CAREER OPTIONS – MBA PROGRAM

Posted by girish seshamani on July 10, 2010

Once you get into your B School, you are all set to begin an exciting stage in your life. Undoubtedly MBA is a coveted degree, if it is done from a reputed institute. Over a period of two years, we study or we are exposed to around 35 subjects.

The basic objective of studying these subjects, is to ensure that your fundamentals are strong. No one expects you to master all the subjects. Tomorrow when you take up a leadership role, you should have the basic knowledge about all functions, to ensure that no one takes you for a ride.

At the end of the first year, students go for summer placements. The summer placement runs for around four months. After finishing their summers, students come back and the second year begins wherein they specialize in their core area.

Before the students go for their placement, they have to choose their core specialization, as in, Finance, Marketing, Operations and Human Resources. The students have a dual specialization. On most occasions, whenever I interact with students, I see students choosing the core field due to peer pressure. When I sit with them and discuss as to what made them choose that field, the replies that I get are:

Majority of my batch mates have chosen that field

We heard it is a sunrise industry

This field pays much more than any other line

As a teacher, it pains me a lot when I see students getting into functions they are not fit for. Personally I do make it a point to tell students to identify their strengths by doing an honest introspection and  to discuss the same with their family members and close circle of friends. If they have professional contacts, they are the best people, since they are already working in that line. They are not only the best source of information they will also guide you properly.  Once the student narrows down on his core specialization, he will know the gap to be bridged in terms of skill sets after he interacts with professionals working in that industry.

Lot of B Schools have come out with super specialization programs which is an add on to the core specialization. The areas are:

Airlines and Airport Mangement

Shipping and Logistics Management

Retail Mangement

Supply Chain Management

Let me also tell you that there is nothing called as a sunrise industry. Each and every industry has to go through the stages of Infancy, Growth, Stability and Decline. It is part of the economic cycle.

I also reiterate the point that compensation is totally secondary. According to me, at the start of your career what you learn, is more important than what you earn. I also see students having unrealistic expectations and living in their own dream world. Your specialization should be in tune with your skills. If you choose the wrong line, apart from being a misfit for the job, you are also putting your entire career at risk. If you get into an industry purely for money, the day is not far off when you will get frustrated and land up in a mess.

Once you have identified your skill sets and decided your core specialization, ensure that you keep yourself updated in that line. You need to seriously devote time to understand the industry, the major players, the standing of the industry right now and the future of the industry. The best source of information will be newspapers like Economic Times and Business Standard. Apart from this, try to identify a mentor, when you go for your summer placements. If you prove your worth during the summer placements, there is every chance that the organization will consider you, when they come for the final placements.

I would like to share some critical points to be kept in mind throughout the program:

• Integrity is the foundation on which your career is built. Never lie. If you have done a mistake have the courage to accept your mistake, instead of trying to hide it or getting into arguments.
• Be the first person to take the initiative. Put your heart and soul in your job, when you go for summer placements.
• Be disciplined and punctual. Never take any leave.
• Strictly adhere to organizational decorum.
• As I mentioned earlier, this is the apt time to identify a mentor, who will be your guiding and inspirational force. Never try to put on a mask and show interest. They are seasoned professionals and your reputation will take a beating. Be genuine. Be yourself.
• Be in touch with your mentor and work on your weakness. This should be done throughout the program.
• If you have the habit of gossiping, work seriously on it. All relationships are built on trust. Trust is built up only once. It cannot be built again and again. Likewise during the course of your program never criticize any of your batch mates or professors.
• During the program, you will get lot of opportunities to make presentations. Take each presentation as a challenge and keep on raising your bar.
• Be mentally alert and focused on the program.
• In group presentations you may have to work with other candidates who are not known to you. Extend your full cooperation and take the responsibility of keeping the group bonded together. Each individual will have his idea. Genuinely congratulate your group member if he has come up with excellent points. It is natural to get discouraged if your points are not included in the presentation. Try to find out why the point is not relevant. Always remember that our learning process continues till death. Moreover when you start your career you will inevitably be part of a team. You cannot afford to create disharmony within the group.
• Be very careful whenever you speak. Choose your words with care. Never indulge in any kind of casual talk. Likewise ensure that you are well dressed and maintain good hygiene. Groom yourself to become a person who can be trusted.
• Work on your vocabulary. Keep a daily target and strictly adhere to it.
• Keep working on honing  your listening skills. There is a huge difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is done with the ears. Listening is done with the mind and the heart. Powerful listeners can create miracles.

