The Hindu Business Line : Mr Balaji Chandrakumar, Associate Vice-President, Expertus HR Pvt Ltd; Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology

Industry & Economy - Education
Columns - BL Club
States - Tamil Nadu
Mr Balaji Chandrakumar, Associate Vice-President, Expertus HR Pvt Ltd; Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology

New theme: Mr Balaji Chandrakumar, Associate Vice-President, Expertus HR Pvt Ltd, addressing students of the Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology as part of the BL Club lecture series.

Our Bureau

Chennai, Nov. 6

If the past couple of years of economic cheer have been full of opportunity for young graduates, the coming months are likely to be tough with organisations applying the brakes on recruitment. Under the circumstances, students would have to equip themselves better to impress the recruiters and land jobs.

According to Mr Balaji Chandrakumar, Associate Vice-President, Expertus HR Pvt Ltd, students would have to groom themselves for jobs and should be able to make a difference to their organisations from day one.

Mr Chandrakumar was addressing students of the Rajiv Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology as part of the BL Club lecture series, presented by Indian Overseas Bank.

Said Mr Chandrakumar: “My address would have been very different if I were speaking to you six months ago, when the demand for qualified manpower was high. Every organisation was on a recruitment spree. Today, on the contrary, most organisations seem to have slowed down their recruitment. Many have even witnessed retrenchments. Many organisations which had made offers during the campus recruitments have not honoured their commitments. In fact, even lateral entry offers are being delayed and in some cases deferred; understandably so. The economic and corporate scenario has changed significantly in the past six months. This surely poses a significant challenge to graduating MBAs.”

According to him, the recruitment process would get tougher. Corporates were unlikely to be satisfied with ‘qualified candidates’. They (corporates) would seek well-groomed talent who were ready to perform.

So, what should a student of management studies do to ensure he/she is successful in the current scenario?

According to Mr Chandrakumar there were a handful of ways in which students could equip themselves for the challenges posed by a tight job market.

First, they should shift the focus of their preparations from examinations to development. Decrying the student community’s focus on campus placements he urged them to lay emphasis on developing knowledge, skills and abilities.

Second, he urged them to read beyond their text books. “The overall development of a college student cannot happen through text books and lecture notes alone. It is important for students to increase their sources for learning. For example, newspapers, reference Web sites and books will not only help students to understand a management concept, but also appreciate the real life application of a concept without which students remain students and do not grow up to become effective in their professional career. Going beyond books would give them perspectives on the need for a management concept, its application and its misapplication too.”

Setting goals early and learning how to present themselves in the best possible way were some of the other skills that aspiring candidates should work towards.

Lastly, he urged them to review their thoughts. “Hard work breeds success! Unfortunately, hard work cannot guarantee success,” he said.

There may even be instances when despite their efforts, students have not achieved success. “Those are situations when you may have to check your own thought process. History proves that great people have succeeded after facing failure. Failures are temporary. What you think about yourself will define permanence. Develop right thoughts about yourself and the people around you. After all, you become who you think you are. Think positive, stay positive!” he exhorts.

More Stories on : Education | BL Club | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page