Shivdeep is a 2nd-year student at IIM Lucknow, majoring in marketing. He interned at Nestle during his summer internship. At IIM Lucknow, he is also a part of Prism, the Marketing Cell of IIM Lucknow. He worked at Mastercard for 3 years before joining IIM Lucknow. His journey from a chemical engineer to a marketing intern at Nestle is truly inspiring & worth listening to. We interviewed him to find out what is actually needed in a CV looking from the eyes of marketing companies!
Q1. What is needed in a CV for marketing roles?
1. Customer centricity
"Only through consumer focus, you can gain consumer insights"
What marketing companies need to know is that are you capable of extracting those consumer insights. How much value do you provide to your customer? Marketing firms are totally consumer-centric & look for those candidates who know how to think from the perspective of consumers.
For the freshers, in the positions of responsibility & extra-curricular activities, draft the points in a manner, showing how you did those activities. Students usually commit a mistake that they highlight outcomes, like xxx footfall, instead, students should focus on highlighting if they led an event, showing the company how they have experienced some situations which made a change in their lives.
For the people with work experience, draft the points showing how you empowered your client. Also, try to show how you thought for your client and made a huge impact for them.
2. Groundwork
The next important thing is, how much you have gotten your hands dirty. This is where the positions of responsibility & extra-curricular activities play a huge role and show how much groundwork you can do and take ownership of your work.
3. Values
The most important thing which companies look at is how well-aligned are you with their values. Marketing companies pay great attention to this aspect, that is why you will notice, mostly all companies take the psychometric test as their eliminator and also only after you pass that test, you are eligible for further processes.
When I started my internship with Nestle, I realised how much this is important for them. We even had a consultant assigned to us who evaluated our psychometric test and told us our strengths & weaknesses and gave soft targets for ourselves, which managers tracked later.
4. Passion
If you have passion, you can do anything in life. Your CV should be a story of how passionate you are, regarding marketing and more importantly for learning because, at the end of the day, this is what matters. A passionate person can do much more than just a knowledgeable person.
5. Up with trends
Marketing is all about keeping up with the recent trends. So, if a person is paying attention to the current trends, is more involved in digital marketing, analytics, know how to use data to extract some crucial information, and has knowledge about social media in-depth, you are definitely going to have an advantage over others.
I would suggest someone looking for a career in marketing to know about their environment & accordingly, learn.
Also Read: How To Prepare For Placements In Marketing Firms?
Q2. It is difficult for people with work ex to enter into marketing roles, do you feel it is true?
We were 2 people who got selected at Nestle, and both were with work experience. So, I feel it is more of a myth.
You May Also Be Interested In: Sales And Marketing Salaries After MBA - Salaries For Brand Managers, Sales Managers And Others
Q3. What do you feel is most important for someone eying for marketing roles?
A knack for getting consumer insights & passion. If you possess both, you will sail every boat easily!
Keep following this space as we will cover Shivdeep’s summer internship preparation journey and his internship experience in the following articles!
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Comments
Aryan Anand
An Underdog huh???
11 Jul 2019, 11.03 PM
+Read Replies (2)
Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Hahaha! You know it bro ;)
11 Jul 2019, 11.13 PM |
Aryan Anand
Yeah I do.
13 Jul 2019, 03.59 PM |
arnold tudu
Progressive
You got pretty personal with your second answer bro..
17 Jul 2019, 06.18 AM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Hahaha. Bhawnaon me beh gya banda! ;)
18 Jul 2019, 01.48 PM |
sashi lakra
Just somebody
The tea sessions at Madhuri Milan finally paid off :D
17 Jul 2019, 07.50 AM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Yeah! And all the others ;)
18 Jul 2019, 01.49 PM |
Chandan Kr
you will win buddy dnt worry!!
17 Jul 2019, 05.02 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks bro :)
18 Jul 2019, 01.51 PM |
Mayank kumar
Challenges is like a daily routine to you!!
18 Jul 2019, 05.22 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
O bhai bhai ab aur nhi. Ab aur tufani nhi chahiye ;)
19 Jul 2019, 04.27 AM |
Saumya Sachdeva
Pursuing MBA in HR from IIM Ranchi.
An interesting read!
19 Jul 2019, 04.58 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thank you :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.00 PM |
Shivakshi Singhal
Pursuing MBA in HR from IIM Ranchi
Great article
19 Jul 2019, 05.26 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thankyou :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.01 PM |
Sheereen Kerketta
The sophisticated creator who dissolves in the artistic aesthetic of imagination and creation and portrays it into a layman's language.
Nice work. Keep it up
19 Jul 2019, 05.32 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks ya :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.01 PM |
Monika Dixit
CAT preparation story, relatable to all of us! What matters is the willingness to win, the Golden rule of your great writeup!
19 Jul 2019, 05.46 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks a lot girl :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.02 PM |
Navaneeta Saikia
MBA-HRM 1st year student at IIM Ranchi.
Good one!
19 Jul 2019, 06.02 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thankyou :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.03 PM |
Sibi Saravanan
MBA Student, currently pursuing my MBA in Human Resources management domain from Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi. Did my engineering from VIT university, Vellore. Was part of the Technology and Gaming club in VIT.
Nice article
19 Jul 2019, 06.55 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks brother!
19 Jul 2019, 07.03 PM |
P SUKHDEV SOREN
P sukhdev soren , IIM Ranchi
nice article
19 Jul 2019, 07.36 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks bhai!
19 Jul 2019, 10.03 PM |
Vivek Rana
He did his undergraduate from Hansraj College, University of Delhi and currently pursuing MBA-HR from IIM Ranchi.
Nice, amazingly written
19 Jul 2019, 07.50 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks dost!
19 Jul 2019, 10.03 PM |
Tania Chadah
Tania Chadah MBA student at Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi
Great read ! :)
19 Jul 2019, 07.51 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thank you!
19 Jul 2019, 10.04 PM |
Gayathri Menon
After completing her B.Tech from NIT Calicut, Gayathri, an avid reader and a dance enthusiast, is currently purusuing her MBA in HR from IIM Ranchi.
Inspiring!
19 Jul 2019, 08.24 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thankyou :)
19 Jul 2019, 10.39 PM |
Vivek Sahu
I am a highly enthusiastic person and always ready for new challenges. For me, agility is the prime concern. Having a technical background in the field of mechanical engineering from NIT Agartala, I worked for Tata Motors for 46 months. There I was involved in the area of Operation and planning and this was the remarkable experience for me. Currently, I am pursuing MBA in HR from IIM Ranchi. My area of interest is not limited actually it's a little bit wider I have an interest in consulting, Analytics, Performance management, Industrial relation and more on the list. Traveling is the thing which is inseparable to me. This is my super hobby. Interacting with the new person and making networking, I do like.so, in short, I am an Icebreaker.
Amazingly crafted
20 Jul 2019, 01.53 AM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks bro
20 Jul 2019, 12.00 PM |
Ballabh Kishore
I am living to work hard to revolutionize the world; taking it to advancement without compromising with Ethics & Humility.
Very unique and heart touching
20 Jul 2019, 07.25 AM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thanks bro
20 Jul 2019, 12.01 PM |
Parushi Garg
Great Work...
20 Jul 2019, 09.03 PM
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Susmit Lakra
Susmit Lakra MBA-HRM (2019-2021) IIM Ranchi
Thankyou!
21 Jul 2019, 01.39 AM |