Transferable Skills


After having substantial work experience in a particular industry,you opt for a full time MBA program.When the placement season starts, you think of a "Career Switch" but the companies don't offer a position that is in line with your expectations. You are offered a Management trainee position or your work experience is defined as irrelevant.What do you do?

Vasu Merugu comments on Bharani's blog about the "transferable" skills that one can portray.Here is his comment. Very helpful and logical !



'When a person is trying to change careers, companies often tend to take advantage of the candidates situation and downplay the relevance of the candidates previous experience. However the candidates can steer the negotiation in their favor if they talk not in terms of the areas of expertise / years of experience but more on the lines of Transferable Skills and by demonstrating the relevance of their background experience. The folllowing is an extract of a book I have recently read.
You might find it useful.

The concept of transferable skills is particularly important for nontraditional job seekers who must demonstrate that their education and work experience have given them skills that - though used in a totally different context before - can be used or adapted in the new environment to enable the candidate to succeed in the workplace. To demonstrate how a candidate with a nontraditional background often picks up business-relevant experiences, consider these dimensions of work experience, which provide transferable skills you might employ whether you are working in the health care industry or in a computer consulting company:

Performing analysis
Performing math computations
Problem solving
Delivering presentations
Prioritizing tasks
Participating in high-performing teams
Leading teams
Setting goals
Communicating goals
Delegating tasks
Managing work flow
Setting clear deadlines
Coaching team members
Communicating effectively with superiors
Communicating effectively with peers
Communicating effectively with clients
Developing business plans
Securing buy-in for a project
Marketing a project
Implementing change
Bottom line is Phrasing Matters.

This list suggests types of activities and skills that an interviewing candidate might have developed during jobs in fields as diverse as engineering and public policy. To convey nonbusiness experience in relevant terms, therefore, nontraditional candidates should draw on the language of business to speak about their work, conveying in compelling terms the business relevance of their experience.

Financial Times Ranking of B schools


OK...Not good news for all those folks who strongly believe in B school rankings!

The Financial Times published their 2006 Global MBA Rankings for the top 100 full time MBA programs and this year,Queen's has been ranked 87th, down from 75th in 2005.

The data for this ranking was gathered from qualifying business schools and also from their alumni of three years. The number of alumni respondents is higher than last year, with responses from 8,300 eligible alumni (36 per
cent of all the questionnaires e-mailed to MBA alumni). This data spanning 21 categories aims to expose three main areas: the alumni's career development and purchasing power; the diversity of the school and its program; and each school's research capabilities.

The Businessweek had ranked Queen's as No 1 Intl B school and Financial times(FT) ranks it so low.Wondering why?

For the FT rankings , it is important to keep in mind that salary measures account for 40% of the ranking — 20% for weighted salary (salary upon entering an MBA program) and 20% for salary percentage increase (calculated from the beginning of the MBA to three years after graduation).

We also need to remember that other schools admit students with much less work experience —and therefore a much lower pre-MBA salary — than QSB, they have a distinct advantage in this portion of the ranking.BusinessWeek measures the satisfaction of graduates and the companies that hire them, and does not consider salary information.So, Queen's scores very high on these parameters and thus tops the BWeek rankings.

In total this year's top 100 global business schools includes 57 US schools, 27 European, seven Canadian, two from Australia, two from China, and three from Central and South America. Singapore and South Africa are also represented.

Queen's MBAst Interview


S gave his Queen's interview yesterday and has done "good" in it.
For the benefit of blog readers, he has allowed me to post his interview experience.
We wish him all the best!

His profile:
4 years of IT, almost 2 years of Intnl exposure, 700 GMAT,graduated from RECW,not much of social service, but a good sports record.

Interview Experience (in his own words):
I recieved a call at sharp 9:00, but as the voice was not clear,I called him from my land line.
This helped me to gain my cool... Mr Ben Whitney introduced himself,gave a brief over view of how the intw would be, and kick started the questions.

