Career Development (Placement)

Where-do-you-see-yourself-in-next-two-years

Where do you see yourself in next two years?

Career Development (Placement), Guest Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM University, , ,

“Are youaspiring to become an entrepreneur, an influential leader or a successor of the family business”?

Then Aicte approved college, IILM is a perfect platform to kick-start your journey to reaching great heights in your choicest career path. At IILM we understand that every student is unique and has strong potential to do wonder if his talents are directed in the right direction, thus we shoulder the responsibility of extracting the best from our student by providing them with the management education that goes beyond the traditional classroom ties and accomplish our motto of providing “Responsible Management Education”.

At IILM, Top management institute in Delhi NCR, we incorporate the essential skills in our students so as to prepare them for the upcoming changes and challenges in today’s business era where Industry 4.0 will dilute the traditional jobs and would incorporate fast-paced creative jobs. IILM polishes and widens the inherent creativity of a student by focusing on experiential learning, since the new-age students learn-by-doing in a real business situation as opposed to learn-by-listening, discussions, and studying.

IILM Students

The global integration is speeding up and in keeping with the requirements of the ever-globalizing environment, IILM mandates a 4-week global study in Germany, Canada, Finland, France or Spain, to give students a global exposure in terms of teaching pedagogy, industry visits, and diverse cultural immersion to develop cross-culture communication skills and expand their horizons.

IILM’s Summer Internship Programme is crucial in familiarizing the students with diverse working cultures across big companies (national and multinational), so as to enable a student to understand various dimensions and requirements of today’s era and thus enabling him to decide his/her future path by closely experiencing and examining the complexities of it.

IILM Students

Right Mentoring is the key to success and faculty @ IILM leaves no stone unturned to guide our students. We provide them with pathways to choose and specialize in their areas of expertise and interest, to ensure that the actual potent of a student is best utilized leading to a student’s betterment throughout his/her life.

IILM Students

The full-fledged two-year PGDM course provides you with a correct mix of skills, knowledge, and experience to lead you to your dream career path and unfold the answer to the trickiest question “Where you see yourself in next two years?”

Join the Best and discover the best in you.

~Manisha Bothra

open-source-tools

Startup’s Marketing Strategy facilitated by open source tools

Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), Conferences, Events

Startup’s Marketing Strategy facilitated by open source tools – by Shweta Nanda

Great product companies like Zoho ,Druva and Freshdesk have leveraged digital marketing to a great extent. In the initial phase of startup where there is budget constraint some open source applications work wonders for market or competitor study and implement strategic decision making.

Free Search trend tools and segmentation tools help tremendous in lead generation.

Lead Generation through free tools:

Must try search trends tools:

The first step is searching for the right keywords, you can start with Google Keyword Planner. We can use tools like Spyfu and Semrush to look for competitors keywords and Google Trends tool which gives you keywords which are in top searches, with regions where you should target specifically. This we have practically used in our classes. It’s a great idea to capture a business oriented key word and use it in Google Trends to identify the real time search engine presence of the specific keyword at global level.

We can design the content campaigns for Google Display and Facebook-Youtube Video for brand recall. Also before penetration with core offerings we can prepare ourselves for content marketing on social media sites as done by startup NAIKA .Once you influence the target with the knowledge of offering (which develops the interest for a product/service), it gives a platform to create the perception about the offerings and gain competitive edge.

Demographic segmentation tools :

This calls for segmenting the target audience under the following or relevant domains:

  • Function
  • Industry
  • Geography
  • Linkedin Sales Navigator works very well to create the database of prospective target. In order to introduce our business offerings, we can design 4 set of emails including an intro mail describing your services with USP’s, and then 3 follow up emails. 
  • Tools namely Gmail Account for Business or Personal & Gmass for drip emails are incredible in this context. The incredible feature is to align the sending of the mass mails in fixed day’s slots depending on the requirement of the business.

