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CAREER PATHS
YOU SHOULD BE
LOOKING AT
OUR APPLICATION PROCESS
OUR MBA CONSULTANTS
Aruna is a Wharton alumnus with 12 years of work experience in the healthcare industry. Her
track record includes advisory and execution for change management initiatives, Vendor
selection strategy for population health, Digital design, business process improvement and
transformation. Aruna also has significant start-up experience as a product development
manager for ZeOmega's Jiva platform developing care management workflow solutions.
Namratha Shetty graduated from Sad Business School, University of Oxford (UK) in 2013,
and has a B.E. degree in Electronics & Communications. She strongly believes in the motto
Persevere to the end, and used to be a National-level swimmer representing Karnataka.
Namratha has a total of 8.5 years of experience across the FMCG (3 years till date) and
Technology (5.5 years) industries, with nearly 6.5 years in the Marketing function.
OUR MBA CONSULTANTS
Shrikant is an alumnus of ISB Hyderabad and IIT Kharagpur. He has 4 years of work
experience in Analytics pre MBA and is currently part of the Amazon India Business team
as a Sr. Category Manager. A travel junkie at heart, Shrikant has a special affinity to Goa
and visits the place once every quarter. He loves using humor to teach his students as he
believes it aids in their learning process and is always on the lookout for new
opportunities to engage his class.
Sannidhi is an ISB Alumnus with 6 years of experience in multiple FMCG functions such as
front-end Key-Account management, Supply chain operations and back-end
Manufacturing. Sannidhi is also a trained soft skills coach for associates in India and
Nepal. Sannidhi majored in Marketing and Strategy from ISB and has extensive industry
knowledge to guide future MBA aspirants on the path of Marketing and Strategy
management
- Technical expertise
- Excellent communication skills
- Negotiation skills
- Work management skills: organizing, delegating etc.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
2. Product Management : Involves the management of the entire lifecycle of a product from
conception to roll out. Product managers are involved with designing the product features and
specifications, in addition to setting deadlines for various stages of completion. This is an
interdisciplinary role that involves coordinating between the business development team and
the product development team. The scope of a product manager?s work ranges from market
analysis to product feature definition. A product manager is often responsible for the P&L of the
product.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Cost & time of product roll out, product performance & growth,
product ROI.
3. Anal yst : By definition, a business analyst?s job is to analyze datasets, systems and business
models from the perspective of identifying trends and business needs, designing processes and
translating business requirements in terms of technology. In a services company, an analyst
maybe on-site capturing client requirements. In a product company, he could be woring in the
project management team. A business analyst may be given other titles also, like process
consultant, functional analyst, product analyst or systems architect, depending on the
organization.
Typical Career Pat h of a Business Anal yst
2. Operat ions Management : In the operations function of a particular company, you would
typically start out as a manager in Purchase, Logistics or Warehouse Operations. You may work
at either a single plant, or multiple plants in a single region. A starting designation could be, for
instance, ?Purchase Manager at Godrej & Boyce?or ?Logistics Manager at LG Electronics?.
3. Purchasing: As a Purchase Manager you would need to gather requirements from various
divisions in the company, identify and evaluate vendors, negotiate terms with them on the basis
of technical and commercial considerations, procure the necessary licenses, coordinate with the
finance department for payments and ensure that purchase orders are processed on time.
4. Logist ics: This involves managing the inbound and outbound movement of materials and
finished goods. For instance, the transportation of raw material from suppliers to the
manufacturing plant, the movement of intermediate products to the next level of processing,
the transportation of finished goods to warehouses for storage and the distribution of these
goods from the warehouses to the retailers. Thus, logistics managers would need to coordinate
with transporters/ carriers, negotiate contracts, manage costs, and ensure that transport across
borders happens smoothly.
5. Warehouse Operat ions: involves forecasting demand & supply, managing inventory levels
and flow, optimizing the utilization of space within a warehouse and managing the warehouse
personnel.
Operations Management is a field where job rotation is quite frequent ? so you may find
yourself moving between these functions for a few years. At a mid-management level, your
responsibilities may expand to include multiple plants and/ or larger regions. You would also be
involved in optimizing processes, improving productivity and even some process
re-engineering. At a senior leadership level, you would get the opportunity to design and set up
supply chain functions from scratch, formulate standards and operating procedures, and be
responsible for an entire supply chain.
Operations is a good area in which to start your career if you want to enter consulting or general
management at a later stage. A fine example of this is Apple CEO Tim Cook. An alumnus of Duke,
he has a strong operations background and is credited with the streamlining of Apple?s supply
chain.