The basic objective of having summer placements is to get exposed to what an organization is, how does it work, the role of each department and how the industry works as a whole. This is because most of the students are fresh from college and directly enroll for an MBA Program.

The second year is the time when you have to hone your skills in your line or function and ensure that you keep abreast of all the latest developments in that line.

Likewise during your final placements make a very careful choice. There are two critical points which you need to keep in mind. The first is the reputation of the organization. The second is the Human Resource Interventions that the organization has in place. All professional organizations have an individual career growth plan for each employee. They also have structured training programs to help the new employee develop his skill sets and also get him exposed to all the functions. Your first job is the most critical because it is going to determine the entire course of your career. When an organization selects an employee, it does so with a long term perspective in mind. Never make the mistake of job hopping. It is suicidal. As of today, job hopping is looked upon very negatively by all reputed players in the industry. Even an experience of five years in an organization,  makes the other company think. You need to have a really valid reason for quitting the organization.

My only advice to all  MBA students is to make the right choice in terms of their specialization. Once you make the right decision, believe me, it will be an eternal honeymoon for you.

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ACCENT NEUTRALIZATION-2

Posted by girish seshamani on July 5, 2010

In the first part of my article, I had introduced you to the importance of having a Neutral Accent, and where we stand as of now.

In this article, I shall cover the common issues with Indians and the steps to be taken to come to a Neutral Accent.

I will list down the common problems with Indian speakers in general:

Indian speakers of English are known to speak much faster than people in the West. This means that in many cases Indian speakers of English will make business communication difficult. We need to ensure that we understand and are understood.

Indians do not speak with their mouth fully open. As a result, the speech muscles get tight over a period of time, and the pronunciation gets severely affected. In other words we are not able to articulate properly.

Indians have a very fast rate of speech. The ideal speaking rate is between one hundred forty and one hundred sixty words per minute. Indians speak at anywhere between one hundred eighty to two hundred forty words per minute. At this speed, the listener is bound to lose the message. Take any article from a newspaper or magazine and work on your speed by reading it regularly. Read it for one minute. Keep a count of the number of words you read in one minute. Over a period of time you will automatically come to the right pace.

In the English Language, the vowels give the sound and therefore the stress has to be on the vowel sound, taking the syllable into consideration. Indians stress on the consonants because of which the word gets horribly mispronounced and this creates a huge communication barrier.

The consonant B is pronounced as P and vice versa

The consonant D is pronounced as T and vice versa

The consonant L is pronounced strongly

There is no distinction made between V and W sounds

The vowel U is pronounced without opening the mouth

There is no distinction made between the words, their, there and they while pronouncing it

The ‘th’ sound is not clear

The consonant T is not pronounced sharply

STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO COME TO A NEUTRAL ACCENT

To learn a new accent you need to listen to English again and again. It is not what you say, but how you say it, therefore, get familiar with the feel, tone and delivery of the accent. That adds a lot more meaning to what you say, rather that just the actual words.

Learning a new accent is making your subconscious mind conscious.

The critical thing to remember is to relax and speak in a flow, instead of speaking each word separately, to sound clear.  Pronunciation is governed by two factors, syllable stress and the vowel sound articulation.

Vowels and consonants come together and form syllables. Syllables give the word its pronunciation. Each syllable has a vowel sound and can have one or more consonants

Let us take an example:

Chair – This word is pronounced in one breath of air. It has only one syllable

Moment – This word cannot be pronounced in one breath of air. We take a pause while pronouncing the word. The place where we pause is exactly where the first syllable ends. It is broken down into parts,

Mo \ ment (2 syllables)

We can see that the first syllable has the vowel ‘O’ and the second syllable has the vowel ‘E’

Deliver – This word is broken down in three parts.

De \ li \ ver (3 syllables)

In this word, the first syllable has the vowel ‘E’ the second syllable has the vowel ‘I’ and the third syllable has the vowel ‘E’

As a rule of thumb, if a word has two syllables, stress on the first syllable. Likewise if a word has three syllables, stress on the second syllable.

Received Pronunciation is the most widely understood pronunciation. It is also referred to as Queen’s English or Oxford English.

The English Language uses over 45 basic sounds but has only 26 letters in the alphabet to represent them. This means that a word is not pronounced in the way it is written, unlike our mother tongue.