Changing Leadership Competencies in the VUCA world

Career Development (Placement), General Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Undergraduate Business School, IILM University, Uncategorized

In the recent years, the world has continued to undergo a series of transformational shifts. As we know technology has made momentous changes throughout the world, leading to great benefits and adding challenges. Let’s face it, our lives, both at work and at home, are in a constant state of flux. The looming question before us is-“how can we manage effectively in this constantly changing, dynamic situation?” The words of Charles Darwin seem to resonate more poignantly than ever: “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, or the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change”. The VUCA environment as we know it. VUCA is an acronym that recently found its way into the business lexicon. It originally derives from the military vocabulary in the 1990’s and reflects volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity of general conditions and situations that we all find ourselves in. VUCA seems to be an apt description of our constantly evolving world.

So how does VUCA manifest itself in our lives? Volatility is nothing but the nature, speed, volume, magnitude and the dynamics of change. Gone are the days when leaders and managers would have the luxury of time to plan for the next change. Today the change is here, even before we realize it. Things change unpredictably, suddenly, extremely, especially for the worse. Change is now seen as way of life and we need to constantly adapt and innovate. As Alvin Toffler correctly quotes “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn”. Uncertainty is the lack of predictability of issues and events and gets reflected in all areas of individual and social life. It’s the lack of predictability which leads to chaos and anxiety. Complexity of the confounding issues and the chaos that surrounds us. The complexity of the VUCA world is evident. The past, present and future are perceived with confusion, but at the same time are extremely interconnected. This can lead to an inability to be decisive because we find ourselves overwhelmed with both information and choice. Clarity is no longer a commodity that can be easily gained. Ambiguity is the haziness of reality. Today, every decision presents a series of ambiguous dilemmas. Situations and events are open to more than one interpretation, and the meaning can be understood in different ways. This can not only create confusion, but even conflict. Thus, sometimes it may get very hard to make the ‘right decision’.

Since VUCA seems to be the new normal, how can leaders today manage this transition and be more effective? The leadership process needs to undergo a 360-degree change. Therefore, what organizations need today is Leadership Agility and Cognitive Readiness.  The leadership today is a contextual and a temporal process of constant learning and practice. Cognitive readiness is the mental, emotional and interpersonal preparedness for uncertainty and risk and the ability most required by leaders in today’s’ context.

Leaders are therefore required to adapt and change from context to context and it becomes imperative for the organizations today to understand and grasp the new meaning and usage of the word leadership. There is a clear distinction between developing leaders and developing leadership. To be successful in this VUCA world, the leaders cannot afford to lead and guide people, the way it was done a decade ago. Today the leader needs to ‘walk the talk’. Today, most organizations are in a constant state of flux, undergoing radical changes, the leader behavior also needs to undergo a transformation. Some of the successful organizations rely on the following strategies. First, the leader should provide guidance and direction to teams across time zones, cultures and organizational barriers. Second, invest in talent and help nourish talented workers by giving them opportunities to grow and progress, developing a high performance organization is more imperative today than it ever was. Third, closely related to the second, is to invest in people, create a work environment which is engaging and that will foster commitment. Last, but not the least, all stakeholders in the organization (customers, employees and employers) need to be the part of the organization growth curve.

Change is inevitable in organizations and is at a critical tipping point, the increased pace of change in today’s global environment has created even more problems for leaders struggling to help their organizations adapt. Therefore, simply managing change is not sufficient. Successful change, therefore, requires leadership. Change or Perish is the new mantra in this VUCA world……

SKILLING-TO-EMPLOYABILITY

SKILLING TO EMPLOYABILITY – AN INDUSTRIAL MEET HARYANA VISHWAKARMA SKILL UNIVERSITY

Career Development (Placement), General Blog, Guest Blog, Uncategorized,

An Industry-academia meet was organized by The Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University on 7th July 2017. The meeting focused on the topic “Skilling to Employability”. An Industry-academia meet was organized by The Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University on 7th July 2017. The meeting focused on the topic “Skilling to Employability”.

SKILLING-TO-EMPLOYABILITY-blog2
The Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University has been enacted by the legislature of the state of Haryana with an objective to establish a Skill University in order to facilitate and promote skill, entrepreneurship development, skill based education and research in the emerging areas of manufacturing, textile, design, logistics and transportation, automation, maintenance etc. and to raise skill level in various fields related to these areas.The event was honoured by Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, IAS and the Principal Secretary of Industries & Commerce Department, Haryana, Sh. Raj Nehru – Vice Chancellor, Haryana Vishwakarma Skill University and many other distinguished person.  This meet encouraged and enhanced the interaction between the stakeholders for building a strong skilling framework. It served as a platform to discuss about the current needs of the industry in terms of skilled human capital and how the academia can help in nurturing the potential work force with desired skill set.

