Overall experience :
My experience as a Business Analyst in Today’s Dental, a clinic located in the countryside of South Carolina, under the guidance of Mr.Sunil (co-founder and partner) was not only challenging but also exhilarating. The right to exercise my ideas and implement the same was always welcomed. The mandatory daily and weekly update calls had resulted in generating rewarding results. Needless to say, the support from my colleagues have helped me bridge the gap between theoretical and practical understanding.
Key learnings and takeaways :
The overall experience has resulted in a positive self-reflection and career outlook which I will cherish lifelong. Now and then I had to present to James the business manager at odd EST hours once I hit a milestone, yet he never failed to be appreciative while at the same time showing me the areas that still had space for growth. Every time I stumbled across an eye-opener, I garnered all my expertise to bring the required results to the table.
Learning from the first year of your MBA and how it helped me :
As famously quoted by David Ogilvy “If it doesn’t sell, it is isn’t creative. The task to devise a business plan that comprised of competitive analysis and formulating marketing strategies had all the differentiating factors accounted for Today’s Dental new clinic launch. I had integrated concepts from challenging Quantitative Method classes to insightful Kotler learnings imparted to us during our first year of MBA classes. The impromptu Harvard case study discussions taken up in various subjects not only helped me make significant contributions during a heated exchange of ideas with my mentor but also came up with quick resolutions. Being trained by the sharpest mind in the industry, faculties have always stressed on the aspect of quick turnarounds and calculative decision-making skills. This has always made me more responsible for the early meeting of deadlines and adding independence to my style of working. The in-depth analytics skills developed during our rigorous lectures at SCMHRD has helped me perform many challenging tasks effortlessly.
Tips to crack the interview :
A simple guide to sail us through the preparation phase and crack the interview would be to have a thorough understanding of all real-world applications of the foundational concepts taught in our illustrious MBA journey. Keeping a positive attitude, staying confident, and manifesting a knack at solving any kind of problem tossed at one’s direction would surely help gain brownie points. To qualify as a shortlist, taking the extra step towards understanding the working principles of today’s dental foray into nationwide expansion could seal the deal.
Advice to juniors :
Today when the market is highly volatile and changing at an unprecedented rate due to advancement of technology, a business can become very complex. The talent of the future will need to bring creative problem-solving skills to the enterprise in addition to strong digital, operational and domain expertise. As an MBA student, you will have great networking opportunities. You’ll get to interact with colleagues, professors and teaching staff (business people with great management experience) and this context will accentuate your business management capabilities. There will be days when introspecting things might question your decisions. Yet this is the first indication that tells you to move out of your comfort zone slowly and embrace it with open arms because remember what doesn't kill you, it ends up making you stronger.