ABC of B-school Placements
It's often mentioned within B-school realms that a MBA education is a road to success. And success has by and large been quantified in financial terms - both on campus and in the media. This has distorted the image of B-school institutions and makes them appear as glorified Placement Agencies, rather than an apostle of a responsible leadership building institution.
A-B-C of B-School Placements
The fallout of the larger than life depiction of a B-school education is that the end has come to justify the means. Therefore Placement day, weekend, week, month/s - Duration varies in direct proportion to the ranking of the institution - has taken centre stage.
Most of the brouhaha is at times created by the course participants themselves because the placement activities are usually driven by the student community in Indian B-schools. I guess there is no better way to exhibit a go-getter attitude than taking up the cudgels of one's own career.
Thus the students decide the “Most Favoured Notion” status given to different career opportunities. Hence we arrive at the ABC of B-school Placements which read as - "Abroad", "Banks" and "Consulting" - usually in this precedence.
Not that there is anything wrong in this sequence of preferences because given the basic disposition that is expected out of B-school grads, Return on Investment is very high on the consideration list. So while self “aggrandization” is becoming socially acceptable, there is a creeping need for responsible leadership which is catching steam. And this aspect needs to be inculcated in the Placement process.
Learnings from the Recession - Day 1 ready MBA grads
The hopefully just-about-ending recession has sprung up a huge opportunity to look inwards in every aspect of life - so the application of its learning in B-school placements is just a corollary.
The lesson for the grads, student placement cell members and the recruiting companies is in demanding or creation of better job content, better cross industry exposure, clarity in career paths and concrete roadmap from incubation to harvesting of talent.
B-school faculty on their side need to focus on how to provide talent that is Day 1 ready for the industry (or entrepreneurial field). As Ram Charan points out, lack of clarity about balance sheets is a malaise in most of the top corporate boards; the expectation is to stem it right from the inflow point into an organization. The very reason a B-school grad is elevated in an organization is a composite knowledge repository and an ability to acquire & process information more rapidly than others. And in this quest, understanding balance sheets and pecuniary aspects of business is foremost on the expectation list. This area needs massive overall in the education process and is a significant quality gate during the Placement season for recruiters.
The second most important quality gate is the course material and experience building process within a B-school education that makes a future manager sensitive to social, environmental and humanity related issues. This can then form the true basis for not just excellent placements or leapfrogging on to the success ladder but a real take-away for the community at large - which can then better appreciate the thick pay slips.
So let there be light at the end of the placement season and let it be a celebration of a new batch of game changers rather than opportunistic marauders flooding the job market.
A-B-C of B-School Placements
The fallout of the larger than life depiction of a B-school education is that the end has come to justify the means. Therefore Placement day, weekend, week, month/s - Duration varies in direct proportion to the ranking of the institution - has taken centre stage.
Most of the brouhaha is at times created by the course participants themselves because the placement activities are usually driven by the student community in Indian B-schools. I guess there is no better way to exhibit a go-getter attitude than taking up the cudgels of one's own career.
Thus the students decide the “Most Favoured Notion” status given to different career opportunities. Hence we arrive at the ABC of B-school Placements which read as - "Abroad", "Banks" and "Consulting" - usually in this precedence.
Not that there is anything wrong in this sequence of preferences because given the basic disposition that is expected out of B-school grads, Return on Investment is very high on the consideration list. So while self “aggrandization” is becoming socially acceptable, there is a creeping need for responsible leadership which is catching steam. And this aspect needs to be inculcated in the Placement process.
Learnings from the Recession - Day 1 ready MBA grads
The hopefully just-about-ending recession has sprung up a huge opportunity to look inwards in every aspect of life - so the application of its learning in B-school placements is just a corollary.
The lesson for the grads, student placement cell members and the recruiting companies is in demanding or creation of better job content, better cross industry exposure, clarity in career paths and concrete roadmap from incubation to harvesting of talent.
B-school faculty on their side need to focus on how to provide talent that is Day 1 ready for the industry (or entrepreneurial field). As Ram Charan points out, lack of clarity about balance sheets is a malaise in most of the top corporate boards; the expectation is to stem it right from the inflow point into an organization. The very reason a B-school grad is elevated in an organization is a composite knowledge repository and an ability to acquire & process information more rapidly than others. And in this quest, understanding balance sheets and pecuniary aspects of business is foremost on the expectation list. This area needs massive overall in the education process and is a significant quality gate during the Placement season for recruiters.
The second most important quality gate is the course material and experience building process within a B-school education that makes a future manager sensitive to social, environmental and humanity related issues. This can then form the true basis for not just excellent placements or leapfrogging on to the success ladder but a real take-away for the community at large - which can then better appreciate the thick pay slips.
So let there be light at the end of the placement season and let it be a celebration of a new batch of game changers rather than opportunistic marauders flooding the job market.
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