-Started with why do I want to do an MBA at this point of my carrer when my career promises me more grwth?
-Tell me more about the ----- (Company I work for)
-Tell more about the initiatives that i took at the work place.
-How was Cyprus like for me in the begining..
-How is it to be working in a diverse team
-SOme thing on what my recommenders wrote about me. (My weakness and My strong point)
-An instance where I showed my creative skills.
-An instance where I got along well with other team members.(A recommender had mentioned this)
-What other colleges have I applied to.
-How do I plan to finance my MBA.
-What should I convey to the Ad Committee.

The interview went on for 20 -23 minutes and was followed by my set of questions.

Looking Back:
After about 3-4 questions, I felt comfortable talking with him.
My preparation did help me but the question 'An instance where i got along well with other team members' question came as a surprise to me.

In the middle of the intw i got a call on my mobile and that flustered me a bit..lesson learnt - swith off your mobile prior to the intw.

On the whole it was good, a balanced set of rehearsed and ad lib answers.. I was surprised that i didnt confront any question on the challenges of team work, what do you know about canada, what did you learn in your job, why Queens kind of..

The good (bad ??) thing is that i dont have to wait long for the results.. They would be out by the weekend, as the ad com meeting is scheduled the day after.Keeping my fingers crossed!

Business Development

Bharani received the "ISB Torchbearers award" . Heartiest congratulations to him !!. He has been a regular blogger and in spite of his busy schedule, he makes it a point to post his B school experiences.
Kudos to him for that !

Yesterday, he posted some extremely relevant info on his blog.It mentions the kinds of activities that are involved in Business Development area.

Am reproducing the stuff here so that I can use it for future reference:

Kind of activities under “Business Development”

1. Pre-sales: This is the starting position in a BD hierarchy. Bottom of the pyramid (BOP) in IT Business development, if you can call so The designations associated with this role can change from company to company (But predominantly it is “Business Analyst”). What do these guys do? They spend significant time in preparing RFI (Request for information), RFP (Request for Proposal) and RFQ (Request for Quotation). They also spend time in preparing “Presenations” of company’s offerings tailored to customers. To grow in to a sales position in IT, this is a pre-requisite. One has to undergo the “Pre-sales” experience. Later, when you become a “Sales” guy, you can understand the nitty-gritties of Pre-sales and can understand the deliverables that you receive from your pre-sales team. Travel to client location might sometimes be needed. Otherwise, work is based on offshore.

2. Business Development: Here, professionals would be identifying new business opportunities, modifying the service offerings according to the customer needs, etc., The border between this and pre-sales is very blurred. The kind of activities one would do under “Business Analyst” will change from company to company. Few companies clearly separate this role and Pre-sales.

3. Competitor Intelligence: Some companies offer such a role to gather ‘intelligence’ about competitors of the company. What offerings do they provide? What clients are they targetting at? What developments competitors are making? etc., These are ‘esoteric’ roles and are rarely offered.

4. Sales: Front-line selling: This is the pinnacle in Business Development. The most happening place. Some of the activities include Cold-calling customers, explaining your company’s offerings to clients, pursuading them to do business with your company, negotiating the deal and price etc., Most of the time, the local people will be recruited for these positions. Americans for US clients, Britons for UK, Europeans for Europe etc., These are the guys who will be influencing the clients to begin with. Once the client
has shown some interest, then the entire Sales team will be involved. The Sales team can be organized based on geography, vertical, business-offerings etc.,

Bottomline: Each company has its own definitions of roles. So it is absolutely imperative to clarify before you accept the offer.

What is the Career path?
Pre-sales –> Sales –> Group-sales/ Relationship manager (For large client accounts) –> Territory/Country/Regional manager –> Vice president/Senior Vice President /Executive Vice president –> CXO!

Bottomline: The career path differs from company to company. It’s imperative that you clarify it.

What are the related functions?
This is important to understand because one has to know what are the functions one would interact with while at job.

Some known functions: Sales-support, Corporate marketing, Public Relations, Event management, Competitive intelligence, Consulting, Account management.

Bottomline: Understand how all these divisions work together.