Typical Career Progression in Operat ions Management :
Top Indust ries f or Operat ions Management : High tech, pharmaceuticals, retail, automotives,
manufacturing
B-School s renowned f or operat ions programs:
MIT Sloan, Ross, Tepper, Krannert, McCombs, UNC Kenan-Flagler
# 3 CAREERS IN CONSULTING
7 out of 10 MBA aspirant s say t hat t heir career goal is Management Consul t ing. But very few of
them have the first clue about what a consultant does or what it really takes to become one.The
object ive of t his sect ion is t o give al l t he aspiring consul t ant s out t here a cl earer idea about
Management Consul t ing as a career opt ion.
Companies often encounter business problems such as new product launches, revamping
operations, entering new territories, redesigning the organizational structure etc. While some
companies have in-house consulting teams to evaluate such strategic and tactical problems,
many others approach external Consulting firms to do this for them.
In a nutshell, a consultant is an ext ernal advisor who st eps in t o st udy a business probl em and
make recommendat ions to help the client solve it.
1. St rat egy Consul t ing: Answering the question ?What Should The Client Do??,Strategy
Consulting is aimed at the general direct ion an organizat ion shoul d t ake, it s l ong t erm pl ans,
it s organic and inorganic growt h st rat egy, and increasing prof it abil it y. Strategy consultants
interact directly with the CEO, President, Country Head or Board of Directors of the client
company. They mostly recommend solutions and conduct workshops or sessions to help the
client implement them, but are rarely involved in the actual implementation phase.
Top St rat egy Consul t ing f irms: McKinsey, BCG, Bain & Co., Booz etc.
2. Operat ions Consul t ing: Answering the question ?What Is The Client Doing Wrong And How
Can It Be Done In A Better Way?? The scope of Operations Consulting includes eval uat ion of t he
f unct ioning of t he cl ient ?s business, operat ions or processes. Projects could range from
resource optimization and productivity enhancements to process re-engineering and supply
chain design. Operational consultants ? particularly at the senior level ? would typically require
functional or industry expertise and typically engage with the Vice President or Business Head
of particular divisions of the client company .
Top Operat ions Consul t ing f irms: Deloitte, Accenture, AT Kearney, IBM, PwC etc.
3. Technol ogy Consul t ing: Focus on how best to leverage technology to help organizations
grow. The scope includes IT scal abil it y, securit y, design and devel opment , anal yt ics,
compl iance etc. Due to the nature of their work, technology consultants are experts in their
field, but do not necessarily have intricate knowledge of the functioning of the client business.
Top Tech Consul t ing f irms: Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, IBM etc.
4. Human Resource Consul t ing: The scope ranges from organizational development, HR policy,
people strategy, actuary and organizational design and restructuring, to managing human
resources (recruitment, engagement etc.)
Top HR Consul t ing f irms: Towers Watson, Mercer, Aon Hewitt, Hay Group etc.
5. Bout ique Consul t ing: Boutique consulting firms focus on niche industries in which they have
expertise. While working with boutique firms can be as challenging as working with
strategy/ operations firms, some boutiques may have a regional client base. Therefore, travel
opportunities to client locations may be fewer. The teams tend to be smaller and client
interaction is more in boutique consulting.
Top Bout ique Consul t ing f irms: LEK Consulting (M&A), OC&C and Parthenon (Private Equity),
Kurt Salmon (Retail & CPG), Cornerstone Research (Economic Consulting) etc.
What Does It Take To Become A Consul t ant ?
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Interpersonal and Communication skills
- Ability to deal with uncertainty and change
1. Academic pot ent ial : Your GPA, the schools you attended and even your GMAT score.
2. Work experience: Your role, performance at work, promotions and pedigree of the
companies you worked with.
3. Ext racurricul ar achievement s: What outstanding/ exceptional accomplishments do you have
outside of work?
If they see something they like in these areas, you will be called for an interview. The interviews
of most major consulting firms will involve case study analyses. You can look at sample
interview case studies from McKinsey and Bain here and here.
- Pros: The prestige, the opportunity to work with senior client executives (at Principal levels
and above), excellent learning and training opportunities and fancy paychecks.
- Cons: 70-hour work weeks (Management consultants top the list of professionals with the
highest divorce rates!) and crazy travel schedules (often to unheard-of places with no
facilities).
# 4 CAREERS IN SALES
Sales is one of the major lifeblood of any business ? no company can do without it. This is one
of the most popular post-MBA career tracks and its scope is quite wide.
1. Sal es/ Business Devel opment : These are the ?hunters?, the folks whose primary responsibility
is to generate new business for the organization. They engage in activities ranging from lead
generation to cold calls and meetings with prospects to deliver their pitch. Rapport building
between the sales person and the prospect is of utmost importance in closing any deal. For the
same reason, it is difficult to break into a sales/ BD role in a culture or geography you are
completely unfamiliar with, even if you are armed with a top MBA degree.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Business generated
Indust ries: All organizations, irrespective of industry and domain, have sales/ BD teams.
