Placements at IILM – Training, Guidance and Opportunities

As I entered the gates of IILM, the red brick buildings with lush green creepers seemed to welcome me. I was looking forward to a great journey of pursuing knowledge beyond traditional boundaries. My experience at IILM for the one year that I have spent here has not disappointed. IILM has lived up to all my expectations and beyond. Let me share a key aspect of IILM that is relevant and important for all the students aspiring to do a PGDM course in a B School. It is a question that is in the minds of every student studying at IILM and those aspiring to take admission in this B School. Yes, I am going to share with you about how Placements happen at IILM.

Preparing for Placements

IILM believes in preparing the students and equipping them with the latest knowledge and skill sets. It offers more than your usual PGDM course, where practical experience and live market exposure are of utmost priority. Our Placement Cell is aligned with the values of our institution and grooms students to make them corporate ready from the day we step into the classrooms, focussing on training and developing the students through innovative methods and best practices inspired by the best B Schools in India and the world.

Career Resource Centre (CRC)

I soon realised that IILM has a robust and active Career Resource Centre (CRC) that is well connected with the corporate world and with all sectors of industry. I was relieved and happy to learn about the placements of IILM students over the years many of whom have been placed in good organizations and are today well recognized leaders and executives in the corporate world. IILM has a great track record of developing industry-ready managers and successful placements. I felt that my future was secure with IILM as it would offer me the best placement opportunities.

If we talk about the internal processes carried out by this department, it includes:

►Helping students choose their career options.
►Assisting in drafting the industry-grade resume and building LinkedIn profiles.
►Organizing mock Group Discussion sessions, Aptitude Tests, and Personal Interviews to prepare the students for the final placement process.
►Giving students proper assistance for the Summer Internship process.

Student Board of the CRC

Another interesting part about the placement cell is that it not only includes faculty members for conducting all due processes, but also has a Board of 4 student secretaries who are responsible for efficiently coordinating/conducting Personal Interviews, Group Discussions, Guest Lectures and other placement related activities. Through this platform the freshers get great experience of the complete placement process which is a crucial learning. Being part of the Placement Cell is a great opportunity for students who begin the process of being managers right at the institute giving them an edge over other students.

I have been fortunate to be an active part of the Placement Cell and have gained crucial and significant knowledge in the one year that I have been at IILM. This has helped me to perceive my professionally journey strategically and make the right decisions during my course at IILM. I have also developed a good network as I have had the opportunity to interact with Alumni and industry experts.

How Mentorship Program helps Placements

I was really happy to learn about the Mentorship Program at IILM that has helped me immensely in my first year. At IILM the journey of every student isn’tstandardised but customised to suit his/her needs. Students are observed carefully, and the CRC is in touch with their mentors to constantly discus their interest and aspirations. The mentor-mentee platform provided me personalised attention and guidance to help me choose the right professional path in accordance with my interests and abilities. I can interact with my Mentors as often as I want to seek their guidance and I have built a relationship of trust with my mentor as have other students of my class. Our mentors help us to discover our core competencies and guide us towards career development programs in those respective fields providing 360 degree assistance to crack our dream job.

Industry Interaction

Apart from these internal activities, I was also part of other experiences that enriched my journey. IILM believes in connecting industry veterans and leaders with budding managers that study here. My friends and I had a very interesting and useful exposure and learning through guest lectures, Industry-institute interaction, industrial visits which were aligned with our course structure. The industry exposure helped us understand how to apply the classroom concepts in real life.

Future is Safe with IILM

I have realised that IILM works very hard to provide its students with the right career opportunities with some of the best organizations coming to IILM for campus placements. IILM believes in providing students all kinds of support such as personalised attention, guidance and trainingto be get their dream jobs.

I am happy to be studying at IILM, an institute that cares, guide, trains and provides the best career opportunities. I believe that my future is in safe hands.

IILM Website: https://www.iilm.edu/

Akash Pk
Batch 2019- 21, IILM LR

IILM, a great place to begin!

HR Analyst at Google, Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience

When writing about my experiences at IILM, I have so many thoughts playing and dancing around in my mind. There is so much to say yet to sum up the lively and life changing experiences in one blog is rather difficult. Summarizing the amazing and awesome memories and learnings into a few hundred words seems like an injustice to the holistic and multi-dimensional experiences I had at IILM. However, let me pen down some of my thoughts and memories for you.

