The first year of MBA for almost all the colleges in India will start in a couple of months. Some of you will still have a few interviews pending. But the majority of candidates at this point are clueless about how to best utilize their time. Everyone is waiting for results, unsure of which college they will end up in. Here are a few tips on what you can do in the following months to not only make the most of your time, but also something that will help you in your MBA.
- Take up some certification course – Many of you might already have decided on what stream you wish to opt during your MBA. Even when I was joining my MBA course, I had already decided that I wanted to major in finance and have stuck to my decision since then. Thankfully it has proven right to date. There are a lot of certification available for every stream of MBA. For people opting for finance, CFA and FRM are a major prospect. Kraftshala provides many good certifications for Marketing. The sister site of InsideIIM, Konversations, itself has a wide list of selections and courses that you can choose from. I have been through a few introductory lectures and the courses seem really useful. Apart from there are websites like Coursera where you can go for certification courses from other universities. Choose your course wisely and according to your interests. In addition to being a CV point, such certifications will be of great help in your MBA journey ahead.
- Volunteer – Needless to say, it will be good to do some public service in your free time, volunteering has a couple of advantages for your career as well. You will get to see how a volunteer organisation operate and, in many cases, volunteers get to help in event organisation during their volunteering work which gives them a hands-on experience of practical aspects on MBA. Volunteering is also considered as a CV point by many companies visiting the campus for recruitment. Even some corporates like Tata organise volunteering camps that you can apply for.
- Go for a vacation – Amazed to find such a suggestion? MBA is going to take a lot out of you. Time will be a rare commodity and you won’t be able to tour for long. It is advisable to go on a trip before your MBA starts. Make a plan, gather some friends and go on a trip. You won’t be seeing them for a long time to come.
- Read up on different streams of MBA – Many of you reading my first suggestion would think that how can one decide on a certification when they are not even sure of the major they want. It is a good idea to grasp the basics of all the MBA streams. There are not many – Marketing, Finance, Operations, Strategy, HR and Analytics. There might be a few more variations based on the college you study in.
- Pick up a hobby – When asked about his hobbies, a CA in my batch replies, I am the youngest CA in my batch, I have straight As in my grade cards, hobbies I have none. Pick up one now if you also lack a hobby. Recruiters like interesting people and someone they can connect to. A hobby might just be the way you tell an interviewer why you are interesting. You both might share the same hobby as well.
The next two months are the maximum time you will get for yourself in the next two years. Make the most of it.