MBA is the hottest career
option today. No study needs to confirm this fact. In fact most of the
graduates in India, whether they be Engineers, Architects, Accountants,
Commerce or Science graduates, even Doctors have put an MBA as the preferred
option to pursue after their graduation. Whether that is good or bad is a
separate point of discussion altogether. The industry however feels that many
of the management graduates passing each year are not up to the mark and lack
employable skills and work attitude.
In the following lines, I try
to enlist some key characteristics that an employer/organization would look for
in a prospective employee that happens to be a management graduate.
- Initiative
The young MBAs need to
understand that whatever institute they pass out from and how much of a
strategic thinker they might be, they will still need to get their hands dirty!
They will have to work on ground to learn the nuances of their
organization/product/services, before they can even think of ‘strategic plans’.
They will need to work hard & work smart. Initiative also means proactively
working towards betterment for the function and the company you work for. Very important
is the passion for your organization, and your work. And to prove that passion
and hard working nature, a little extra thing outside of your defined KRA would
help. Your willingness & enthusiasm to work on new projects/challenges is
bound to make your boss/organization happy.
- Ability to contribute from day one
You may have gone through the
rigor of the best MBA and might know the Kotler by heart, but that does not
necessarily mean you are employable. An example is that you could be missing knowledge
about a simple skill like photocopying, which might be one of your first tasks
or be a part of your first task! A very good grasp on technology related tools
and ease of working on applications like MS Office would be extremely
important. Now this might or might not be in your MBA syllabus. Also very important
are your people skills. You would be asked to deal with team members, internal
teams, external agencies, vendors, customers etc. without much information
about the organization and its processes. If you can ‘get work done through
others’ at that instant, you are on the right path to be a ‘manager’.
- Right communication skills
In the current scenario,
communication skills can make or break your corporate life. Although many
B-schools are now laying a lot of stress on building their student’s communication
skills, this is still one of the sore points of most management graduates. Not
just restricted to ability to speak in English (which of course is required),
it also encompasses listening skills, writing skills, and reading &
comprehension skills. The ability to think clearly and communicate it concisely
& precisely is the backbone of good communication.
- Right Values and ethics
Now, you might have the best
of abilities and skills, but everything else is downright useless if you do not
possess the moral values and ethics towards your organization, your colleagues,
your environment, and the society at large. ‘Profit’ at any cost is thing of
the past. And it has more to do with having a heart of gold. Companies with
profit as motive are now seen as shortsighted. Having these kind of values
ensure certain credibility for you as a person and that helps you get
responsibilities and thus grow.
- Willingness to learn
Yes, you might be the topper
of your class or might have won numerous business plan writing contests, but real
corporate life is not a management course! When working in an organization, be
open to learning. And not just from your superiors, but your peers, and juniors
also. On the job learning is something that will go a long way for you.
- Academic fundamentals
Ok, so those of you were
starting to think that everything you learnt in your MBA was not worth
anything, relax! These fundamentals will be useful; in fact it is time that you
now use these fundas on practical problems. For that to happen you need to
remember what you learnt and keep on brushing the same.
- Stay updated
World as we know, is changing
by the second & new technologies evolve and become outdated with a blink. Stay
updated on the current trends in your area of work and everything that could relate
to it. Also, you ought to be updated at least superficially about the world and
happenings in general. More than anything else, it could just help you start an
interesting and educated conversation!
- Multi-tasking
Something that your hiring
manager might or might not tell you, but is bound to happen. So be prepared to
multi-task multiple projects simultaneously with equal attention and
efficiency! Which means you should be good at adjusting to different work
conditions, managing your time by setting priorities and channeling the efforts
of your team.
- Working under pressure
An aspect of corporate world
that goes without saying. Today the situations in organizations are worse than
a pressure cooker. Complex products/services, changing consumers, competition,
coupled with your personal pressure to perform, should not be too much to
handle. When in a pressure situation, deal with it logically and calmly. Look
up to advice from your experienced team members. Believe it or not, it might be
a little difficult in the start but eventually you will get used to it, and may
be start enjoying it too!
- Be honest
Well, somebody was right when
he said that ‘honesty is the best policy’. Remember, your superiors know that
are not too experienced and are bound to make mistakes. What they are looking
in for is genuine effort and the right attitude. Even if you fail at something,
be honest and acknowledge that you failed, but more importantly take home a
learning. Down the line you are bound to succeed if you work with the same
zeal!