The International Phonetic Association (IPA) has laid down the pronunciation for each word. Special phonetic symbols are used to represent sounds. There are several accepted pronunciations for each word.

The Oxford Dictionary is very useful. The pronunciation is clearly mentioned for each word. Take the help of a professional who speaks the language well and practice your pronunciation.

Most poor pronunciations happen due to the omission of a sound altogether or swallowing of the last one or two alphabets.

Just to cite an example, if we take the word ‘going’ speakers often drop the last ‘g’

The ‘ch’ sound also creates lots of problems. If we take the word, chair, the ‘ch’ sound is strong whereas if we take the word, champagne, it is pronounced as ‘sh’ not ‘ch’

The ‘k’ is silent in the words, knight, knife and know

The letters ‘gh’ are silent in the words, height, might and right

The letter ‘l’ is silent in the words, should, could and would

Kindly note that the words mentioned above have been given purely for the purpose of understanding. Apart from the above words, there are lots of other words also where the ‘k’ is silent. The same applies to all the other examples also.

We need to breathe correctly for good modulation and rate of speech.

If we do not breathe properly, we cannot speak long sentences. An effective voice is possible only with an effective breath. Indians on the whole have a very poor breathing pattern which needs to be worked on.

BREATHING EXERCISES

Sit up straight

Relax your shoulders and arms

Drop your neck down with your chin touching the chest

Open the mouth and let the breath go in and out gently without exercising any kind of pressure

Do not make any noise while pulling in the breath

Take a quicker breath and then release it slowly

Repeat this exercise at least ten times

OTHER EXERCISES

Take a deep breath. Pronounce each alphabet from A till Z by throwing the air out. Initially you will feel lot of pressure on the chest. Do not give up. Keep on practicing this exercise.

With the tip of your tongue touch the back side of each tooth.

Hum any song which you like. Over a period of time you will notice a perceptible change in the quality of your voice.

As I have mentioned earlier, our goal should be to come as near as possible to the British Accent. In our country English is the second language. It is very critical to interact or listen to native speakers of English. The best channel is BBC News. Observe very carefully how the news readers pronounce the words, as in, the movement of the lip and the tongue.

Record your voice regularly which will help you to understand how far you have progressed and where you are going wrong.

To conclude, a poor speaker is often considered to be inept in all other areas also. People judge you not only by what you say, but how you say it.

HAPPY SPEAKING

ACCENT NEUTRALIZATION – 1

Posted by girish seshamani on July 3, 2010

OBJECTIVE

The first reaction of all professionals whenever I used to mention the importance of Accent Neutralization was one of sarcasm and smirk.

When I interacted with these professionals at length, I found one point in common. They were technically very sound in their function. Moreover they were proven performers. But somewhere down the line, the growth stopped. They probably never realized this or probably did not sit down and introspect where they should have been and where they are right now.

As we are all aware, the English Language has become the lingua franca linking businesses across the globe. So it becomes all the more imperative to be fluent in our speech. Fluency is a combination of many factors put together.

Fluency includes your pronunciation, intonation, and use of the right words, flow of language and the rate of speech.

Drawing from my experience of working with multinational organizations,

I have without exception, seen professionals at all levels, having a very limited vocabulary. Moreover the use of colloquial expressions and slang is on the higher side, which makes them look totally unprofessional.

Effective Communication is very simple to define. The target listener should understand the message, in the way you want him to comprehend. If there is a mismatch here, the very purpose of communication gets lost.

Professionals, who rise up the hierarchy very fast, are without exception excellent communicators.

Indians have a very strong regional influence while speaking. In professional parlance it is called as the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI)

When people speak with a very heavy regional accent, people get distracted because the pronunciation is not clear and the class aspect is lost. The net result is your image gets spoilt. I have seen umpteen cases, where professionals have a good vocabulary, but unfortunately their heavily accented English coupled with the rate of speech creates a huge barrier in the communication process, and their reputation also taking a beating.

Neutral Accent is nothing but globally understandable and comprehensible English Language. This means that a person from any part of the world should be able to understand what you are speaking without having to strain him or interrupt you.

People have this wrong notion that they need to imitate a certain accent, as in, American Accent or British Accent. There is absolutely no need to imitate any accent. Your English should be devoid of regional influence.

