Life at B-School is filled with fun, challenges and great learning and the best thing that can happen to a graduate is that he gets a similar environment at his workplace. Capgemini’s E.L.I.T.E. Program has introduced me to a workplace that provides the most conducive environment to learn, grow and enjoy.
Students of IIM Indore had a wonderful time hosting L’orealOnCampus on 2nd November, 2017. The event brought out lots of learning opportunities in the areas of sales and marketing for the students from L’oreal leadership on campus. Some of the best industry leaders in the Sales and Marketing domain showed the students what awaited them once they finished their B- school education. The Sales workshop, for example, conducted by Mr. Vikram Gunjal(Head, Sales Planning, Consumer Products), busted a lot of myths people generally have about the kind of work that goes into Sales and the kind of personalities people generally assume are associated with Sales. The Marketing workshop, by Ms Shalini Raghavan (the Chief Marketing Officer of Consumer products), brought to light the changing trends among men about personal grooming and beauty, particularly face-wash, and through a live case study which sought solutions from students to increase overall penetration and creative, executable ideas for Garnier Men's face-wash. Students came up with interesting communication campaigns that addressed a variety of category-specific insights: a) Hesitation in using skin-care product b) Lack of face-wash consumption as a routine habit c) Men using face-wash similar to the one used by their sisters instead of specifically catering to them. The outcome : sharp, focused executable plans that were scalable and could be integrated into the current marketing strategy. It helped students understand the extent of research that goes into understanding new trends in the beauty industry and identifying them early-on in order to amplify awareness and stimulate growth in the product categories.
“Reserve Bank of India” – Whenever we say the name of India’s central bank, we feel proud that it is safeguarding all of us by taking care of monetary policies. I couldn’t even imagine the moment when I got selected for RBI’s summer placements program. I was on cloud nine to accept that wonderful opportunity.
We spoke to Garima Sharma, PGP2 Student at IIM Indore, about her experience over the summer at Axis Bank, where she was awarded the title of Best Intern.
All the PGP 1s out there! Phew! Finally! You can breathe now because Summer Internship Recruitments are over!
The alarm goes off at 7:00 in the morning as you frantically battle with sleep. You haven’t had the luxury of a good night’s sleep for weeks and there you go again, faced with another demanding day filled with things you would have never imagined yourself doing in a single day. You somehow rush through things and barely make it to the first lecture and thus the cycle begins. Lectures, cold calls, assignments, readings, quizzes, meetings and presentations engulf you from all the sides and just as you catch your breath, its night again. Though one knows the value that an MBA adds to one’s profile in terms of knowledge and exposure, hectic times and all the chaos can make one wonder what’s really happening. There are times when I have asked myself “What am I here for? Is this really what I wanted to get into?” However, soon you realise that MBA is not just about getting the requisite knowledge and skills but its more about internalising the lifestyle and work pattern. A b-school not only provides you with the required education but it also simulates the entire experience to prepare you well for your future responsibilities. Here’s how it made a difference in my case:
“Learn to work with people you wouldn’t go to lunch with” – a quote by Garry Marshall, famous director, on the best career advice he ever received. Engineer or commerce graduate, each of us, in the end, work with people around us. Moreover, when it comes to people, the technical knowledge alone does not help much. Understanding people lets you understand how to get them to work, and that is what management is all about. Every b-school teaches this very concept in a more profound stretch allowing the student to analyse which sector requires what set of skills.
“Today I don’t feel like doin’ anything…….”, Bruno Mars does his usual magic in the background while I try to let go of the precious sleep that is overpowering my will to attend the morning classes, I hit the snooze button only to be troubled by it again after five minutes, the morning alarm doesn’t sound so soothing anymore. With a lot of effort, I throw aside my warm blanket and bid my goodbyes to the dear dreamland, unsaid words promise my bed that I will be back soon, promises that are as hollow as the ones I make to my friends back home when I say that I will stay in touch.
