“What women want” is a subject that has been debated at length since the beginning of time and I understand that the jury is still out.
A relatively simpler but equally important question, one I feel better qualified to speak about, is what companies look for in the MBA students who apply for entry level positions on campus. Since I teach at a business school, this question often comes up for discussion with students. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject.
Selecting Management Trainees is a tricky business. A firm’s long-term leadership pipeline development starts with this process. Most companies know that only a certain percentage of those who join at this level will be around, twenty or so years later, to handle critical positions across businesses and functions. That’s exactly what makes MT selection all the more important.
While firms differ in their technical requirements, there is a fairly consistent set of “soft” factors that most recruiters will look for when bringing fresh talent into the company. I’ve attempted to put down some of these, the ones I think are standouts and common to most firms and may not be very obvious to the candidates. What is not covered here are the core functional elements, subject matter knowledge and so on, which are pre-requisites for every recruiter.
Drive and Passion: In the corporate world or for that matter in any professional environment, things get done by a combination of solid business logic and the drive and passion of the people involved. A perfectly built plan will succeed only when the execution is flawless for which committed and driven people are a must have. There are unlimited challenges that businesses face every minute of every day and it’s easy to lose heart and pack it in. But firms that keep innovating, growing endlessly and out performing their peers over the long term, are inevitably there because of a disproportionately high number of executives and managers who never back down and keep marching on.
Companies coming to campus look for evidence of passion and self- motivation in the students they meet. Strong results in major state or national level competitions, participation in voluntary work of a significant nature and over a long period of time, the launch of entrepreneurial ventures that have flourished over a few years, proficiency in a musical instrument or sport that has been built since childhood. These are a few of the many possible markers of a passionate individual. One who persists through setbacks and reversals.
Tip for students: Power up your resumes with these achievements and showcase them during the interviews. Create a superb “you”, then share your story with enthusiasm. Remember, every great ad campaign starts with a great product.
Curiosity and General Awareness: Business is never run in a linear fashion. There is an unlimited list of happenings and events from all over the world that could impact a business, sometimes turn it on its head. In the current world scheme of things, any event can have global impact due to the speed of information transfer. We’re literally watching the world live from our living rooms whether it’s news on CNN, NDTV or on a website.
Being curious about and aware of the changes unfolding constantly around you and how these impact your business, is now considered a pre-requisite for business and corporate success. Companies will inevitably check the candidates to see how clued in they are to current events. Nothing can be more annoying than a student who “confesses” that he / she does not read newspapers and has no awareness of the major events of the day. Many students try to pass off this question by citing the internet as their information source. A quick follow up question about specific websites or news feeds will expose the lie.
Tip for students: If you don’t read a newspaper every day, then start doing so from today. Or sign up for a news feed from any of the major news channels, most of which deliver daily updates about our world as things happen. This will broaden your understanding of what could impact your business and almost certainly give you an edge over your fellow applicants.
Career Plans: It is true that even the best laid plans can change. But ploughing through life without any plan or purpose is not a more acceptable alternative. Companies know that over a long career spanning 25++ years, there will be lots of zigging and zagging. Candidates who have given a thought to what they want to achieve in their professional lives would be quickly marked for a more detailed chat. No company expects a candidate to have planned his career in excruciating, year by year detail. But they definitely expect that students have given adequate thought to what they want to learn, contribute, deliver and achieve. I don’t mean merely the designations on the org chart you aspire for but the experiences and milestones that are sought and what you want to be known for. Having this clarity and being conscious of what it entails, makes the candidate far more attractive as a prospective employee.
Tip for students: Don’t wait till the final interview to discuss your career goals and aspirations. The resume is a great place to start articulating your thoughts on this subject and could become the basis of a detailed conversation when you meet the panel.
Knowing what companies want is only a starting point for students. The real work of creating your strategy to pip the competition on campus needs to start now.
Get moving and good luck.