Strive.. the path way to glory.. The Journey..
Harshad Deshpande
I passed out in 2013 not with high hopes but fully confused about the state of affairs in the corporate world. Having no prior work experience I was wondering whether there is any demand for market research in India. At first I was confused whether to go for Market Research or for Sales. Eventually I realised from the gruel some and onerous case studies that you made us do that Market Research is a far complicated field and I am not going to fit in such an analytical mind game. So I chose Sales.
I remember in early 2013, companies were coming for placement to the campus in Business Development and Sales. I was not able to clear either the aptitude test or the GD or the interviews. I could not understand what expectations of the corporate segment people had from me. The companies seem to be looking for more sophisticated individuals, they were not looking for bookworms but they were looking for applicants with a particular sense of attitude which sets them apart from other graduates. So I sat out many placement opportunities instead focussing on the numerous projects that we were being given at the end of the 4th semester.
March 2013 and I was unplaced and students were preparing to go home with their offer letters. There was a lot of socialising during that time period but not for those who were still not placed. It was a very desperate situation as there was no surety whether one would be placed or not. And students were still choosing companies offering better pay packages.
It was during this tumultuous time that I left the campus to get placed as a Management trainee for Rs. 20,000/month in Hyderabad selling drinking water equipment to corporates. The product was newly launched and it did not have a strong value proposition so I left within 6 month after travelling across Hyderabad.
I went back to my parents` in Chandigarh to work in an Events Management company as I aspired to go into music marketing. Although this trainee job was more activating than the previous one but this was an unorganised sector with every player having an anything goes attitude. The unprofessional approach to business made me quit this line and this industry for good.
March 2014, I was unemployed again. So now I began to reorganise my goal and career objective in life. All my aspirational career options could not satisfy me then which is the industry in India which can provide both job security as well as motivation and which was big enough to create enough job opportunities? BANKING
But I had opted for Marketing as specialisation in my MBA. Since my current liking was towards banking I began to take coaching for Bank PO exams. And simultaneously I am also undergoing another Post Graduate Diploma in Banking from Times Pro to clear my basics as well as to get a hang on Retail Banking, Business Banking, FINACLE, Wealth Management etc.
The financial institute (training centres) coaching were more of exam centric and I hope to get placed with private sectors banks in the country soon.
I always felt IBS case study methodology prepare students more for Upper and Middle Management and needs to also focus basics of entry level management which can help fresher`s.
One good point to be noted about the IBS program is the various presentations that we had to frequently make. This has helped most of the students to gain confidence and marketability which other graduates do not possess. This is the main differentiating point of IBS students which set them apart from others. Also the case studies have definitely helped us to broaden our outlook to every business problem. I know what it means to belong to a Tier 1 institute which IBS can rightfully call itself.
At the point where choosing path is always difficult, making decision is tough we always have one question in mind "was it right or wrong".
Why we go wrong - because we tend to place too much weight on the information in front of us. Without stopping to ask what else we need to know in order to make sound assessments and accurate predictions.
Its Not the How or the What But The Who
Harshad Deshpandey
Batch - 2013
Campus - IBS Hyderabad