Caring and Supportive Faculty Members at IILM

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experienceThe foremost thing I want to share about is the faculty at IILM. They are all brilliant minds brimming with knowledge. The faculty members at IILM taught us not just theory but explained all the concepts through experiential learning and case studies that helped us understand the theoretical concepts better and how to apply them to real situations. They trained us, groomed us, and trained us to make great presentations as well as how to speak and conduct ourselves with confidence. Although the daily routine and long hours of teaching sometimes felt tough but the professional environment and the strict code of discipline constantly pushed us to learn and improve ourselves, I am really grateful for it because it prepared us well for all the future challenges.

While the professors believed in academic rigour, they were caring and warm. They were always approachable, ready to lend a helping hand to students academically and emotionally. I developed strong bonds with my professors and some of them are still like family to me.

Industry Exposure at IILM

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experienceWe were exposed to industry and their working style as IILM regularly organized industry visits, conferences attended by industry leaders, invited international guest faculty and internships. All these activities made us corporate ready by increasing our understanding of how the real-world works. The learning in the classroom and beyond had a long-lasting impact on my professional choices, decisions, and journey.

Exposure to International Education at IILM

The study abroad program offered by IILMprovideda great exposure to the students and we learnt about the nuances of business studies in other parts of the world. I had gone to University of Winnipeg in Canada and was exposed to a new culture and society as well as learnt about international business practices. I gained confidence and was able to do much better in my personal and professional interactions because of the study abroad program. The exposure was especially helpful when I began working in the corporate world.

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience
After completing my PGDM I began my corporate journey and my experiences at IILM helped me to successfully manage my professional life. I can successfully approach problems, find solutions, and make right decisions because of my training at IILM. The encouragement received has also helped me to continue with my passion for public speaking and creative writing.

Thank you IILM for making me believe in me through an all-round educational experience, a holistic exposure and the support of your caring faculty

Avlokita Narang
Batch 2016-18

Whatever I am is all because of IILM: Satyaveer Pal (Alumnus, Batch 2006-2008)

After completing his Bachelor of Science from Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (MJP) Rohilkhand University, a young lad stepped out of his hometown Bareilly to fulfill his dreams in the Millennium City of Gurugram. A career-ambitious student, he landed at IILM to pursue a career in management. Meet Satyaveer Pal, Regional Manager – Sales (International Business), Aurionpro, Gurugram, an alumnus of Batch 2006-2008. His work takes him to places, literally. He has extensively traveled to Europe and the APAC and South Asia region, particularly Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Nepal where majority of his clients are based. His last International visit was to Indonesia and Vietnam in February 2020, just before the national lockdown.

I had the opportunity to speak with him recently, and he was reminiscing his experiences at IILM during his stay at the campus. Considered as a studious person, he was the CR (student Class Representative) for two consecutive years, and this helped him tremendously in improving his interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. His favorite faculty was the marketing professor, Dr. Priyanka Dhingra whose lessons in sales and marketing were a lifelong learning for him. Giving presentations, participating in quizzes and class exercises are among his best memories at the campus. He fondly recalled an instance when he had to make a sales presentation where he came up with an innovative idea of marketing and branding of pens. This activity – based classroom pedagogy made him realize that marketing was where his career lay, and today business development has become his forte.

IILM gave Satyaveer learning both inside the classroom and outside. He learnt how to respond and gauge behavior of other people. He acquired networking skills and learnt how to brand oneself. This learning has taken him to the pinnacles of success.

He got an opportunity to do his summer internship at Shoppers Stop Gurugram, and he was also part of a new outlet opening in New Delhi where he helped Shoppers Stop in setting up their retail business from the scratch. He gained hands-on experience during his SIP and developed a multidimensional approach to handling problems. He believes those students who do not take their SIP seriously are the ones who loose out on good placements later.

Satyaveer feels that he not just gained academic knowledge at IILM but also the soft skills that are required to be successful in the corporate world.

As he was an outstation student, Satyaveer stayed at IILM boys’ hostel, and that was a wonderful experience for him. He learnt to become independent and gained friends for life. He cherishes the memories of playing cricket after classes in the campus grounds, going around in the local markets and malls of Gurugram, and chit-chatting with his hostel roommates till late night.