What are the questions one should ask a recruiter?- Career path
- Performance indicators and Evaluation process (On what basis one would be evaluated during appraisals for promotions and hikes)
- Salary structure (Fixed and variable components)
- Individual role/Team role
- Company’s strengths and competitors
- Type of deals preferred
- Future strategy

Since the sales in IT fall under “Business-to-Business”, the strategies are different from typical B2C sales & marketing.

The roles for MBAs in IT services companies is still evolving. Expect more refined roles in future…

Regarding the “Program manager” offered by Microsoft, the following link comprehensively explains the job function.

Steven Sinofsky’s insights

Chris Pratley’s insights

This is different from typical “Project manager” role in IT services company. No one will be reporting to you. But you have to ‘interact’ with Clients, Marketing team, Product managers, other Program managers, your development team, testing team, user interface team etc., Lots of communication involved in terms of convincing all the parties about your ideas. You have to draft the entire project plan. So only scheduling is involved and no resource allocation involved (no people management). Program manager is “Project manager” - “People management” + “Client interfacing”. You have to constantly identify ways of improving customer experience. In summary, you have to identify “needs”, convince involved “parties”, get approval, schedule the project and oversee it at broad level. After some experience, you can later move to Product management/Product planning/Sales & marketing team within Microsoft.

The story of India's 3 IT biggies - Subir Roy

There were three chickens which all laid eggs, says Hrish Bijoor, brand consultant, weaving an allegorical tale.

One was shy, one was honest and one was a chicken with hype. All laid an egg each, ordinary looking, whose product quality was identical, say 100.

The first made a noise of two decibels, so very few heard of it and came to see it. But with those who did come, it scored 98 plus.

The second was the honest chicken. Its product quality was 100, it made a noise about being 100. Everybody came expecting 100, got 100. The end result was even or neutral, neither positive nor negative.

The third chicken, whose egg was of quality 100, made a noise that it was 400, everybody came expecting 400, but got 100, that is minus 300.

If you have not guessed it yet, the first chicken is Tata Consultancy Services, the second is Wipro, and the third is Infosys - the three leading lights of the Indian software industry.

Read more about the article here

I would have loved to witness something like this !!

The Queen's University Entrepreneurial Summit (QUEST) will bring together the best young entrepreneurial minds, creating a melting pot of brilliant ideas and fresh talent. That bright spark or that fabulous idea may be waiting for you right around the corner.

The theme of this year's conference is Get There. Opportunities in Private Equity. The latest trends in entrepreneurship and emerging opportunities will be revealed.

When: March 4th and 5th 2006
Where: Queen's School of Business, Kingston, Ontario

Check out the full details at http://www.questcon.ca/.

Disney buys Pixar in $7.4bn deal



Walt Disney has agreed a $7.4bn (£4.1bn) deal to buy Pixar, the animation firm behind films including Toy Story and The Incredibles.
The all-share deal will see Pixar chief executive Steve Jobs join Disney's board of directors.

Under the agreement, 2.3 Disney shares will be issued for each Pixar share
Read more here

I bet you'll be surprised to know about this distinguished Queen's Alumni.He is not from the MBAst program but is someone who has done his
BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering. The father of Indian IT is a Queen's university passout.

Read this link for more details.

Queen's is Canadian leader in student satisfaction

Queen’s has brought home more A+ marks than any other Canadian university, and achieved the highest average grade in a national survey of Canadian universities conducted by the Globe and Mail.

Queen’s scored "A+" in 11 categories including overall academic reputation, reputation amongst employers, knowledge of faculty members and library.

As well, Queen’s along with 10 other universities, achieved an "A" in overall education experience, the highest mark achieved in that category.

"This is a very gratifying result for Queen's," says Principal Karen Hitchcock. "It is especially meaningful to us that this survey is based on feedback from students. And it reflects the depth of our commitment to creating a learning environment that helps students identify and develop their strengths and talents while preparing them to make valuable contributions to their communities and to the world."

South meets East !!