SKILLING-TO-EMPLOYABILITY-blog1
After the welcome message, Shri Raj Nehru, Founding-Vice Chancellor of the University addressed the gathering where he emphasized on the loopholes of the education system in India thus bringing in the reason for the establishment of such a University where vocational and skill education would be the prime objective. He also explained the 10-20-70 Rule. Where 10% is formal learning in classrooms, 20% is through Practical trainings and 70% is learning on the job.

Various industry persons from esteemed companies like Hero MotoCorp Ltd.. Maruti, HDFC etc. and various institutions like IILM Gurgaon, Amity University etc. also joined the meet.

In the end, Mr. Raj asked the audience to give their valuable advice on how they can improve their University. Some of the various suggestions were:

► There is a lot of emphasis given on numbers i.e. number of people registering for the skill courses. This should be avoided.
► The education system needs to be diverted towards vocational and skill learning rather than mere passing examinations.
► The students coming from various institutions are not job -ready, they still lack the required skills.
► The courses should have long term employability i.e. they should be structured in a manner that is relevant for the industry even after five years from now.
► A suggestion of a skill test also came up in which when a candidate shows his/her interest in joining the skill course, he/she would have to give a skill test, the results of which will indicate as to which course he/she should opt for.
► A suggestion of virtual courses also came up to facilitate the working class.

He even highlighted that the vision of the University was not just limited to India but it wanted to become a global mark. He also appreciated the hard work of his team members by pointed out that they did not work like government employees rather worked just like any other competitive corporate employees. He also mentioned Cooperation extended by IKLM, Gurgaon by providing students volunteers which helped greatly in making event a success. Lastly, he thanked all the industry people for contributing in the event and joining hands with the University.

Contributions from
Minal Gupta
Nikhil Gupta
(PG16-18)

LinkedIn Profile Checklist For Students!

Career Development (Placement), , , ,

LinkedIn is a professional networking site which has grown from just 500,000 users to 50 million users over the years. It is not only said to be a social-professional networking platform, but is considered to be a necessity tool for every person out there wanting to connect with each other for business, hiring, research or networking purpose. Yes, personal branding is as essential as marketing a product in the market.

For today’s millennial generation, who are aspiring to enter into the world of corporate space (and strategies!),  it is so very important to keep a regular check on LinkedIn profile essentials.

If you are just starting new on LinkedIn, the process can be a little overwhelming for you. To make things easier, we have made a quick checklist for MBA students, and all other kinds of aspirants to help you get started on the right track.

Here is our 6 point checklist for your LinkedIn profile :-

1. First Step To Start

  • You must have over 100 connections
  • Make sure you put a professional photo
  • Your profile should be SEO driven. Keep a check on your keyword strategy, it should be in place for higher & right visibility of your profile
  • Work on your unique LinkedIn profile URL. 

2. Headline/Job Designation

  • Headline is possibly the most important thing on your LinkedIn profile. It permits you to use 120 characters to define yourself in every right and attractive manner for a user to simply click on your profile.

3. Summary

  • Your profile summary is a short description of your experience; skills, talents, and how you could (or can) add value to a company.
  • A summary should definitely include the quantified results with numbers and figures that was achieved in previous companies.

4. Experience

  • This section gives you a systematic way of displaying your work associations with previous employers, and also to add relevant amount of media files/pfs/blogs to portray your work establishments in a much extensive manner.
  • It is highly recommended to be detailed while writing the specifications about your work experience by providing employer’s background, years of association with the particular organization,  project details, accomplishments & KRAs.
  • This section also permits you to proceed with filling in some specifications about – Education, Courses, Certificates etc.

5. Recommendations & Endorsements

  • For right LinkedIn optimization it is suggested to at least have top 3 recommendations filled in. Recommendations are the best way to make your own profile speak for you from your references.
  • Endorsements are the display of your top skills on your profile. You must keep a check on the endorsements you receive from your network (and what you give back to your LinkedIn connects). Endorsements work like a give and take strategy. The more you connect with people on LinkedIn, the endorsements increases with time.

