Speech at School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL), November 30, 2013
Recruitment season is a crucial period for MBA student. It is a moment of truth when you aim for your dream job that will give you an attractive payback on all the investment of time and effort you have made into getting into a MBA program and then sustaining yourself through it. It is like playing the final overs of a One-Day cricket match. Those final overs are often the difference between victory and defeat. Now there are some people who play the final overs better and have a special knack of finishing the match. There is no better finisher in world cricket than MS Dhoni. So the inspiration for my talk today is how you can find the MS Dhoni within yourselves and finish the MBA program on a real high.
I am going to share 6 learnings that can help you prepare yourselves for recruitment. These are based on my 15 years experience as a recruiter and reflect what I think recruiters look for in MBA students.
1. Be clear on your purpose
One of the major put-offs for recruiters is a confused interviewee. MBA students sometimes don’t seem to have clarity on their career goals and end up “going all over the place” in interview discussions. Moreover, MBA students often end up extending themselves very thin and applying for all possible companies coming to campus, thus not being able to focus. Friends, it is imperative that you take time with yourself to introspect and be clear about your choices.
When I was graduating from IIM Lucknow in 1996, success for me was about getting the best job. And, how did I define the best job – company that had the best brand, offered the best compensation, and where I saw my peer group joining or wanting to join. 17-18 years after graduation, do I think those were wrong objectives? I don’t think they were wrong, but in hindsight they were not sufficient. Career is not a sprint; it is a multi-stage obstacle course. When you take a longer term view of your career, additional perspectives start becoming important. Money and Position are important. However, if you are just focused on them, you will be stuck in a ‘rat race’. Whatever you achieve will never be enough, you will always want more. This never ending cycle can become very stressful.
To achieve sustained feeling of success and happiness, it is important that you not only focus on jobs that pay the best, but balance that with what you love doing (your passions) and what you are good at (your skills). I believe magic can happen when you find the “Sweet Spot” where your passions, skills and opportunities come together.
At the intersection of these three forces, you realize the powerful and sustained purpose of your life. That leads to tremendous energy and a reinforcing cycle that leads to both professional impact and personal satisfaction. Finding your “sweet spot” is not easy. It can be a long journey that requires patience. However, it is important that you start asking yourselves these questions now. You might not get all the answers. However, it will certainly help you to focus your energies and to articulate your choices better to the interviewers.
2. Bring out your positive attitude
Most recruiters value attitude over technical or functional knowledge. They know that they will need to train you on the specifics of the job so they don’t expect you to know everything. However, they want people who will be adaptable and can adjust well in the dynamic, every changing environment that is now there in most industries. Therefore, they expect you to demonstrate energy, enthusiasm and a “can do” attitude. They like “glass half full” type of people. So dig within yourself and bring your sunny side out.
3. Demonstrate interest in the company
All recruiters have bit of an ego. They like to see that you are genuinely interested in their company and have made the effort to understand it. Please do take the time to research the company you are interviewing. Reach out to friends and alumni working in the company and learn from them about not just the job but also the business and culture of the company. This preparation will help you ask thoughtful questions in the interview, which most interviewers appreciate. However, at the same time please don’t ask questions just for the sake of asking them!!
4. Be authentic
While it is important to understand what different companies look for and prepare yourselves, it is also very important that you remain authentic and true to yourselves. You should be yourself and not put on an act. Experienced recruiters can figure out very quickly when you put up an act. It is very difficult to switch from Personality A to B to C. That causes a lot of confusion. Your best bet is to trust your instincts and just be yourself. M.S.Dhoni is a great example of being authentic. He trusts his instincts and makes unconventional choices, and these often turn out to be winning moves!!
5. Relax
Recruitments can be an emotional roller coaster. It can put a lot of pressure. It feels like the moment of truth when all of our hope and aspirations and those of our families and friends are going to come to fruition. This can put a lot of pressure of you. While some amount of tension if good, it is important that you relax and don’t let the hype and hysteria that often happens in the recruitment season to get to you. One of the biggest sources of stress is comparison with friends – “he has already got this great job while I have not”. It is important that you don’t get into comparisons with others and stay centered within yourself.
You need to be realistic that you will not be able to avoid stress totally. Therefore, it is important that you learn some stress coping techniques. The way I try to relax and center myself before any important activity – whether it is a meeting, a speech, or a squash match – is to meditate and do some positive visualization. I am sure all of you have your own ways of coping with stress – whether it is meditation, sports or listening to music. So, practice your favorite stress coping techniques regularly and stay relaxed like our Captain Cool Dhoni!!
6. Be resilient and have a back-up plan
Recruitments are unpredictable. You would hope that you get your “Dream Job” at first go. However, you have to be prepared for the possibility that it might not always happen. You should not let short-term disappointments get to you. Career is a long, multi-stage roller-coaster, sometimes you go up and sometimes you go down. Even if you don’t get the best start, heavens are not going to fall. When I look at my MBA class, most people irrespective of the first job they got through placement have done very well in their careers.
You should take confidence from the fact that India is a long-term growth economy. There are lots of opportunities out there. Just be patient, positive and persistent and something good will certainly come up. However, make sure that you don’t put all your eggs in the same basket. Aim for a Dream Job but don’t get obsessed about it. Do prepare a back-up plan in case the Dream Job does not materialize.
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I am confident there is a great future ahead of all of you. You don’t need to re-invent yourselves for recruitments. The skills and competencies you already have should be good enough in most cases. You just need to ensure that you are bringing your best, your “A-game” to the recruitment process. Just reflect on the 6 tips I have shared with you today and make the necessary refinements. I wish that all of you are able to bring out the MS Dhoni within yourself and finish the game on a winning note!!
All the very best!!
