent margin terms, Gross margins / Net margins / Operating Profit Margins, all an indicator of the financial health of the company’s operations.

3. Your Employees

a) Goodwill Score – How likely are your employees to refer you as an employer to work for?

b) Engagement Score – How engaged are your employees and how is this helping in reaching overall business goals?

c) Human Capital – How much revenue contribution results from your employees in comparison to the cost incurred on them? A high HC means substantial financial value is contributed by individual members.

d) 360 Feedback – How anybody sees everybody, how people rate peers, and superiors?

There is no straight answer to when and how managers find success. As a manager, you have the opportunity to mentor, supervise, motivate and lead…it’s a path laden with uncertainty, but it sure promises to be one hell of a ride!

Wish you a successful career in 2015!

Contributed by Japneet Singh ( Class of 2005, IBS GURGAON )

Mba is most of the most coveted post-graduation degree. This year there is tad increase in number of aspirants. 2.05 lakh people have registered for CAT in 2014 in which major chunk of aspirants are from New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune.

How you can make a difference or stand out in the crowd is the major question. Here we are with Mantra’s for successful Entrance exams. Entrance Exams are like wall every extra edge matters.

As you must have applied for Top notch CAT. Don’t forget the rest of CAT family. CAT family includes: XAT, MAT, SNAP, NMAT, CMAT, IIFT, and IBSAT.

There are lots of other exams as well. MBA is the most sought after post-graduation degree as it channelize your knowledge and give you right exposure. With increase in demand, increases competition for aspirants to hunt and grab for a good B school.

Till this date most of you are done with many competitive exams, but if you are still left with some follow these tips and tricks to ace them.

 Hype for CAT is much, so keep down your nerves and keep calm. Don’t get nervous and concentrate. Read instructions carefully for every exam as marking strategy may change.

 Write down all formulas and shortcuts on a piece of paper, put it on the wall of the room and while you are not studying you can simply learn and recall.

 Fetch at least four hours to study in the time when you are most active.

 Find out your interest areas .Focus on strong areas and work on them first. Achieve cent percent accuracy in strong areas.

 Go through mock paper and then formulate strategy according to it.

 Various tests differ in terms of the test structure, question types and overall difficulty level of the test. Thus, you only need to understand the test structure, get adapted to the different question types and develop specific strategies to ace these tests.

 Entrance exams are more of a time game, you should learn when to quit a question and move ahead in your exam, if you remain struck on one, you will lose. The trick is not to spend more than 2.5 minutes on a question.

 Work on the questions that you got wrong. This is very important as you had ample time per question and still got them wrong. This means either you comprehend them wrong or the concept is wrong. Quickly go back to basics learn from mistakes and make a note of it.

 Next pick the questions you did not attempt, solve these questions without a time limit, once again this exercise will point out your areas of improvement. Doing this process for each test will definitely improve your performance in the next.

 For verbal ability which proves to be nemesis for most of technical people they should try the following things.

 Reading a good novel, try to increase their reading speed, WPM (words per minute). Use of pencil for marking while reading.

 Go through a newspaper daily, the highly recommended ones are The Hindu & the Economist.

 Read a magazine, Develop the reasoning ability by comprehending the motive behind the article. Read from different sources to understand the tone of writing.

 Read word power made easy, a fantastic book that works on roots and thus make you understand great words.

 Make a habit of reading online, as the exam will be online, you should have a habit of getting glued to screen.

Before Exam Instructions

You should take good sleep. Revise the concepts and notes made. Reach examination center before time to avoid last minute hustle. Meditate before exam to increase concentration. Read instructions carefully and then start with your exam.

After coming out with flying colors you next big task would be Group Discussions and Personal Interviews.

Many Mba aspirants may find it easy to crack entrance exams but group discussions and personal interviews make them feel nervous and perplexed.

How to go about Group Discussions and Personal Interviews 

It is important hurdle in your quest for that MBA .Mba interviews are more of your personal branding, as in a way you showcase your best side to interviewers. Rather being worried or scared, you work upon such FAQ and bring the best of you.

Frequently asked questions are following:

Why you want to pursue an MBA?

If not MBA what would you wish to do?

Why an Mba, not M.Tech?

Why you are switching to a new career?

What are your Strength and Weakness?

Why MBA? Why MBA from this B-school? Why this particular niche Program?

Here are some of ideas one can do to survive in Group Discussions and Personal Interviews:

 It is well said proverb: well begun is half done. It is said nearly 70 percent of interviews are decided in first two minutes.

 Stay precise, honest answers which sound convincing always work .Writing down such answers helps in the long run.

 Talk about things that are not in your resume like Personal qualities, passions, hobbies. They all can zest up your introduction.

 You can control the direction of your interview as they find next question from your answer’s itself.

 You make sure that the answers to different questions are consistent and coherent with each other. Like if you say that you are interested in a career in marketing, you should not say that you want to do an MBA because you like finance.

 Once you write an answer, make sure you stick to it in the interview. Formulating the answers to all the question will also help you in other Personal Interviews, because these form of questions tend to be repeatedly asked across different PIs.

 Once you spend time in coming up with answers, you can use it as a blue-print for other interviews as well. It is recommended that the answers be framed over multiple sittings, since next morning always provides a fresher perspective on your answers.

 Try to imagine yourself in the interviewer’s place and think how he will interpret your answers. It is a very good idea to discuss your answers with a couple of outsiders.

 Always gauge your body language. Sit in a comfortable and upright posture with your back resting.

 You can keep your hands folded in your lap or use them for gesturing, but do not rest them on the table.

 Maintain eye contact with the interviewers all the time and it shows your confidence.

 When question is asked look at questioner and then address to entire panel.

For Group Discussions

 Be as normal as possible. Don’t fake it. Be yourself. Try not to impose your thoughts on others.

 Watch your posture, be an active listener.

 Be assertive yet humble. You need to stick to your values and beliefs, but learn to respect the values and opinions of others too. Don’t boss around.

 Grab the opportunity to speak first, i.e. to start the group discussion with your opinion. It generally leaves a good impression on the evaluator, but take the move only if you have complete knowledge of the subject.

 Don’t be repetitive or be lengthy or irrelevant. Also intervene, if someone else is going on an irrelevant track.

 Ask for other’s point of view. It is a group discussion. Allow others to speak too.

 Make an eye contact with all the participants. It creates more room for conversation. Also keep nodding, when others speak, it shows receptiveness.

 Be an active and dynamic participant. The examiner wants to hear you speak. So do put forth your views.

 Be positive and prepare your thoughts well but do not be over-confident.

 Think well before you speak. You are being heard and judged upon.

 When raising an objection to a point kept by another speaker, back it up with a solid reason to get the point across.

 Use quotes, facts and figures, statements, everyday life examples to express a clear chain of thoughts. Also it might leave a good impression on the examiner and help you score well.

You can go for good B-Schools like IBS, by appearing through IBSAT, MAT, and CAT.

There are few B schools that can deliver you the best education and exposure and IBS is one of them.

Grab this opportunity and Work hard. Trust yourself and your hard work. All The Best.!!

Contributed by Sonali Jain ( Class of 2012-2014, IBS GURGAON )