6. Networking & Connecting

  • Be a part of at least 10-15 relevant groups on LinkedIn. There is a large community on LinkedIn that could help you know what’s trending and bustling in your chosen domain around by just digitally interacting with them.
  • It is said that sharing is important, but only if it relevant & effective. Post relevant articles on your profile at least once a week.
  • Make sure you connect with two new much relevant users on LinkedIn on a monthly basis.
  •  Messaging on LinkedIn is one of the strongest tools to sustain your network. You must message to your known network, one to an unknown LinkedIn user on a weekly basis.
  • Make sure you follow at least 5 new companies that you are interested in.

References : 
– LinkedIn
– Levo League
– Career Contessa

Education for Judgement

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The role of a manger is to make decision and to make a choice out of many options to lead organisation successfully to the next level. Can we teach how to make decision and to think strategically? It is hard thing to do . But thats what management programmes around the world claim to do. It is very easy for professors to teach management principles in a class room but it is very difficult for mangers to practice those theories in fast changing, disruptive and difficult world. The firefighting, the survival and making sense out of chaos fill manager’s or leader’s days and months. The outside change is so powerful that it is difficult to change the dominant logic of the company even if the leader knows that past success is no longer relevant in the new context. The example of Kodak and Nokia are too prominent on this. Management programmes claim to train people to become leaders? Can they do that . For sure, leaders can’t be created in a classroom and through classroom discussions . But what can be done in the classroom is that students can learn thoughtfully from their own experience and understand the context. They also get to know that leaders arise in the context. They understand context and attempt to adapt and change the context.

Even the modest aim of making student reflect on their experience and helping them to understand the context, a normal MBA class should not be taught like a normal post graduate class. In a normal class the teacher lectures and student absorbs and records and keeps the notes That’s where the case method scores over lecture method of teaching and learning. In each case study you get ample opportunity to understand the context of a decision maker and also reflect thoughtfully on your own experiences and learn from the connection

The case method of teaching and learning is difficult to practice. The traditional model of teaching and learning is based on the idea of transferring information from the teacher to students. The teacher controls the pace, sequencing and presentation. The teacher lectures and student listen and retains the essence of what is being taught . In this method the teacher provides the solution . In the real world no body has the solution When a manager goes to the real world he has to find solution on his own based on the knowledge and logical and gut thinking. He needs to think and asks questions to make sense of an emerging scenario on daily and long term basis

The case method is unique way of teaching as it teaches students to think and think for themselves. Any concept or theory which helps him to dig deeper in the case to make judgement needs to be learnt and applied . He should ask questions and should prepare his own answer. In an ideal case discussion scenario ,students can discuss and form opinion to take a particular decision. Learning to think is hard. Learning to think by using numbers and structured process is harder. Learning to think by connecting dots and form a holistic picture is the hardest. In the case method a student is co creator of knowledge and explains the context along with faculty unlike the the lecture method .

This is a difficult mindset to master where teacher ideally should not teach and students also feel confident enough to ask questions, think , challenge assumptions ,explain context, connect with their own experience . The mastery of judgement takes a lifetime .leaders also falter and make wrong decisions but they remain open about it as the self aware person . They have got nothing to hide. This self awareness leads to success in spotting new opportunities, in understanding context and people and taking to a new path

By teaching through case method, a faculty gets enriched by that process. He discovers the new facets through his students . He knows the deeply about the case but not everything. At the end end he connects the dot and enables students to see a interconnection between forces to make decision. A leader is also judged by the quality of his decisions, his assumptions about people and situation .

The great business leaders like Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Henry Smith of FedEx , Herb Keller of South west airlines, jack welch and Jeff Immelt of GE, Ratan Tata of Tata group, Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani of Infosys demonstrate great many skills but the mastery of judgement comes from thinking though and understanding context and emerging future and being guided the strong values .