When professionals speak, using the right word, with excellent pronunciation, intonation and the ideal rate of speech, people perceive you as a classy person and you command lot of respect. Likewise, a very heavy accented pronunciation, puts off the listener, and thereby the very purpose of communication is lost.

Business today is very fast paced, and in order to survive and excel in this cutthroat competition, it is of utmost importance to articulate in diction, and, be globally understood.

Comprehensibility is therefore the ultimate focus.

Now I come to the most critical part. All MBA programs talk about lot of skill sets being developed over a period of two years, but no one talks about the importance of Neutral Accent. Moreover during the selection process, Neutral Accent becomes a very critical skill which is assessed, irrespective of the industry. Lot of people have the misconception that Neutral Accent is confined only to the BPO industry, which is totally wrong. Neutral Accent is not industry specific. It is an essential requirement across all industries and more importantly one of the most critical skills if you want to move up the hierarchy.

Your voice is the means by which you convey your inner thoughts and feelings to the outside world.  It is the outward expression of your inner self.

The English language, its structure and the accent or dialect changes from country to country.  Hence, it is very critical to speak in a globally comprehensible English dialect.

In the second part of this article, I shall cover the problems faced by Indians and the steps to be taken to come to a Neutral Accent.

MBA – GATEWAY TO A GREAT CAREER

Posted by girish seshamani on June 23, 2010

This is the time when lot of students who have given their CAT or MAT will make the most crucial decision of their career. Which B School should I join?

Drawing from my experience of over 20 years in training students for CAT\MAT and having done my MBA from one of the most reputed B School in India, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

Do not get trapped by the ‘herd mentality’

I often see students joining B schools, just because, all my friends are joining there, and so I will have company and feel comfortable.

I better take admission in my state itself. I do not want problems of relocation.

I got a call from this college. So obviously I am good. I will take admission there.

I have gone through the ratings given in so and so magazine.

I had a look at the website. It is superb.

I have seen regular advertisements in news papers and magazines. The facilities are top class.

Choosing your B School is going to determine the direction of your whole career. Before I come to the points you should keep in mind before joining a B School, I would like to share with you my personal experience. After my graduation, I started working. The social pressure to study further and acquire a professional qualification was enormous, but I did not succumb to it. I joined for the MBA program after working for five years with a reputed organization. I took the decision to enroll for an MBA Program only after honestly doing an introspection of my skill sets, and then identifying the function where I could make a mark. After this I consulted senior professionals from the industry and then narrowed down on doing my MBA. It was a well thought of and conscious decision.

I still clearly recollect those times when becoming a Chartered Accountant\Cost Accountant\Company Secretary was the ‘in thing’

I noticed every Tom Dick and Harry, joining coaching classes for CA\CS\ICWA

It boosted their ego when people asked them what they were doing. These very people took a hard beating when they could not clear the ‘Intermediate Exam’ which had two groups and four subjects under each group. They dropped the program, and then enrolled for a computer programming course because the IT industry was expected to boom in the near future. This was during the year (1994-96) when I was doing my MBA. All computer institutes came up with aggressive advertisements and marketing, quoting surveys and statistical figures. Students joined in huge numbers and the institutes minted money. These people somehow got a foothold, but found it very difficult to perform. The reason was simple. They were not cut out for that line or function.

I recollect the words of Osho Rajneesh who put it beautifully. He said, “In our country there is so much of unintelligence. This is because everybody is in somebody else’s place. One who has to become a doctor has become a carpenter and vice versa”

When I joined the program subsequently, I realized the huge leverage you get when you do your MBA after gaining some work experience. I was able to relate with and understand all concepts from a practical angle since I had valuable work experience. Work Experience also made me more level headed and mature.

My advice to all aspirants who want to acquire a professional degree would be to take a well informed decision. You can study at any age. Taking an impulsive decision because of social pressure will end up wrecking your career. You have to do an honest SWOT analysis of yourself. Get an honest feedback from your close circle of friends and relatives. Gather as much information as you can about programs which matches your skill sets. Consult professionals working in that line or function and get to know the growth pattern. After this exercise you can narrow down on the program and the institution from where you want to pursue the program. It need not necessarily be an MBA Program.

Candidates who have decided to join for an MBA Program need to exercise lot of care and caution.

It has become very fashionable nowadays for all and sundry to do a rating of B Schools in India, and term it as unbiased. Never take a decision based on the rankings that you see. It is totally superficial and does not give you the true picture.

