The transition from Campus to Corporate has always been a life altering and memorable journey. In those initial years of formation, we eagerly look forward to bagging a job offer, a PPO (pre-placement offer) or a PPI (pre-placement internship).

While struggling individually as a naive person stepping out into the corporate world, there is a very high probability of losing direction, falling into pitfalls, confusion in choosing career path, getting demotivated with your career choice, dealing with stress and anxiety and so on. As young energetic B-school students, one tends to get trapped in taking this as a natural learning phenomenon.

Have you been trapped in such a myth? It’s time to break this spell around you and take responsibility of not just your career choice, but also your pathway to succeed in that career. If any such thing would be possible, wouldn’t each B-school student avail this as part of their journey towards reaching their career goals and destination.

The paradox of the situation is that it is possible and very much within our reach. As students, we focus on course curriculum and studies, learning and grades, internships and placement offers. In the whole process, we have been quite ignorant on choosing a mentorship plan for our success.

\*\*What is a Mentorship Plan?\*\*

A mentor is a person who is dedicated and committed to their mentee’s (your) growth and development over a long term. These mentors do not work with their mentees on a daily basis but they are competent in providing guidance and are available to provide knowledge, support, instructions as and when required.

These mentors will charge their fees and hence either people are ignorant about availing their services or they feel the charges as high and somewhat unnecessary. You may find mentors online or via various apps available in the Play Store / App Store. Mentorship Plan, as available on YUGMA app is an economical yet effective way to seek guidance for your Campus to Career needs.

Now let’s look at some advantages of choosing your mentor early i.e., while still being on campus.

\*\*Enhanced Academic Excellence.\*\* You have already been making up for your academics. Mentors steer the application of knowledge gained in the classroom. This helps you translate the learning from life experiences into opportunities. It also enhances your exposure in projects, and helps you develop interest in the use of libraries and research material. This brings deeper learning of the subject and hence academic excellence.

\*\*Develops skills, capability, values and attitude.\*\* The mentor-mentee relationship may sound professional but it has a much deeper impact on the overall personality of the mentee. It goes beyond the objective of association. As it is highly interactive, there is exchange of thoughts, ideas, cultures etc. which exposes them to a strong value system, positive attitude, trust and compassion, patience, listening, communication and a lot more. This development helps the mentee adopt an open-minded approach and thoughtfulness. This exposure to different scenarios also equips them to excel in roles and responsibilities which aid to their future career growth.

\*\*Creating Your Professional Network.\*\* We all learn things at some point in life. Mentorship approach can help you not only connect with their professional network, but it allows you to gain knowledge, assess your skills and interests and simultaneously work upon your own network so that with little guidance you are able to steer your career in your desired direction. These professional networks may also cater to your PIP / PPO / SIP / job requirement. This will also help you keep an eye on upcoming opportunities.

\*\*Fast track growth and learning.\*\* A mentor-mentee relationship may last your lifetime. It is a natural learning phenomenon to make blunders and learn. Sometimes it takes multiple blunders of the same type to actually grasp the learning out of it. In the safe company of your mentor, you get power-packed learning capsules from their personal as well as industry experiences. These casual sharing of stories can prevent you from making similar mistakes and blunders. This will expedite your learning and growth in life.

So, now that you know it’s your time to create the pathway which will add rigour to your career success dream, why not identify your great mentors and shape your career with confidence.

Add Rigour to your Career Success Dream with Great Mentors

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Education especially the higher education has been considered to be the key to unlock high paying jobs and a flourishing career. Engineering and MBA has been the dazzling charm which attracts the major chunk from career growth prospects. And to add more weightage to your success roadmap, educational loans and foreign education are on a steep rise.  But here’s the reality check.

Nearly 27% of the engineers do not even clear a job interview for their first job. 90% of the MBA students sit for campus placements but the \*\*employability ratio\*\* is fairly low. Where did the glitter and spark disappear? Let’s recreate the problem statement before we can figure out practical tips for an effective Campus Placement.

\*\*Problem Statement of Campus Placement\*\*

Companies consider college campuses to be a good source of hiring talent. Recruiters are hopeful that their efforts will give better result and a committed, sincere talent to fill the position from college campus than any other talent hunt criteria. But the major concern lies with their technical skillset of performing specific tasks and the soft skills. Though says the most, but I believe the right attitude and aptitude of belongingness and ownership are required for problem solving and winning conversations, group discussions and placement interviews. So, let’s focus on what recruiters are looking for during an interview in a candidate and some ways in making you pass their expectations.

\*\*Success Mantras with Campus Placements\*\*

\*\*The first impression.\*\* The first impression is most crucial for any interaction, and the same is true for any campus placement interview. A well-dressed attire, confident body language, well-preparedness with copy of CV, just in case asked for, basic social etiquettes and presence of mind does the needful to begin with. All of this is seemingly simple and yet, it requires and should be given due attention and sincere practice to get the best outcome. A warm smile can be magical in this interview journey.

\*\*The icebreaker question.\*\* One should never underestimate the power of icebreaker questions. The most common and predictable one is, “Tell me about yourself?” It leaves the recruiter in utter disguise when the answer is delivered poorly. A vast majority of students either recite the summary by hearted from their CV already known to the recruiter. Others may start original but get silenced after a few sentences. Some are so animated like a pre-recorded delivery devoid of emotional connect. Thus, instead of breaking the ice and creating comfort, the beginning turns out to be the disappointing ending. Hence, prepare some basic questions with a personal touch and rehearse them well.

\*\*Be well-prepared.\*\* Don’t underrate the importance of having a campus interview lined up. Prior preparation for your campus interview will increase your chances of winning yourself this job. It requires researching about the company which enhances clarity and confidence. This also allows you to add company-specific information while answering some interview questions. Sometimes, you may face a direct question like, “Have you visited our company website?”. Also, your resume should be apt to represent you as a good fit for the applied position. Moreover, be ready with some smart questions that you can ask if given an opportunity.

\*\*The parting gesture.\*\* No matter how you attempted during the whole interview process, it is never too late to still make a difference and a good impression. You got extremely nervous, you did not deliver what you had prepared, and so on. The truth is, you don’t really know what the interview was searching for and may be they have got that in you. So, the best way is to use a confident handshake with a parting note and a pinch of enthusiasm as your charisma. Express your genuine thanks and you could add one specific point of either appreciation or learning to give a personal touch to this connect. In case you do not hear back from them, you could try to get in touch with them or the coordinator with a thank-you note and your interest.

\*\*Being truthful and attentive.\*\* Lastly, contents mentioned on the CV, academic achievements, skills etc. can be very identical for a vast majority. A time-tested success mantra lies in being truthful wherever you are stuck, and staying away from boasting about yourself. Another quality that keeps you ahead of competition is by paying full attention to what the recruiter is saying. This will help you understand the intention of the question and making your replies appropriate and effective. In case you are not clear, do not hesitate to ask them to rephrase the question. A more effective way is to rephrase it yourself and seek their approval and then answer candidly.

Is it the fault of our education system if one fails in campus interview? Or is it something that a student can do to ensure their employability? In either case, it’s better to take a confident leap towards the first step in your career than to look for flaws in the system.  In case you wish to prepare yourself with mock interviews or seek specialized assistance for placement preparation, you may check some services at YUGMA App which are specially designed to enhance employability of B-school students.

It’s your time to hit the Bull’s Eye and succeed with your Campus Placement interview quest.

Hitting the Bull’s Eye – Your Success with Campus Placement

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