ALUMINATION - Let the Past Shape Your Future

Choosing the right career can be a very daunting task especially in a world which offers an array of paths, all of which seem to be leading to a golden goal. Careers can actually make or break one’s life, so it is important to make the right choice. Career guidance can help in pursuing the right courses and can guide in choosing a suitable career.

For this purpose the Event Management class 2010 of IoBM has organized an event “ALUMINATION- Let the past shape your future” which helped the existing students of IoBM be aware of the challenges in the job Market by the Alumni.

The event was held on April 10, 2010 at IoBM. The event comprised of the formal orientation for the students by the alumni followed by interactive sessions with the students in smaller groups based on their area of interest. The sectors included Marketing and Media, Human Resource Management, Hospital and Heath Management and Banking, Finance and Economics. These specific sectors were identified, Firstly, because IoBM offers degrees in these areas. Secondly, due to the growing importance in the business world. Alot of new trends are emerging in these fields about which the students have limited information.

Marketing, Branding and Media Communications’ session took place in room 318 and was moderated by Natasha Sheikh. The speakers of the Marketing, Branding and Media communication included Amna Khateeb- Cheif Operating Officer from orientedge universal, Fahad Bashir- Business Director from mindshare, Adeel Hashmi- communication manage from Nokia, Raheem Khan, Amir Ali- General Manager Sales from Saama TV, Farhan Ahmed- HSBC, Ahmer Kamdar- Head of Planing from Starcom.

The session started with the brief introduction of the Alumni and soon the panel and the participants were engaged in a very healthy and an interactive discussion. Number of questions and concerns were put up to the alumni which were related to the current job market and the effects of recession. The alumni pointed out that recession was actually an opportunity rather than a drawback. According to them, recession gives birth to a number of new job fields.

Some other questions raised were related to the introduction of new MBA programs being offered in IoBM and whether they would narrow down employment opportunities. The alumni pointed out that specialization is the need of the current business world and that it would no where reduce opportunities.

The students were also curious to know as to what an interviewer basically looks for during recruitment. The alumni pointed out a number of skills and qualities that employers usually look for. Also, they gave the students some pointers as to how to ace interviews.

The alumni introduced the students to a number of new emerging marketing fields such as social media. They urged the students to change their mindset and to consider entrepreneurship as their future.

The Human Resource session was in room no. 211. The session was moderated by Osama Tahir which had four Speakers which included Urooj Mazhar from Torque, Sheba Matin- HRD head from Bank Islami, and Saima Siddiqui from AKU. Mohammad Bilal Khan from Emirates online also joined the session where he gave his examples and experience which provided relevant knowledge on Human Resource Management. After a 10 minute introduction given by the speakers about when they graduated in which field and how they ended up in HR. The discussion then started on how HR is now a field in which companies now have a need to have a separate department for and hence have students major in HR.

Confusions in the mind of the students if they should head towards the HR job or not was quite evident, majority of the students present in the room were not doing there majors in Human Resource and were in their final semesters and were interested to know if they should switch over from their existing majors such as marketing or finance to HR.

Question of doing a bi-major and would it be beneficial or would it go against them was also asked, and the speakers answered that question very well. The ways to tackle the system as to and how to respond to a critical question raised by an interview were elaborately told to the students.

On whole the there was an interactive discussion held in The HR session which was alot beneficial for the graduating students.

Finance, Banking and economics session took place in the auditorium which had around 45 participants and 4 speakers and it was moderated by Sundus Arshad. The speakers were Mr. Sarocsh Ahmed from the Symmetry, Mr. Imran Sheikh from Standard Chartered, Mr. Imran Butt from Dubai Islamic Bank and Mr. Saad Tariq Sheikh from DAMCO Pvt Limited.

The session was very interactive. Students had lots of questions regarding growth of banking sector, economics and women in financial institutions, electives, CGPA, interviews and motivation to work in banks as some thought it was very boring. They were also interested in knowing about derivatives, treasury and risk management. The jist of answers by the alumni was that one should pursue financial sector only if they are interested in numbers. Salary/bonuses are not the only motivational factor. Ones interest in a particular field determines how well you're going to be at a job. Women are increasing in this sector. Banks now have a separate department to take care of diversity of workforce.

Undoubtedly, recession has decreased the number of jobs but one needs to be an all rounder to excel. A person should have a good command over accounting, marketing, finance and Microsoft excel to flourish. CGPA's should be respectable but the overall personality and skills determine whether one will get a job or not. As far as economics is concerned, there has been an increase in growth especially in the development sector. Risk management and derivates is a growing field whereas treasury accounts for the smallest part in a bank. Then the speakers explained the workings of risk management, derivates and treasury.

The session concluded with final words from all the speakers. One must be an all rounder and should have a groomed personality along with the knowledge.

The Hospital and Health Management session took place in room 213. It was moderated by Sanam Naqvi and the speakers included Dr. Hussain Habib - Group Product Manager from Barretthogsol Pakistan Pvt. Ltd., Dr. Fauzia Ajmal - Senior Instructor, Research from AKU, Dr. Asima Zahid - HOD Coordinator Senior Lecturer, MBA Health Management Program, IoBM, Mr. Suhail Sawani - Head of supply chain from KICT.

To start the speakers and students gave a brief introduction of themselves. Within the first 15 minutes the layout of the room was changed, a consensual act between the students and the panel in order to have a more comfortable and informal discussion, hence everyone was seated in a circle.

Since almost all the participants were MBA students with a back ground in medical the questions were specific ranging from personal dilemmas while choosing between a lucrative career in pharmaceuticals and rewarding careers in public health or NGO’s. The panel was very professional and expended the advice freely and without sugar coating the current market scenario. In order to maintain the flow and keep the conversation from monopolized by a single student, all the students were asked to bring up there questions.

Both the speakers and the students ended the session reluctantly and many stayed back longer to ask more questions. The session was ended with each member of the panel giving words of wisdom that would help the students in accomplishing their goals. When a short feedback was taken from the students, they said that the program was very informative and really helped them. Their only complaint was that they wanted for it to be longer.

The interactive session with the alumni overall helped the students to identify their weak areas and means to strengthen them. It was also beneficial for the institution as they were able to establish a link with the Alumni who now represents several corporate firms.

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