It is such a pleasure to have an alumnus as Satyaveer. His colleagues praise him unabashedly. I was going through some of the recommendations he received on LinkedIn and my heart swelled in pride. Considered as a good task master and team player, his peers and managers hold a remarkably high opinion of Satyaveer. According to them, he comes with a very infectious sort of energy; always warm and outwardly sociable, he gets along with people very easily. He is good at making new connections and is the live wire of every conversation.

He is still in touch with his faculty, Dr Radhika Madan and Dr Sujata Shahi, presently the Vice-Chancellor of IILM University. He has had positive interactions with them in the past and due to these, he has retained the connect with his Alma mater. Dr Radhika had in fact taught him and still considers him as one of her brightest students taught till date. She has seen Satyaveer grow in his career path over the years. A very vigorous person with a clear vision, she feels that he knows how to co-ordinate assignments and the workforce he deals with. She has found him to be a very dedicated and committed person who strives to achieve his goals with full commitment and sincerity. His positive approach to all his challenges is what differentiates him from other students.

In the past twelve years of graduating from IILM, he has earned the reputation of an enterprise leader with an excellent track record of contributions that streamline operations, invigorate businesses, heighten productivity and develop business strategies.

alumni-SatyaveerHe visits IILM Gurugram once in two months – either as an industry speaker to share his insights with the present batches, or as a jury member for a campus event – contributing in every possible way. He has also recommended several students for taking admissions in MBA, the flagship programme of IILM University Gurugram. One of the most connected alumni to his alma mater, he takes out time from his busy schedule whenever IILM requires his presence.

He is currently residing in the corporate hub of Gurugram with his parents, wife Abha and a three – year old son Arkin. On being asked, how did his stay at IILM impact his career, he proudly said, “Whatever I am is all because of IILM.”

My Journey with IILM continues… by Alumnus Joseph Davis

The engineer, not by choice, who wanted more from life than just the mundane, regular and ordinary! Relatable much? I’m Joseph Davis, the head of research and insights wing at Consocia Advisory and this is the story of my journey as a management professional.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_4The scary realization of the ordinary life awaiting me if I continued in the path of a chemical process engineer during the time I worked at Aramco’s process design consulting firm Petrocil Engineers, made me choose the management career path, as I dreaded the no-communication work style I was part of. I quit the job, prepared for the management entrance exams and scored well enough to get into some of the best management colleges in the country. Being a Keralite all my life, this was my golden chance to explore my opportunities across India. Thus began the research to find the institute that’s the best fit for my aspirations.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_32 months and tons of research later, I was at IILM Greater Noida’s entrance for my interview. IILM’s 3 Palmes of excellence ranking making it officially recognized in the category of “excellent business school with reinforcing international influence” by Eduniversal, making it a top B-School offering a PGDM program, was one prime reason for IILM being my go-to choice after several shortlisting stages. Visiting the splendid campus further reinforced the validity of my choice. My management entrance success ensured a 50% scholarship. Yippee! I interacted with the faculty and as my course ensued, I realized that IILM has a dynamic yet structured program with top notch teaching methodology including the concept of flipped class, where the student gets an opportunity to be the teacher and discuss concepts with the professor being a facilitator to clarify the outcome of the discussion enhanced through case studies and course materials by Harvard and many other global universities.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_2The global study program was a high point of the program with the opportunity to visit Dortmund, Germany as a foreign student at ISM, Dortmund for 4 weeks. I for one, used to the opportunity to the max by visiting 7 European countries over weekends, as we had a Schengen visa. The 4 weeks at ISM gave me a deep understanding of international concepts around Intercultural communication, strategic management, International Finance and Operations Management.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_5The industry exposure offered at IILM was world class as we had international faculty visiting the campus for specific courses in each trimester apart from the well qualified Ph.D. professors and lecturers coaching and mentoring me to be the best version of myself, both personally and professionally. The experiential learning I obtained as opposed to theoretical ramming one has experienced with the conventional educational system was a game changer in making me ready to face any and all challenges that I would face as a prospective manager and impacted my perception of the corporate world as a seasoned professional. This helped me in my placement at Protiviti Consulting, a U.S based consulting firm as a research associate.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis-convoThen came the convocation day. I was awarded the gold medal for the best academic and co-curricular performance over the 2 years at IILM. The grand ceremony hadn’t marked the end of my relationship with this spectacular management institute, but it had evolved into a beautiful connect as an alma mater which I continue to this day. 3 years later, I was back as a guest speaker at the International Sustainability conference representing my company. It was indeed a proud moment being back to impart some insights to the next set of intelligent minds.