2. Account Management : Account Managers are the ?farmers?, the folks who generate additional
business from existing clients. Their key responsibilities include client engagement,
identification of new ways to sell the company?s services/ products to these clients. They are
also responsible for understanding the clients? requirements and tailoring the company?s
offerings to suit the client?s needs.
Key Responsbil it y Areas: Client satisfaction, retention and the additional business generated
from client
Indust ries: Technology, pharma, automobiles, manufacturing, entertainment etc.
1. Brand Management : This is one of the most coveted marketing roles, mostly because of the
associated glamour and money. Brand managers are responsible for increasing the brand?s
customer mindshare, and for driving the brand equity and recall. Brand managers work
collaboratively with people across the board: product developers, market researchers, creative
agencies, internal marketing communication teams etc. Brand managers require a minute
understanding of the market their brand operates in, and of trends in customer preferences.
Therefore, getting a brand management role in an entirely new geography after your MBA can
be tricky unless you have an excellent track record in the area.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Coverage in press, brand buzz generation, investors?/ partners?
enquiries.
3. Market Research: This involves finding out more about the customers and the competition,
and is one of the first activities conducted before launching a new product, introducing a new
channel or entering a new geography. Periodic market research is also required for companies
to keep updated about the scenario in which they operate and to determine the direction they
need to take. Market research can be primary or secondary, traditional or digital, quantitative or
qualitative. The work of a market researcher involves quite a bit of data analysis, trend spotting,
client engagement and recommendations.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Analytical skills, solid quantitative & qualitative research skills,
attention to detail, ability to look at the big picture
Indust ries: While almost all industries invest in some form of market research, this is especially
important for CPG and pharma companies.
Ayn Rand?s writings views on money, as expressed in her book Atlas Shrugged, are very
interesting. According to Rand, money is the essence of morality ? in a free world, money is
made only through the conduct of business, and thus, is a symbol of human achievement and
progress.
Okay, so the world is not exactly riding the crest of an economic boom right now ? but this
makes money management for businesses all the more important! Therefore, those of you who
want to be in this business of managing money have plenty of opportunities.
So let?s look at various career tracks in finance:
1. Corporat e Finance
In this role, you will be involved in making long-term and short-term monetary decisions for a
business ? when and what to invest in, how to finance investments (debt or equity?), how much
dividend to pay to shareholders (if at all!), how to manage company budget, cash flow and credit
etc.
Corporate finance has many divisions: financial planning & analysis (FP&A, the financial
strategy department that is responsible for forecasting and managing P&L), controllership (the
hardcore accounting guys), treasury (the department that manages cash flow), tax, pricing,
internal audits etc.
Typical Career Progression:
Contrary to popular notions that corporate finance is a ?back end?role where the stars go to die,
there are many interesting opportunities for growth available in this line. With a graduate
degree in finance, one can join the corporate finance team as an Analyst. But to progress to
higher levels, one requires either an MBA or other higher qualifications (MS in finance, CFA, CA,
ICWA etc.) Finance MBAs typically angle for the CFO post in the long run by starting out in FP&A.
What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Corporat e Finance?
- Number-crunching skills
- Analytical mindset
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of tools and software (especially Excel!)
- Team player attitude
The Pros And Cons Of Corporat e Finance
Pros: Mostly good work-life balance, little associated risk/ uncertainty
Cons: The money you make in corporate finance depends, to a large extent, on the health of the
company you work with.
2. Invest ment Banking
This is possibly the most glamorous of finance careers ? and for good reason! Investment banks
perform a number of functions: underwriting, raising capital for client organizations through
debt and equity, facilitating mergers & acquisitions, offering financial advisory services etc. In
most of these cases, the investment bank plays the role of middleman.
Investment banks are broadly categorized as bul ge bracket banks and bout ique banks. Bulge
bracket banks are highly profitable, multinational full-service banks that serve most industries.
JP Morgan, Goldmann Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Barclays etc. are often categorized
in this band. Boutique banks, on the other hand, either specialize in certain services, industries
or markets. For example, Lazard, Evercore, Gleacher etc. specialize in M&As and restructuring;
Allen & Co. (media), Cowen & Co. (healthcare), Berkery Noyes (education) focus on specific
industries; William Blair, Piper Jaffray, Houlihan Lokey etc. specialize in mid-sized deals and
mid-sized clients.
Investment banks usually have two internal divisions, based on product and on industry.
Product bankers are experts in their product (M&A, restructuring, financial advisory etc) and aid
the client in executing transactions related to these products. Industry bankers work with
clients from specific industries such as retail, oil & gas, automobiles, healthcare etc., and need
to do more marketing activities by making pitches to prospective clients.
These are a few examples of the different avenues that you can choose, post your MBA. We
hope this book helped you gain clarity of thought towards your final MBA goal. If you
somehow still feel a bit uncertain about what you need to do regarding your MBA dreams.
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