Campus placements mark the final phase of a student’s life at a B-school. Many students enter an MBA programme looking for better career opportunities and are exposed to significantly better opportunities than will come their way otherwise. This makes it very crucial for students to do well at the selection processes on campus and secure that dream job.
Getting the basics right is the most important factor. Corporate recruiters visit campuses in the hope of recruiting their next wave of leaders and managers.
Get ready for interview by paying attention to your attire, body language, communication skills and general awareness. Work on improving on them from day one.
Perfect attire and good body language play a major role in creating a positive first impression with recruiters. Similarly, time spent on improving one’s communication skill and general awareness is time well spent.
Your attitude
In the current economic environment, where knowledge gets obsolete at a rapid pace, it is imperative for students to possess the right learning attitude. In fact, this factor is given the highest priority by recruiters also, as they expect their employees to be able to cope with the fast-changing business scenarios.
ARKS Srinivas, alumnus of IIM-Kolkata, says, “We have always given high priority to the need for developing the right attitude. With our extensive mentor network of industry experts, we have developed an Attitute Skill building and Knowledge (ASK) approach for building our curriculum. We believe that attitude forms the core requisite for a successful career, and that continuous skill-building and knowledge acquisition are expected by most employers today.”
The next aspect relates to preparation for the company selection process. The most common recruitment process followed by companies is to conduct an aptitude test followed by group discussions and personal interviews.
The aptitude tests and GDs help shortlist candidates, whereas the personal interviews enable recruiters to identify individuals’ strengths and weaknesses and make an informed selection. Students must find out company-specific selection process elements from seniors and peers and prepare for these in order to ace them.
Personal interview
The most crucial aspect of performing well during placement season is knowing how to handle yourself during a personal interview. Doing really well will require going beyond communication skills and understanding oneself. One should spend some time and make efforts to understand the industry and nature of the business the company is dealing in; ponder over the role that one is being interviewed for and come up with ideas and suggestions one would implement if he or she were hired. Even accurately identifying and explaining personality traits that will help you succeed in the job offered might impress the recruiters.
The key to such preparation will require reaching out to mentors and people who know the industry and can give you insights. At the end of the day, given the intensely competitive scenario, students need to prepare seriously for campus interviews in order to make the most of placement opportunities while on campus.
The writer is the dean of academics at Vanguard Business School.