My journey with IILM still continues and looking back, I am grateful to the almighty for helping me stick with my decision to choose IILM. To anyone who reads this, life at IILM will certainly change you for the better. Metamorphosis at IILM is real. The question is, are you ready for it?

Austria Meets India

As I was the first student from my home university FH Wiener Neustadt (Austria) going to India, I could not refer to any previous experiences or references. That is why I did not know what to expect from my time here. When I arrived in Delhi, I immediately knew that I would like the place and enjoy my time here. I was fascinated by the very different and diverse culture of the country, the great historical places to visit and about how people welcomed me.  IILM Lodhi Road helped me to arrange a nice apartment close to university, provided me with general information about my stay in India and introduced me to their academic rules. During the orientation process, I also got to know the other exchange student and we directly decided to visit some new places in Delhi together. Although I was not sure if people in the class will accept my different mindset, I was very lucky that many people in my courses were very open minded. In the initial days, the buddy mentors gave me good advice concerning academic work and helped me to arrange my first trip. As I was expected to do group work in classes, I got to know other students better and we spent a lot of time together. They showed me the highlights of Indian cuisine, lesser known places in Delhi and gave me a great insight into the culture of the country. Talking about the classes at IILM, they were simply great. The content of the courses was very well structured and comprehensive. During the lecture, the faculty members ensured that students participated in discussions and facilitated a friendly environment. The business school provided not only highly skilled academic professors, but also guest lecturers from partner universities abroad and Indian corporates. Furthermore, I got a chance to participate at the PRME conference which gave me great knowledge about sustainable projects in industries and businesses in India. I could also be a part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of IILM.

Overall, I have to say that my time at IILM Lodhi Road was a fantastic experience. Apart from getting to know different mentalities as I was travelling around India, widened my horizon and won friends for life. I would like to say thank you to everyone that made my stay here unforgettable. India is indeed a magical place.

What are the Benefits of Specialised Mentoring?

Young minds are often given to traverse the depths of aspirations and opportunities to find the right path. Even though strong in will and ambitious in actions, the surmounting problem of a future life can be arduous to tackle alone. One then needs assistance from an expert who understands these goals and can guide you towards your calling. In simple words, students need mentors who can help them achieve their maximum potential. At IILM, we assign a dedicated mentor to each student who helps you through the thick and thin of academics, career, and the future. Mentoring sessions are a part of the entrepreneurship courses at the Undergraduate Business School at IILM. Read on to find out the various benefits of specialized mentoring:

Identifying Priorities:

Primarily, you must learn how to get your priorities straight and manage your time accordingly. With social media creating an eternal distraction in the lives of the young guns, our mentors help in determining the amount of time wasted. Subsequently, they urge the students to make practical plans to reduce the wastage of time. Finally, they help in establishing accountability for the plans to ensure growth and the optimum use of time to achieve the goals.

Managing the Financial Aspect:

Most students come to IILM to pursue the bachelor of business administration degree from different walks of life. Regardless of the family background, every student evaluates his/her financial position at some point in their educational career. More often than not, it leads to unwanted and unnecessary stress. The specialized counseling at UBS, IILM aids in exploring the financial worries, identifying wasteful spending, and helping you look for ways to do well post the completion of the course.

Managing Anxiety:

The elaborate curriculum and industry practices required to be mastered by students may lead to anxiety. You may feel like not being able to cope with the studies. Mentors at IILM lend guidance on how to get rid of irrational fears. Additionally, they help you manage your studies better and rearrange your thoughts towards a positive mindset.

De-stressing:

The business world gets the better of everyone every now and then. Therefore, how you handle stress and channelize your worries are essential. Specialised mentoring sessions are organized to avoid the stress from building up to a point where it becomes overwhelming. Regular sessions beyond school hours ensure that the students don’t over-indulge in unnecessary activities. They make sure that you don’t turn towards depression and ruin your life. By simply indicating triggering points and identifying activities and ways to cope with stress, the mentors introduce mindful ways of coping with the problems of the mind.

Moreover, mentors help the families of the pupils to keep a track of their child’s progress. The sessions emphasize ways for pupils to expand their family business, higher education abroad, starting a new business or finding a respectable job to excel in life and make a name for themselves.