getting into PLACEMENT COMMITTEE: An INGREDIENT to MBA DIDACTICS

            Starting the journey at a Master of Business Administration (MBA) College buds plenty of hopes and wants. The time moves on with a life which sounds hectic. But if observed minutely, it’s full of exposure, inculcating lots of experience and moreover elucidating an enigma within us. Looking beyond knowledge through lectures, an MBA college comprises of many committees and clubs. The one which happens to be the dream of many is being a member of ‘The Placement Committee’. 

           Generally, at MBA Colleges placement process is a student driven process. This is undertaken by ‘The Placement Committee’, under the able guidance of the faculty advisers and the Placement Office of the Institute. Being a part and parcel of this Committee is neither impossible (as one’s belief and working towards that goal can make anything possible) nor a cake walk. Elaborative views on the normally followed steps for getting selected for the same are mentioned as under:

  (1)   Filling the Application form:

It might come into the mind that, ‘why this obvious point has been included?’ The fact is that it’s the first step of exploring an opportunity. Although thinking on different aspect is required, but implementation is the major step in any field of management. Many students use to miss this opportunity either by getting into the loops of thinking or not prioritizing their wants.

  (2)   The First actual elimination:

Those few who dared to sustain the factual elimination round (i.e. filling the Application form), here comes the actual elimination round. It comprises of dozens of assignments having stringent specifics and moreover, tight deadline.

Why Stringent and Why Tight?

Answer to both the question is testing individual’s future commitment with constraints.

Many might find it harsh and difficult to manage, when

§  there are plenty of pre-reads for lectures

§  the season of assignments have begun

§  surprise quizzes have already started intimidating

§  interviews of other clubs and committees have already been started (which too need to be taken into consideration as a back-up for ‘The Placement Committee’)

§  seminars, conclaves and lecture series have started utilizing(consuming) the whole time

The managerial tactics comes into picture under these circumstances. Realization of the facts and folklore of management have already started sowing the seeds.

  (3)   Team work round

To be precise it’s a test of more of your team work rather than the group work (a team comprises of a set of people having different skill sets, while a group consists of people having similar skill sets). It helps to learn gathering information, dividing work, listening to each others view points and finally implementing the same.

  (4)   Presentation Skill

The main aim is to ‘Present’ your capabilities in a way to ‘Represent’ your college. The overall process is designed to test the look & feel of individual’s effort, the heart & will of joining ‘The Placement Committee’ and need not mention the depth & skill in preparing the presentation.

  (5)   Rigorous Interviews

Interviews are taken into two parts:

a)      By Senior Placement Committee

Seriously depicting, the interviews are conducted in such a way that will project ‘A to Z’ of an individual.

Why you? Why MBA? Strengths and weaknesses? What extra? Family? Background? How will you project your college? Why your college? What’s the specialty in the students? Negotiation skill? Crtical questions which you won’t have imagined? Questions which need diplomatic answers.

Numerous such questions and situations are fired one after the other, as if Darwin’s theory of ‘Survival of the fittest’ is being tested.

The perception after the interview gets over: “I wasn’t grilled this much even at the time of getting to the college”. But it’s required to scan every bit and pieces of an individual. If these steps are not followed, it may create a disaster at later point of time.

b)     By Faculties and Professors

This is a Human Resource (HR) round with genuine questions. Few of the questions are expected and rest of them is random. The faculty uses their experience to judge an individual and its worth.

  (6)   Result Declaration

After all these days, the most awaiting results are announced with few happy faces ready to take up the challenge.

  

            The real future master in Business administration is the one who even after getting selected stays humble and down to earth. All the students in the college should be treated equally by them. Managing one’s own studies along with all those Placement Committee’s work is the biggest challenge, when you have exams coming, assignments pending, summer and final placement dates approaching. The main target is in bringing the best possible companies for recruitment. At the same time, the committee also makes sure that prospective employers get a fair chance to select the students of their choice. All those skills on which they are judged upon during the selection process, this is the correct time for implementation. The placement team works throughout the year to make these events successful. Also, this gives practical exposure to the students. All these concurrent tasks help in bringing out the best manager out of an individual. Positive mind-set and commitment is the key to success. Hence, it can be concluded that getting into The Placement Committee is an ingredient to MBA didactics.