Iam traveling to Kolkata this weekend to attend a friend's wedding.
The groom is a Bengali guy whoz getting married to a Tamilian gal. Interesting combination ! East India meets South India! :)

I have know the guy for about 9 years now.And he has changed quite a bit in this period.:).The guy was a champ during the engineering days.He used to excel in both studies and sports.Son of an army man, he was one of those guy who wanted to have fun and perhaps therefore did not commit to any girl.I still remember a poster that he had in his room -"Why beer is better than women".!! He met his soulmate at some party a few years back,and cupid played its role.:)

A lot of guys from my engineering batch would be coming.There will definitely be a lot of fun,dance and masti.:)

Check out the wedding blog/site that he has maintained.! Quite impressive.

Had read a book some time back called 'The Networking Survival Guide'

As I read the book, I underlined a few points that caught my attention.
A few years back, I would jot these points onto a sheet of paper and file them.But now,with a blog around,I simply type them and store the information for later referal. Here are the author Diane Darling views on networking


Networking is being active. That's the ing part of the word. It requires your participation.Our network is the group of people who want us to be safe and secure-personally and professionaly.It is those who are willing to lend a hand, share an idea, champion our efforts, and, when appropriate ,challenge us to reach new heights.

Networking is
-Sharing of knowledge and contracts
-Getting the help you need when you need it from those from whom you need it
-Getting more done with less effort
-Building relationships BEFORE you need them
-Helping others

Networking is NOT
-Selling anything
-Getting a job
-Receiving a donation
-Securing funding


-You want quality contacts, not quantity.
-Remember, networking must be mutually beneficial.
-Do you have a list of MMB folks- "Make me better”-Folks from whom you can learn a lot, helps to build your confidence.

Answering a phone call in between a meeting?
Whenever there is a ring, you have a choice. At that moment, your actions indicate your priorities-Who is more important, the person you are speaking with or the person calling.It is decision time. Your decision reflects on your personal brand. It tells the other person who is more important.

In a business exchange, shift away from these topics:
-Politics
-Sex
-Religion
-Weight
-Age
-Others at work
-Inappropriate jokes that could be offensive
-Getting too personal or sharing lots of personal information about yourself.

Here are some pointers to exit from a conversation:
-Simply smile and say,”It was a pleasure meeting and/or talking to you, enjoy your morning, evening, or the presentation".
-Include someone nearby in your conversation. When the two of them begin to converse, excuse yourself and get involved in a new conversation.
-Don't lie and use typical likes "I am off to the rest room".Never leave someone alone
-Invite the person to join as you walk over to the bar or food table. Typically, you will meet at least one or two people you can include in your conversation.

A few tips to start a conversation in train/flight
- Say "Hi" at the beginning of the flight. There is an unwritten plane rule that you cannot say "Hi" in the middle of the flight.
-Help people with their luggage.
-Respect personal space.
-Hand write thank you notes.
-Highest compliment is to ask someone's opinion
-Be interested


Introducing yourself at a Networking event:
The introduction should invite a conversation and be extrememly brief-no more than 5 to 10 seconds at the most. It should include three things:
1.Your Name
2.How you fit into the situation
3.Why the other person should care.

Use words such as help, provide,contribute,give,serve,teach and solve.The introduction is about what you can do for others,not what they can do for you.Your introduction is succesful if it invites questions.If it shuts down the conversation, it was unsuccesful, and you need to rework it.

A sample introduction to introduce two members:
"Susan Jones,
I would like you to meet Jack Collins , our vice president of Marketing. Jack, this is Susan, our new manager of customer service.Jack is an avid sailor. Susan sails at the MIT Yacht Club.

Make a connection with the other person in the message as early as possible. Here are some things to be sure you say.
-Who referred you
-The purpose of the call
-Your name
-Your phone number and/or email address
-The best time or way to reach you
-Your name and contact information again.

Start with the person's name, if possible. For example, if you are calling Job because Bob recommended that you do so,start with "John, Bob recommended that I give you a call"

Sample Information interview Thank You Note
Dear Mr Jones,
Thank You for the time you spent with me, as well as your advice on transferring my skills and experience to the automobile industry.It's a very exciting field.I appreciate your willingness to have me get in touch with you after I have completed my MBA.

