MBA students can now assess their employability - Business Standard

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MBA students can now assess their employability
[SIZE=-1]Business Standard, India - 47 minutes ago[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Out of 1400 MBA colleges producing 100000 MBA graduates annually, only 23 per cent of the MBA grads are employable, reveals a PAN India study by MeritTrac ...[/SIZE]
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:ear: Whats your say ? :ear:
 

meghaj

New member
Hello,

M Prof. Megha Jigalur
BIMS
Bagalkot

Ma take on this,

Employers want MBA's who can hit the ground running, adding value soon after they start working. They seek high level technical skills as well as capabilities such as leadership, problem solving, communication, teamwork and conflict resolution.

BUT ITS REALLY SHOCKING TO KNOW ONLY 28% of MBA grads are employable, I would like to give a possible solution to come out of this problem

Business schools should collaborate with industry to closely match what students learn with the skills and attributes business needs to stay ahead in today’s fast paced workplace. They have to significantly increase the use of team projects as a way to help students develop these skills. But do these projects serve as a bridge between the academic world and the business world?

Researcher Senia Kalfa, from the Australian School of Business at UNSW, has examined whether teamwork assignments set for students deliver the skills needed in the workplace.

“As the concept ‘teamwork skills’ is rather elusive, I decided to examine the teamwork process in both university and corporate settings; how group members are chosen, how goals are set, how teams manage expectations, communication, and particularly how they manage conflict,” she says.
“In the business school context, I interviewed both undergraduate and post graduate students to gain an understanding of how the team process works. I also interviewed teaching staff to see what their rationale is for assigning teamwork projects and what they think students are gaining.

“Teaching staff unanimously maintained they use team assignments to help students develop teamwork skills and prepare for the ‘real world’. To understand teamwork in the workplace, I interviewed Australian School of Business alumni, because they have been through the process of teamwork assignments and are now in paid employment.”

Ms Kalfa says her preliminary results reveal university teamwork projects are only partially effective in developing these skills, and more could be done to prepare students for the workplace.

“Whilst students are able to manage task requirements through assigning roles and responsibilities at the beginning of a learning team’s life, the absence of team goals significantly affects both performance and effectiveness. More importantly, learning teams do not sufficiently develop students’ interpersonal skills, in particular conflict management and handling of cultural diversity,” says Ms Kalfa.

“Findings from alumni interviews demonstrate that the behaviours exhibited by individuals in the workplace are very different from the behaviours students exhibit in learning teams. This is largely due to the fundamental contextual differences; e.g. in the workplace hierarchy defines roles and responsibilities and the repercussions for poor performance are much higher,” she says.

Ms Kalfa recommends university teamwork assignments be carefully structured to provide leadership opportunities as well as prior training for students, especially in areas such as goal setting, conflict management and diversity management.
The Australian School of Business at UNSW continuously revises its undergraduate programs to make sure skills and attributes are embedded into the student learning experience.

“This is particularly significant in times of financial uncertainty and unemployment, when graduates have to compete for fewer jobs and should hence build up their personal competitive advantage,” says Ms Kalfa.

The Skills Most Sought After by Employers are

Communications Skills (listening, verbal, written). By far, the one skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively. Successful communication is critical in business.

Analytical/Research Skills. Deals with your ability to assess a situation, seek multiple perspectives, gather more information if necessary, and identify key issues that need to be addressed.

Computer/Technical Literacy. Almost all jobs now require some basic understanding of computer hardware and software, especially word processing, spreadsheets, and email.

Flexibility/Adaptability/Managing Multiple Priorities. Deals with your ability to manage multiple assignments and tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing conditions and work assignments.

Interpersonal Abilities. The ability to relate to your co-workers, inspire others to participate, and mitigate conflict with co-workers is essential given the amount of time spent at work each day.

Leadership/Management Skills. While there is some debate about whether leadership is something people are born with, these skills deal with your ability to take charge and manage your co-workers.

Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness. There is possibly no bigger issue in the workplace than diversity, and job-seekers must demonstrate a sensitivity and awareness to other people and cultures.

Planning/Organizing. Deals with your ability to design, plan, organize, and implement projects and tasks within an allotted timeframe. Also involves goal-setting.

Problem-Solving/Reasoning/Creativity. Involves the ability to find solutions to problems using your creativity, reasoning, and past experiences along with the available information and resources.

Teamwork. Because so many jobs involve working in one or more work-groups, you must have the ability to work with others in a professional manner while attempting to achieve a common goal

Honesty/Integrity/Morality. Employers probably respect personal integrity more than any other value, especially in light of the many recent corporate scandals.

Adaptability/Flexibility. Deals with openness to new ideas and concepts, to working independently or as part of a team, and to carrying out multiple tasks or projects.

Dedication/Hard-Working/Work Ethic/Tenacity. Employers seek job-seekers who love what they do and will keep at it until they solve the problem and get the job done.


Dependability/Reliability/Responsibility. There's no question that all employers desire employees who will arrive to work every day - on time - and ready to work, and who will take responsibility for their actions


Loyalty. Employers want employees who will have a strong devotion to the company -- even at times when the company is not necessarily loyal to its employees.


Positive Attitude/Motivation/Energy/Passion. The job-seekers who gethired and the employees who get promoted are the ones with drive and passion -- and who demonstrate this enthusiasm through their words and actions.



Professionalism. Deals with acting in a responsible and fair manner in all your personal and work activities, which is seen as a sign of maturity and self-confidence; avoid being petty.


Self-Confidence. Look at it this way: if you don't believe in yourself, in your unique mix of skills, education, and abilities, why should a prospective employer? Be confident in yourself and what you can offer employers.


Self-Motivated/Ability to Work With Little or No Supervision. While teamwork is always mentioned as an important skill, so is the ability to work independently, with minimal supervision


Willingness to Learn. No matter what your age, no matter how much experience you have, you should always be willing to learn a new skill or technique. Jobs are constantly changing and evolving, and you must show an openness to grow and learn with that change.

will keep posting more on this........
 
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