From by observation, the Business World Magazine does a fantastic job. You have to get into the top 50 B Schools for your degree to be valued by the corporate world.

I often see students opting to write MAT instead of CAT, because MAT is less tough. Let me tell you there is no rocket science in CAT nor is it monstrous. From my perspective, there is absolutely no need to enroll for a coaching class, if you are disciplined.  Even if you put in two hours of focused study every day for two months, you can easily crack CAT with a high percentile. If you do not do well the first time, take it as a challenge to clear the CAT next time. Never compromise on the quality of the B School just because you did not get a valid CAT or MAT score. There are lots of B Schools in the top 50 who consider MAT scores also.

Do not get attracted by all the advertisements that you see in newspapers and magazines.

In India every nook and corner has got a B School. Ironically AICTE, the main governing body to give accreditation to start a B School, is itself mired in controversies. It is notorious for granting licenses to all and sundry by taking bribes. The Chairman of AICTE was arrested in the recent past and since then our HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal has taken over. With a dynamic person like him at the helm of affairs, the entire educational system will surely be revamped. But it will take time.

Never be under the wrong notion that if any B School has got an AICTE accreditation it is good. Similarly lots of advertisements are misleading by talking about affiliations, and tie ups with foreign universities.

The common features that you notice in every B School advertisement are more or less the same:

WI FI CONNECTIVITY (GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!!)

FREE LAPTOP   (COST OF THE LAPTOP IS INCLUDED IN THE FEES)

STATE OF THE ART CAMPUS (WE HAVE COME TO STUDY, NOT FOR SIGHT SEEING)

EXCELLENT FACULTY (DOING A GREAT FAVOUR. IT IS THE CRUX OF EDUCATION)

EMINENT GUEST LECTURERS (THEY COME ONCE IN A MONTH, BOAST ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, AND GIVE YOU SOME STUPID GYAN)

100% PLACEMENTS FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS (GOD KNOWS BETTER)

LIST OF COMPANIES WHO COME FOR CAMPUS PLACEMENTS

(DO NOT GET LURED BY BIG NAMES. THEY MIGHT HAVE TAKEN 1 OR 2 STUDENTS, A FEW YEARS BACK)

WELL RESEARCHED PEDAGOGY (WE ARE NOT COMING FOR A BEAUTY PAGEANT)

AIR CONDITIONED CLASSROOMS (COST INCLUDED IN THE FEES)

YOGA CLASSES, AEROBICS AND FULLY EQUIPPED GYMNASIUM (HAVE A SPA AND BEAUTY PARLOUR ALSO)

TIE UP WITH X BANK FOR LOANS (UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION!!!!!)

As I have already mentioned earlier, the best decision is to work for 4-5 years and then enroll for an MBA Program. If you are not able to make it to the TOP 50 B Schools, drop the idea of doing an MBA program. If you still go ahead and join the herd, you are not only wasting your parents’ hard earned money, you are digging your own grave. Your degree will just be a worthless piece of paper.

If you closely have a look at the advertisements of late in newspapers, given by reputed companies, they clearly specify that your MBA should be from a reputed B School.

Most of the students join the MBA Program for placements. I sometimes wonder, Are we so insecure, that we do not have faith in our abilities?

Assuming that you get an offer from a reputed company during the final placements please understand that you need to survive on the job. Your clock will start ticking the moment you join. This is because you have not exactly beaten the competition and come in. All placements happen because of relationships. You need to hone your soft skills. If you have excellent technical skills but lack soft skills you are in deep trouble.

I will list down qualities which come under Soft Skills:

• Integrity (It is a combination of honesty coupled with excellent mannerisms)
• Sound Character
• Loyalty
• Time Management
• Ability to work comfortably in teams
• Willingness to take responsibilities and be accountable
• Willingness to learn
• Ability to take criticism
• Excellent Oral Communication and Listening Skills
• Emotional Stability
• Calm and Composed Temperament
• Trustworthiness
• Punctuality
• Energetic
• Open Mindedness
• Humility
• Ability to multi task
• Personal Hygiene
• Well Dressed
• Perseverance
• Strictly adhering to organizational decorum
• Decision Making
• Analytical bend of mind

Before I sign off, I wish all you a great career. And yes, when you get into your dream B School, do not forget to treat me to a cup of tea.

B-school admissions: Real IIM GD topics

Posted by TCYonline.com on June 10, 2010