Thank you for your time,
Best,Joe Job Hunter


Sample Thank you after meeting at a networking event
Dear Sally,

It was a pleasure meeting you at the museum fundraiser. As promised,here is the article about sailing I mentioned. It was such a delight to meet someone who likes the sport as much as I do. I'm sure our paths will cross again.

Best, Mary Maven


Sample Thank you after first meeting with business prospect.
Dear Jack,

It was a pleasure meeting you at the technical council event. I wish you luck in your entreprenurial adventures. I look forward to our paths corssing in the future.

Many thanks,
Robert Accountant


Jeff Taylor ,founder of Monster.com said " When you are unemployed is when you deploy your network - not when you create it".

Here are some thoughts for effective networking:
-Get started: Be the one to get the relationship going. Take the initiaive. Starting is often the hardest part.Make it easy for the other person.When the other person sees your energy and get it done attitude, she or he will share the information with others.
-Create a system- Index cards,sophisticated software program.It doesn't matter -what does matter is that you use it.
-When someone comes to mind, call him or her- People like to know they are thought of and, most important, that you took the time to connect.
-Send thank you notes.
-Send articles -Don't assume that I've read an article that would be of interest to me. When you send an article, it reminds me that we share an interest. And as long as you don't stalk, you add a bit of currency to our business relationship.

Bob Metcalf, founder of 3Com corporation says "The usefellness,or utility, of a network equals the square of the number of users"

Writing and speaking are two highly effective ways to increse your visibility-and therefore your network. You get instant credibility,for example, when a newspaper or magazine publishes your article. When you speak at the professional associatioon, you get visibilty and recognition from your peers that your competteots don't. Maximize these forums for your benefirt.


Ethics at networking:
-Use somebody's name only when ou have been given permission to do.
-Preferbaly ask someone to do an e-intro or make a call introducing you.
-Itz okay to say " I met John Jones at a trade show last week and he mentioned your name.I doubt that he would remember me, since he certainly met a lot of poeple that day".
-When in doubt,underplay your connection to the other person.

A sample e-intro:
XYZ and ABC-This is an e-intro from me(Indian Blogger).The two of you should meet, and here are my thoughts. XYZ works for a company that is looking to donate a marketing tool to a non profit.ABC is the executive director of a non profit that would value your services.

Here is the contact information for both : (Include emails and phone numbers)
Over to the two of you
If you have any questions,please don't hesitate to contact m,e.
Best,
Indian Blogger .

What is Financial Independence

What is this term and how does one decide that one is financially independent? I would refer you to a book with the title Rich Dad Poor Dad. In that the authors mention that sources of money can be divided into four quadrants. One is employment, the second is entrepreneurial or self employment, the third is investments and the fourth is business.

What one must know is that assets create income and liabilities deplete income. Hence what is a liability for you such as a loan taken from a bank is income for the bank. Paying interest through your nose is something that will bleed yiour finances. So much as that home theatre is attractive or that bike or car is something you must have, think less right brain or emotionally and more rationally. Claim your own mind first and then venture out into purchasing anything. Remember that this world is full of people whose sole occupation is to make you open your purse or whip out that credit card. Okay so all this makes the world go round but let it be at someone else's cost!

You are financially independent when your lifestyle is sustained by passive income, that is income which comes to you automatically without your having to work in any way for earning it.

How would this happen?
Let us take something like my pension from SBI. It was given to me when I retired from SBI and it comes to me month after month as long as I am alive. Or dividend that comes to me because I invested in some company shares. Or interest from fixed deposits that is mine because the bank does the work to allow me to earn from the money that I invested with them. The objective of saving money or investing it must be to build up adequate quantity of such income to become independent of working either for yourself or somebody else. At the end of it all, you have to choose how you want to live your life. Would you like to live like the stereotyped pensioner who appears to be perenially cribbing about prices going up and incomes not going up as fast, about how wants have increased and how there is never enough money etc. etc.? Or would you like to maintain your lifestyle even after retirement? This is a no brainer. I am sure you would all like to be in the second category.

