MBA Lecture SeriesBuilding a Profile after BITS Pilani : MBA Lecture Series Building a Profile after BITS Pilani By
Abhinav Gattani (98A7)
Prerna Goel (98A7)
Agenda – Session 2 : Agenda – Session 2 Introduction- Abhinav Gattani
What are business school’s looking for?
Work Experience – Crucial Element
Work Experience – Nuts n Bolts
What kind of job should I take?
Qandamp;A
Introduction – Abhinav Gattani : Introduction – Abhinav Gattani Completed under graduation in B.E. (Hons) Computer Science in 2002
Worked with Oracle Corporation for 3 years in US, India and Germany
MBA Class of 2007 at Kellogg School of Management
Summer Internship in 2006 at Goldman Sachs in London in Investment Banking
What are business school’s looking for? : What are business school’s looking for?
Work Experience – Crucial Element : Work Experience – Crucial Element Single most important element of the application
Emphasis on
Nature of Work Experience
Length of Work Experience
Achievements and Impact at Work
Team and Individual Leadership Capabilities
No perfect pre-MBA job
Business Schools want to get the best and most diverse class of students!
Work Experience – Nuts n Bolts : Work Experience – Nuts n Bolts Nature of Work Experience
Many students take traditional feeder industry route – Accounting, Investment Banking, Consulting, High Tech
Others like journalists, government administrators, managers of art galleries, armed forces, research scientists bring an unusual but valued experience
Not clear which of the above two paths is more likely to help gain acceptance
Length of Work Experience
Most schools look for quality over quantity
Optimal length depends on school, region and nature of job e.g. American schools take younger applicants than European schools
3 to 5 years post undergrad is the average at most top American schools
Work Experience – Nuts n Bolts : Work Experience – Nuts n Bolts Achievements and Impact at Work
Key is not what industry, firm, job or length BUT WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH!
Schools look for traits like successfully taking on responsibility, managing people, projects andamp; assets, perform complicated analysis, wrestle with difficult decisions, bring about change, career progression etc
Team and Individual Leadership Capabilities
Leader beyond titles and formal designation
What kind of job should I take? : What kind of job should I take? Again, there is no perfect pre MBA job
Take the one you most excited about, you would do better at it
Look at industry + firm + function + job responsibilities
Avoid the 'bandwagon effect'
Good to work for brand name firms but not the only thing that matters
Focus on individual and team leadership opportunities
Higher likelihood at smaller firms
Focus on continuous self assessment and career progression
Understand that
'Indian – IT – Male' is the most competitive category
'Indian – Female' is the most favorable category
Financial Services, Retail, Government, Energy, Consulting from India are under represented at business schools and offer exciting work opportunities
Agenda- Session 3 : Agenda- Session 3 Introduction – Prerna Goel
Building a complete profile
Things to do outside job
Examples
Pre- Reading
Life after MBA
Career Choices
India vs. US vs. Rest of the World
Qandamp;A
Introduction : Introduction BE(hons) Computer Science in 1998
Member of DOT, HDC,HPC,EDC
Worked at Texas Instruments for 3 years
Worked in a small Financial Services Company for 6 months
MBA in Queen’s School of Business
Majored in Finance
Working at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Toronto
Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading
Building a Profile : Building a Profile Things to do outside of work
Importance of a 'Complete Package' – Set yourself apart- Be Unique
Pursue a hobby, participate in sports, be part of a community organization
Be a part of various yahoo groups to get guidance – bits2bschool is a great example
Examples
Theatre, Social Work, Music – whatever you like!
Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading
Pre-Read : Pre-Read Be aware of what’s happening in the world
Newspapers, Magazines, TV Channels
Follow blogs maintained by current MBA students
All the inside scoop on 'Life as an MBA student'
Read books- Some excellent online sources
http://www.12manage.com/
http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/
http://www.quickmba.com/ Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading
Post MBA : Post MBA Plethora of opportunities:
Finance – Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, Commercial Banking, Corporate Finance, Retail Banking ,…
Consulting – Management, IT, Strategy, Supply Chain,…
Marketing, Sales, Strategy
Human Resources
Business Development, IT
And the list goes on … Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading
Location : Location India
IIMs, ISB, XLRI, MDI etc
US
Rest of the world
Canada, Europe, Australia
Factors:
1yr vs. 2 yrs
Long term goals
Opportunities, Economy
Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading
Slide15 :
Q andamp; A Introduction Building a Profile Post-MBA Location Qandamp;A Pre-Reading