Case method of teaching and learning should be introduced in school to make sure that students learn that there are no right and wrong answers at the end. The context matters, the character matters and that get forged in the real world through hard work and perseverance and resilience .while knowing a certain body of knowledge is essential it the application which matters most

Teaching and learning by transferring information has become obsolete as Google and apps are going give information whenever required . But curiosity, learning to think, raising questions are critical tools on which future of learning seems to be based on . Case method despite its weaknesses fills the gap and is the most apt method for education for judgement

Why Your Company Needs a B school Campus Recruitment Strategy

Why Your Company Needs a B-school Campus Recruitment Strategy?

Career Development (Placement), , , , , ,

On-campus information sessions and recruitment is the most popular way for management graduates to find career opportunities after job boards, employer website and career fairs. Campus recruiting is also a great way for organizations to engage emerging talent. But campus recruitment comes with its own challenges. Attracting management students on their own turf needs a sufficiently unique approach – an approach that includes engaging resources, a streamlined application process, and some memorable activities.

Today’s job market is more dependent on young talent than ever before. According to the data released by the Census of India, India has an unrivalled youth demographic: 65% of its population is 35 or under (the critical demography category of 18-35 years of age is approximately 32%).

In such environment, premier management schools continue to be an important channel for selecting leaders for companies. Companies have started to work on campus recruitment into their strategy to further entrench their leadership positions. Employers have also enhanced their focus on hiring from top tier b-schools.

On-campus recruitment is catching the fancy of Human Resources’ departments in companies across industries because on-campus recruiting can create a pipeline of interns and entry-level hires that can help these companies grow. Campus hiring can also help companies reduce the attrition rate dramatically, an extremely important benefit as employees are switching careers more frequently than ever before. When it comes to millennials, they are actually job-hopping more frequently than previous generations.

On-campus recruiting is also important for promoting your brand. Many of your company leaders will be first exposed to your company on their b-school campus. Even if management graduates aren’t hired directly out of campus, these graduates will remember your company as they continue their career path, and will keep it in mind in the future. In short, some of your most talented business leaders of tomorrow are on campus right now, probably unaware of your organization’s existence. An effective campus recruitment strategy should aim to change that.

Feeling confused and lost? Well, please don’t! We have weaved together this step-by-step guide to help your company come up with an effective campus recruiting strategy. This guide includes questionnaire, checklists, timelines, and some tested tricks for getting attention on campus.

Why You Must Experience The IILM PGDM Academic Journey

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“India needs you as future leaders. I look forward to following the success of the graduates from this school. You have a strong affinity to this school. Keep that affinity, give back; i think that’s really very important. I wish all the graduates and i am looking forward to collaborate with some of you in the boardroom as we start pondering about trade, business & studies in Canada.”

– H.E Mr Nadir Ptael, High Commissioner for Canada to India, addressing graduating students at IILM 2015 convocation.

There are a many reasons that made our students believe in the big academic journey of IILM, hence they decided to be a part of India’s leading business school. Watch their stories on our Youtube channel and get inspired.

Our students are trained differently from the typical classroom setting. They have sound academic knowledge supplemented with experiential learning that helps them do well at every on field project they undertake. They are armed with the concepts and skills required to make them a cut above the rest. They are confident and effective decision makers- ready to be recognized amongst the best in the country.

So, you are just one decision away to achieve the best of your academic & career goals. Fill in your details, and reserve your IILM admission seat for PGDM Batch 2017-19.

The Intern: Become Their Favorite on Day 1

Career Development (Placement)

You would be thinking how we can prove ourselves on the very first day of Internship. I am going to explain it through this blog to give you guys more insights about how to impress your Boss and colleagues on the first day of your Internship Program.

Just follow me till the end so that you can get the benefit in many different ways on getting noticed on the first day of your Internship.  There are many Do’s and Don’ts which every intern should keep in mind so that they get the desired learning without any loss.

 

Follow these simple ‘Do’s’, and you shall be on their good books: –

Prepare an elevator pitch beforehand

The best way to introduce yourself on the first day would be to prepare an elevator pitch beforehand so that you don’t have to think again and again about introducing yourself to different persons. This will help you to make a good impression on your Managers and Colleagues on the very first day.

Flaunt the punctual streak in you

One of the most important factor to consider is showing up early on the first day because this will show how disciplined you are and ultimately will give a nice image of you. If needed, get a trial commute before the joining date so that you get an idea of when to start and how to reach.