Secret of Creating Wealth and Financial Independence

There is only one way and that is to choose an asset over a liability. Does that mean that you scrimp and save and deny yourself a decent lifestyle? No! Just take a conscious decision to keep aside a certain part of your gross every month for life. This itself will give you great financial power. During your early employment years, this can be a larger percentage and in the years to follow after marriage and children, this could be a lesser percentage. However, please try your best to ensure that this does not dip below 10% of your gross.

Young people are now paid better than when I started out and also have more avenues for spending money. The desire to spend is fuelled by glossy ads and a plethora of consumer goods and durables. The second is a misnomer! That TV that you purchased yesterday has been replaced by a better one that came in today and is 15% cheaper too. Luckily, thus far, Indians in general are a little more level headed than others and this has manufacturers sometimes tearing their hair in frustration. We tend to keep consumer durables longer and repair those that go out of order till it is impossible to do so or the cost of repair is almost the same as buying a new one. Hence, difficult as it is, pay yourself first or in other words invest in your security and that of your family first. Sorry for repeating this message but this has to become a part of your nature. Short term gain can create long term pain! Make a habit of saving some part of your income and creating security for yourself and your family. Let 15 to 20% of your savings and assets be in life insurance. Even if you feel that “Apne Na Koi Aage Na Koi Peeche”, put some money in life insurance as this will take care of future obligations and in any case will provide some money for a rainy day. Further, the younger you are the less premium you pay. You are therefore building up security at a cheaper cost. If you are employed there is some compulsory saving element in the form of super annuation or provident fund. Apart from this, start on a simple recurring deposit plan. Go get the best return. The Post Offices in India offer good rates of return and so also PPF. Some disadvantage in these plans is low liquidity. However, this is desirable for creating a long term asset that will grow anyway.

The thumb rule is to put only as much money in these that you can salt away without feeling the pinch! PPF has several advantages such as tax benefit and a decent rate of return. Further the interest is compounded which as you will see in my later articles allows faster accumulation of capital. Put aside 10% of your savings in these instruments. Create liquidity in the form of bank deposits and recurring deposits. Ideally 25% of your savings every month. This leaves around 45 to 50 % of your savings to invest in other assets.

For the rest of your savings, you can buy mutual funds, shares or anything else of choice. Choose something that allows you some liquidity and yet appreciates quicker than the more conservative investments. Be warned however, that risk and return are positively correlated. Higher the risk, the higher the return. If you have time to watch the markets and track your portfolio, invest directly in shares of your choice. However, if you do not have this luxury, choose an MF with a good record and put your money in a systematic investment plan. This allows you to put aside a small sum of money, say Rs 1000/- or more a month and invest in the share market indirectly. You have to pay a price for this in terms of fund management fee and so on. However, this is an option for those who do not wish to get into the markets on their own. With demat accounts available everywhere and online trading through your bank account, it is possible to buy even one share of say Infosys or Reliance or SBI and so on. Build a diverse portfolio of blue chips and put money in hot tips only to the extent you can afford to lose it all! If there is a windfall gain good for you! Rest in subsequent articles.

To sum up: -

1)Financial independence means that your lifestyle is sustainable without dependence on job or any other work on your part
2)Assets create income and liabilities deplete income. Choose assets over liabilities as far as possible
3)Invest 10% or more of your gross income to create financial independence for yourself. This has to be a triumph of mind over temptation!
4)Of your savings, put 15 to 20% in life insurance, 10% in post office instruments or PPF, 25% in creating liquidity such as Recurring Deposits or FD and the rest in either mutual funds or shares. Prefer blue chips over 'hot tips' and if you have to put money in a hot tip share, ensure that you put only what you can afford to lose!
5)Keep seeing the forum Krishna's Korner for discussions on topics covered in Krishna's Korner


(This article was written by Mr R.A Krishna, a school senior/alum of mine.He has more than 25 years of experience in the Banking and insurance sector and has worked with State Bank of India, Centurion Bank and other leading banks in India.He posts a weekly article on the School Alum site)

The Paradox of Success- Am yet to read this book written by John R.O' Neil. But when I was reading the Tom Peter's book,some interesting information from the John R.O' Neil's book caught my attention.


