Thinking beyond academic skills

Confucius said, 'Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life'. Finding a job you thrive for and getting the job is one of the toughest things for students in this era. The students often get lost after graduation while finding the right direction of their career. As a result, both the employers and students suffer from expectation mismatch.

East West University Business Club (EWUBC) organised 'Career Clinic' for the third time with the aim to build a bridge between students and the corporate world by enlightening students about real job market scenario. The programme is segmented into three parts. The first segment of the programme, 'CV writing workshop' was held on March 19, 2019. The tips and tricks of making a perfect CV to ensure the interview call for the desired organisation of the students was shared during the session. Zahin Iftekhar Rasul, HR business partner, Marico Bangladesh Limited and Nusrat Jahan Trissa, key account manager of Robi Axiata Limited shared their experience to enlighten the students on making their CV enriched.

One of the major segments of the programme 'Industry overview workshop' was held on March 28, 2019 where the participants had the opportunity to get enlightened about different organisations and career opportunities in different industries. Six corporate personnel were present during the 'Panel discussion session' of the 'Industry overview workshop'. Guests of the programme were: Bishwajit Kumar Das, national sales manager, Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh Limited; Sheikh Joglul Tareq, senior manager- Demand and Supply Planning, Nestle Bangladesh Limited; M Aminul Haque Pulak, group head of recruitment and employer relations, Rancon; Monsurul Aziz, head of brand marketing, Nagad; Zaved Parvez, vice president, people and corporate Division, Robi Axiata Limited and Ishtiaque Shahriar Shaanto, head of retail strategy and channel development, IPDC Finance. They shared their experiences on what skills they look for while recruiting and how a candidate may stand out from the competitors. They also enlightened the students on how to be groomed up apart from the academic knowledge to enjoy more acceptance in the job market.

The third segment 'Career check-up session' was held on March 30, 2019. The participants had the opportunity to sit for a mock interview session for their desired organisation which helped them evaluate themselves for their corporate life. A total of 15 companies attended the session. Students usually find it scary to sit for an interview in front of company personnel. This session helped them get rid of this problem as they faced experts from renowned organisations which will come in handy when they actually will sit for a real job interview.

After taking the interviews, many participants received internship opportunity and some participants were also offered full-time job opportunity in different companies. Sohel Khan Ovi, one of the participants who received internship opportunity in a digital marketing agency, said, 'To know the calibre of your own and the skills you are set to reach the path of the dream, Career Clinic was there conducting by a career checkup session to someone's preferable destination. And yes, I got the option also to check my career structure frame. After the mock interview with my dream agency, I got the opportunity to be in the team. It was truly an amazing moment for me to measure the outcome which I can deliver through my creativity.'

Another participant Farhana Hoque Polin who is in her last semester in East West University received internship opportunity in a renowned bank. She shared, “The programme brought an excellent scope for me. I had the chance to meet with some respected corporate personnel in this programme”.

Representatives from different companies shared their positive feedback about 'Career Clinic 2019'. Hafiza Khanam, senior executive officer of United Commercial Bank Limited said, “Career Clinic is designed in a unique way so that the participants can come out from the fear of facing real interview. They come to know more about the company's recruitment procedure and the requirements we look for while recruiting candidates. This experience will help them stand out from other competitors in the battle of job.” They opined this programme should be organised on regular basis so that there is supply of quality candidates in the corporate industry.

After the mock interview session, the ending ceremony was held. G M Kamrul Hassan, CEO of Igloo Ice Cream and Milk Unit of Abdul Monem Limited and founder of The Corporate Coach and Md Mostofa Musharrof, vice president and head of card operations of Mutual Trust Bank motivated the students further with their words.

The writer is studying in the final year of BBA Programme at the Department of Business Administration, he can be reached at [email protected]