Listen.Observe. Repeat

Keep in mind that in the initial days you have to just notice how the things are going on in your office environment. Ask questions to the seniors as much as possible because if you did something on your own, no one will be responsible for that act but you. Keep track of how the system works in the office.

Communicate, smile & be humble

The best way to get hold of the things is to make good conversations with the office mates during the break or lunch. Try to understand how they keep the work life balance. Also if they have some sports complex or someplace to leisure after office, go along with them and make good bonding with them.

 

Be careful of these ‘Don’ts’, save yourself from being tagged in the bad books : –

 

Don’t jump onto the conclusion in a blink of an eye

Maybe you will find many awkward things on the first day if you haven’t worked before or not in this type of environment, don’t react or get emotional. Just observe as I mentioned above because you are new and don’t know the reason why these things are into picture. I will suggest you to KEEP CALM AND RELAX.

Learning never stops, it is always constant

It’s possible that you won’t be getting any work for the first day or not that much as you expected, don’t panic or overreact. They are giving you time to get settled down and make yourself comfortable to handle the work further. If you get some work and you are done with it on time, don’t sit idle. Go to your industry mentor and show them your work and get along some notes copy or some piece of paper to note down the corrections, if any. If you are done with that work, then ask for another one. Learning should not stop. Keep in mind that it your lifetime opportunity to learn under no pressure.

It is never a crime to look good & maybe just a little formal fancy

Till you are not acquainted with the dressing behavior of the organization, it is advisable to wear a formal dress and you can change it according to the environment that runs inside.

Take Control on Emotions

Don’t talk or laugh too much on the first day as you are not aware of the behavior of the fellow colleagues. Try to avoid cracking jokes on anyone if you are used to it for others. Because its an professional place, just smile and do your work.

 

 

Suggested Blogs :

(Career) Trekking In The Advertising Sector

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The moment you step foot at IILM Lodhi Road, the process of shaping and molding you for the real world begins. From Day 1 itself, the focus is to get one ready to bag the best possible offer from industry bigwigs, at the end of two years when the PGDM program culminates. This is where a module like ‘Career-Trek’ comes into the picture, this course is different from conventional courses as it offers a practical industrial training. Students get to choose a sector of their choice (e.g., FMCG, Automobile, Advertising & Digital Media, E-Commerce, Manufacturing, Research, Financial Consulting, Real Estate etc.) understand well, and then explore an opportunity to interact with the industry personnel / functional heads to get a detailed idea about various job profiles being offered by the company/sector, competitors, status in market, functions, processes and other related information.

Having worked in the Advertising & Digital Media sector for almost two years, I had it absolutely clear in my mind what my choice of industry was going to be. Now the next step, was getting hold of a few industry personnel who would be willing to share their knowledge and experience with us students, this was easier said than done. Now you see personnel in the Advertising & Digital Media sector are notorious for a complete disregard of everything apart from work; in a nutshell they live and breathe the work that they do. Hence convincing them (more conning them than anything else) to take out some precious time for us students was an uphill trek in itself. But finally, I and members of my career trek group managed to fix up not one, not two, but four industry visits. Let me now take you through each of these four industrial visits:

1.DDB Mudra : The DDB Mudra Group, a part of the Omnicom/DDB Worldwide Group, is India’s largest integrated marketing communications and services network. DDB Mudra Group comprises three agency networks and six specialist agencies and eleven strategic business units which offer their expertise under four disciplines (Media, OOH, Retail and Experiential).

DDB Mudra Group is one of India’s most awarded agencies picking up numerous awards at top national and international award festivals including Cannes, Spikes Asia, Clio, Adfest, ABBYs, OAA (Outdoor Advertising Awards), PMAA – Dragons of Asia (Promotion Marketing Awards of Asia) and WOW (Experiential Awards). Their long and illustrious list of clients include Emirates, Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, Times of India, UNICEF, Volkswagen and many more.

At DDB’s Gurugram office we met Mr. Kabir Sen, who is a Senior Partner-Client Lead; he gave us a light hearted outlook into the world of advertising. He also spoke about how advertising has evolved over the years and is now playing catch-up to Digital Media; but at the same time he pointed out that a lot yet has to be done to bring Digital Media to the masses in the tier 3, tier 4 and rural areas of India.