The Good thing…….......breeds this monster

Confidence …….......Sense of infallibility
Quickness…….........Overhastiness
Sharp wit…….........Abrasiveness
Alertness ……........Narrow focus
Dedication …….......Warkaholism
Control……...........Inflexiblity
Courage ……..........Foolhardiness
Perseverance……......Resistance to change
Charm ……............Manipulation
Thriftiness…….......False economy
Commitment……........Blind Faith

The Pursuit of Wow

I had read Tom Peter's The Pursuit of Wow sometime back.

When I read the book,there were a few points that I really liked.I had scribbled them on a sheet of paper. Posting the same stuff on the blog.


-Don't forget your thank-you notes.It always makes an impact.

-Recognition- Appreciation, applause, approval, respect-We all love it. Baloons, badges, prizes, our picture in the company newsletter-Wonderful.

-Praise in Public, Punish in private.

-Give EVERYONE credit.

-Your intelligence -as leader, consultant, investment banker, securities analyst-will, in general, be directly proportional to the number and depth of your relationships with folks six levels "down", who have access to the real data ,unexpurgated.

-Go to cocktail parties.

-Don't waste a single lunch.

-Know your client well- Use the Mackay 66 questionnaire.(http://www.mackay.com/howhelp/Mac66.html)

-Dedicate one hour of preparation for every minute of a client meeting.

-Become so indispensable to outsiders that the insiders dare not lay a glove on you.

-People can smell emotional commitment.

-Join Toastmasters

-Maintain one good friend who revels in telling you that you’re full of hooey.

-Take the crummy little job, out of sight, when you are left alone to do your own thing.

-The three important Rs -Reputation, Resume and Rolodex. Keep that in mind.

-Treat temporary workers as you would a permanent employee.

-The Bumping into strategy - Out of sight is out of mind.

-Keep your client updated at every stage. Even if there is nothing to add.

-If you really believe in your product, give it free. Your passion will speak. Passion is contagious.

-Remember, the world is running on HST-Hare Standard Time.

-People are different - Trompennaars's book - Riding the Waves of Culture is a masterpiece.

An international B school student has a few challenges lined up for him even before his schooling starts.Arranging the finance is a challenge and getting the student visa is another one.

Ashok,who is in the US,got his canadian student visa is perhaps a li'l relieved now.
He has other things he needs to take care of.

I am arranging the necessary papers for the student visa ,and will be applying for the student visa next Friday.Just hoping that nothing goes wrong and things happen smoothly.

Sometimes,the mere thought of the visa challenges makes one feel uncomfortable.But then,I have always believed,itz my fight to the flight.So, giving it my best shot!
:). Have a good weekend.!

The name IIM always draws a lot of attention and respect in India.IIMs are undoubtedly one of the best B schools in India. They were about to make an impact in the outside world too. There was a chance of IIM Bangalore setting up a school in Singapore.
Now, the Govt of India stops IIM-B from opening a Singapore campus.Don't know the dynamics behind it but it would have been great to see IIM Singapore compete with NUS, NTU and INSEAD.!

SP Jain has a MBA program at Singapore, but it is yet to get noticed.

Times of Mind

Subroto Bagchi, the Co-founder and Chief Operating officer of Mind Tree Consulting writes a weekly column in the Times of India (every Friday).The articles are really good, and serve as words of wisdom to the young Indians.

Mind Tree has posted all the past and present columns of Mr Bagchi at it's website. Do give it a read here.
(http://www.mindtree.com/kc/tom.html)

Last week's column -'A tale of two managers' was a very interesting one.

Blind, yet he makes it to Wharton for MBA


Where there is a will,there is a way!
Despite his blindness, 25-yr-old Ashish Goyal is one of the few Indians who have made it to Wharton in US, for an MBA.
Kudos to this young man.

Do check out the article in Times of India here.

A Heady Job Market for MBAs

Business Week carried out this article that states that the job scenario for MBAs is looking bright!

"For someone graduating in May, 2007, it [will be] a bull market for jobs." .This interesting statement made by Samer Hamadeh,co-founder and CEO of Vault has brought in a lot of cheers for the MBA students.

BTW, another interesting articlethat I noticed - Morgan Stanley sacks 4 for visiting strip club
There has been some responses to it. Read it here.

One stop shop to resolve all your career related queries


Need career related guidance.!
Confused as to what is the best option for you.!
Need help in coming to a decision.!

Here is an interesting site Resolve Query that should help you out.The folks behind the site(one of them is my college alum) believe that students are often faced with numerous choices,and taking a correct decision becomes imperative for their long-term success. At these critical junctures, one needs expert advice quickly.Usually, much time is spent in finding the person with the right information. This is where ResolveQuery.com steps in.!

Do check it out.Neat stuff.This should helpful to a lot of guyz!

Queen's University - The first look

Ashok is one of the admits to the class of 2007. An Indian IT Engineer, he has been working in the United States for some time now.He got admitted to Queen's MBAst program in the month of November. Since he had some time, he decided to travel to Kingston and visit the Queen's university.He was kind enough to share his first impression about the University with us.He liked the place and is convinced that the Queen's MBAst is the best fit for him.
His campus visit trip (in his own words) is mentioned below. Thanks Ashok for the write up.


Queen’s school of Business - Campus Visit (DEC 17- DEC 19)

I was greeted by cold wind in Toronto after a quick flight on an Air Canada jet. After immigration and a two hour layover, I took my Coach Canada bus to Kingston. Four hours later, I reached the City of Kingston.

I headed to Frontenac club inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast inn located within walking distance of the Waterfront and Queen’s University.

Next morning, after a hearty breakfast I started to walk towards the university. Only then I realized the mega-tons of snow that was around. The couple of blocks that I had walked were bleach white.

Queen’s University established in 1842 has a wide array of buildings named after people with a variety of different roles in history. The campus map below gives you an idea of the sprawling campus.



Campus Layout

John Deutsch University center (JDUC) serves as the information center for the University. Apart from the various campus offices it also serves as a place for students to meet over a snack and coffee in the 24 hour coffee shop.


Queens School of Business – Goodes Hall. Our home for the next year, Goodes Hall is a renovated 25 million dollar facility which preserves the buildings heritage
While equipping it with the latest in technological tools.


Goodes Hall

Goodes hall has two floors to it; the lower floor is for the commerce students while the upper is for MBAST students. The facility is equipped with Wi-Fi. The lecture hall where most of the classes are held is an auditorium. Every desk is ear-marked for a student. The seating is changed on a term basis.

Students are provided with a team room. The team room has 5 cubicles where each team member has his own desk and also can work with his team. Students often bring in their flyers, coffee-machines to make their room unique and a fun-place to work in.

MBA coursework invariably translates to tons of paper-work. MBAST students have access to printer room equipped with a copier and fax machine.



Lecture Hall at Queen's MBAst

Students also have access to the student lounge and kitchen. It was interesting to note that the refrigerator had foodstuff from all over the world. Diversity in your MBA class sure does help.:)

Key advantage of having class strength of 70 students translates to personal attention. The MBA administration stuff is really helpful and is always there to help you out.

Typical day-in-the-life of an MBA student starts at 8:30 AM for the classes and goes on till 4:30 PM. You will re-group with your team and have meetings until 9:30 PM. Debates, Discussions, research all packed in to a single day leaves the students exhausted but exhilarated.

Accommodation

The graduate student residency offered by the university is in JDUC is just a couple of minutes away from Goodes hall. An apartment style one bedroom is comfortable. The students share the kitchen. Kitchen is present for every floor and is equipped with an electric stove and a refrigerator.

I hope this write up helps you get an insight regarding the University and the town. Feel free to mail Ashok.raghupathy@gmail.com for your queries.