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Students at DDB Mudra with Mr. Kabir Sen, Senior Partner-Client Lead

2. MRM//McCann : is a leading Customer Experience Agency that puts people first. This philosophy guides their approach to creating moments that matter to both people and brands. Through data infused insights and engaging creative that is enabled through technology, they build seamless, connected experiences that result in profitable relationships. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group and a lead agency in the McCann Worldgroup network, with 40+ offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.MRM//McCann has been ranked among the top 10 digital agencies in the world by size, according to Adweek, MediaPost, and RECMA. Their areas of specialization are Digital Marketing, Direct Marketing, Advertising, CRM, Data & Analytics, and Creative Technology.

At MRM//McCann’s New Delhi office, we met Ms. Nidhi Sharma, Group Account Manager for Lufthansa Airlines, & Ms. Rangoli Mehrotra, Manager-Digital Planning for Lufthansa Airlines. They were extremely gracious hosts and showed us around the premises while at the same time introducing and giving us a brief about every department including strategy, designing, creatives, etc. This helped all my fellow career trek group member better understand the functional departments that each agency has, and also helped decide the department they would like to work in the near future.

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Students at MRM//McCann with Ms. Rangoli Mehrotra, Social Media-Team Lead for Lufthansa Airlines

3. Foolish : is a highly creative, strategically-focused, independent advertising agency in New Delhi. These guys are passionate about creating big ideas for big and small, but ambitious clients. Big ideas that go beyond single executions and act as a platform for one strong campaign after another.Foolish is structured around a passionate, multi-disciplinary team of individuals infused with free spirit, curious minds and restless souls. As a diverse group, each member brings different skills. From spectacular campaigns in TV, print and radio to striking brand identity makeovers, effective direct mail to point of purchase. Whatever the challenge or creative channel, these guys have an unprecedented record for turning brands around and generating outrageous business results.Their long and illustrious list of clients includes Adobe, Café Coffee Day, Xerox, Goodyear and many more.

At Foolish’s Gurugram office we were welcomed by Ms. Gagan Arora – Corporate Head, who gave us a brief overview of how newer players like Foolish are taking the fight to industry stalwarts like DDB & Ogilvy, and on many occasions coming up on top. She also gave us valuable insights on what a recruiter looks for in a potential hire, and also focused on the qualities that are necessary to do well in the Advertising & Digital Media industry. We also had a brief discussion on how Demonetisation affected ad-spends from a client’s perspective and how agencies worked around this temporary inconvenience.

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Students at Foolish with Ms. Gagan Arora – Corporate Head

4. Rep India : These guys are the new kids on the block and consist of an army of creative thinkers, who spend a disproportionate amount of their time on digital. They have a young team from diverse backgrounds with a common motive of building brands through their use of the digital economy, and that is what makes them tick.The range of services that Rep India offer include branding & identity design, web design & development, social media management, Online Reputation Management, SEO, etc.

They have an impressive portfolio of clients like GAP, Burger King, Air Asia, KittySu, and even IILM.

We spent a better part of the evening having an informal chat with Ms. Preeti Kaur – Head HR & Operations, about the finer nuances of working in an Advertising & Digital Media agency. She gave us a complete overview of the role each functional department in an agency plays, and how at the end of a day it’s the duty of an Account Manager to manage all these departments to the best of his/her abilities to ensure timely execution of Client Campaigns.

    She also introduced us to one member from each department including Strategy, Design, and Account Management, who then told us individually about the kind of work that happens in each of these departments. This was by far the most comprehensive overview of the Advertising & Digital Media industry.
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Students at Rep India with Ms. Preeti Kaur – Head HR & Operations

All in all it was an extremely fun, yet informative series of industrial visits and helped pique each and every student’s interest in the Advertising & Digital Media sector. Also, the one message that we all got from the agencies we visited was, no matter how big or small, old or new the agency might be; only a person who is truly passionate and creative about his/her work can make it big in this industry, and no one else.

And for me, it just cemented my belief that Advertising & Digital Media is the industry I really belong to and nothing will change that fact for me, ever. Now can’t wait to graduate from IILM and get back to business.

By Aditya Ray
IILM PGDM 2016-18