A large number of B-Schools have a variety of questions in the application forms that students have to answer. How one answers such questions has a bearing on ones final selection or non-selection into the institute. Some B-Schools even give a certain weightage to the application questions as a part of the selection process.
The answers you give to the questions in the application forms are often used as discussion points in your interview with the B-School and as such these should be filled in with care.
NOTE:
• Please ensure that you get all your answers reviewed by a someone before putting it down in the application blank
• Ensure that you take a photocopy of the filled in application form before posting the same.
How to write ‘good’ answers to the questions that requires you to write ‘a Statement of Purpose (SOP) essay is one area that troubles most applicants.
The following broad guidelines will help you in writing and structuring your essays and also help you in ensuring that you are well-prepared to answer the questions that you may be asked in the Personal Interview relating to your answers to the ‘SOP’ questions:
1. Language: One should always follow the KISS (Keep it Short & Simple) methodology in structuring the answers. The objective is not to impress the reader with your vocabulary but rather to communicate.
The use of simple and commonly used words is recommended – verbosity is a definite no-no. A word of caution: Do not try to use all those high-funda words that you learnt in your Vocab sessions!
2. Structure: Avoid long sentences. Flow is the key property of a good essay. Planning out the flow of the answer is a key step in writing good answers.
3. Consistency: Be consistent when more than one essay has to be written. Show your essays to a friend/parent/teacher for a third party review - if there are inconsistencies (that you may not notice), they will be able to point it out.
4. Clarity: Even when you are not required to write ‘why’ & ‘how’ in response to a question, be prepared with your answers to these. This will also bring a greater clarity to your essay.
5. Length: Please make judicious use of the space provided – at least 80% of the given space should be used up in answering the question. Do not use any additional space unless the form specifically allows it.
6. Honesty: Be honest in answering the questions. Do not invent examples / instances/ qualities that you do not have. The panelists are very experienced and can call a bluff when they see one.
For example, if you do not have any extracurricular activities, do not fill anything under that head.
7. Career Goals / Milestones: Career goals may be likened to the other side of the river which you need to cross to reach it. You can swim, build or hire a boat or look for a bridge if any exists or even build a new one! Some even think of flying across!
Goals may be divided into short, medium or long term goals. All the intermediate steps taken to reach your goals may be considered as milestones.
Admission into the B-school can only be one of the most suitable ‘means’ (and not a "career goal") considered by you keeping your strengths in mind and considering your long term goals / ambition.
Typically, what you would like to achieve towards the latter part of your career (say, when you are 40-50 years of age) can be called long term goals. The next 8-10 years will qualify to be called medium term goals and what you would like to do in the next 3-5 years would be your short term goals.
When you write what your career goals are, you may want to consider various options like corporate career, entrepreneurship, academic career, NGOs, social work, etc.
8. FMS: ‘Why is FMS the most suitable institute for realising your goals’ should be answered in a balanced manner. There is no point in saying – “FMS is the best in the world”. Further, do NOT copy from their prospectus wherein they would have mentioned some of FMS’s unique strengths. Please collect more information about FMS and use it. If nothing is possible, rephrase the words from the website / prospectus. If you can identify a unique strength / offering at FMS and explain how this can help you in achieving your career goals, it would be a more sensible answer.
In any case, career goal can’t be getting into FMS or even an IIM!
9. Ethical Questions: No point in painting yourself as a saint! Equally, no point in proudly mentioning how practical you are and how one has to be flexible & realistic!
You may share the instances when you did something where you ‘overlooked’ some of your ethics, or where you were tempted to ‘compromise’ for some short-term gains. However, you should later realize that it is an inferior / lazier alternative and you would have done better had you walked the straight & narrow path. A good idea could be to describe how you have emerged stronger from this experience. Never ever try and portray an unethical approach as a good one on the grounds of being practical!!
10. Some Specific Questions
A. ‘If I had the freedom, I will change the following in me’: This is a tricky one! If you respond to the meaning on the surface, it may imply that at present, you don’t have the required freedom! On the other hand, can you fully defend that ‘you-are-doing-what-you-want-to-do’ and ‘you-will-do-in-future-what-you-would-like-to-do’ in terms of career or activity.
This question can be answered by discussing the choices that you have considered and the process of arriving at the decision from the options considered by you.
This could sometimes also be used as a check for consistency since this is closely related to a question on strengths & weaknesses. It is very unlikely that you will respond that I am perfect and see no reason to change!
B. Learning Incidents: Be specific, describe it crisply but the focus should be on the learning and ‘how’ it helped you. The incident should not necessarily be used to showcase only the positive aspects of your character but rather one where you had learnt something positive.
C. Principal Interests: Our interests are conscious decisions that we take for we invest time, efforts, energy in nurturing & building the same. These also influence our attitudes & behavior and shape our personality - usually in a positive way.
D. Strengths & Weaknesses and Achievements & Failures: Do not take these lightly. One way to arrive at your strengths & weaknesses is to understand the link between these and achievements & failures.
Your strengths should help in achievements while your weaknesses should have contributed to your failures or lack of achievements!
Simply put, achievements are those moments that make you proud of yourself. On the other hand, failures are not necessarily failing in the exams but these are about failing to meet the targets you set for yourself.
Be prepared for the follow-up questions – if you have identified ‘X’ as your weakness, then what are you doing to improve in that area. How far have you succeeded?
It is advisable to list 3-4 strengths and 2-3 weaknesses. Also take care that the weaknesses that you write are articulated appropriately. You obviously can't say "My weakness is that if somebody does not agree with my point of view, I feel like strangling that person." You can say "I am a little impatient with people who do not agree with my point of view."
E. Examples/ Instances: All examples should be specific and relevant. Make these as crisp as possible.
F. How did you tackle & achieve a difficult target: Focus should be on the reason why you decided to take up the challenge and on ‘how’ you achieved the target despite obstacles.
G. Are you a good team player?: Please ensure that you fully understand what makes an effective team and the example you mention should include you playing a key role in building effective team processes leading to the desired outcome. Please note that this is not the same as leadership.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Hot careers in e-learning
By Syed Amir Ali Hashmi
Companies and educational institutes have realised the need for constant upgradation of knowledge, and e-learning is the easiest way to achieve it. E-learning not only saves time and energy, but also helps to upgrade knowledge 24x7. In the process, e-learning has opened up a barrage of job opportunities for the skilled.
A couple of years ago, careers in technology-based training were, perhaps, interesting to those in the business, but essentially limited to the esoteric few. After all training, just like education, suffered from a credibility and prestige problem. But in spite of the odds, e-learning picked up and career opportunities grew.
E-learning enables learning from material provided through the internet, intranet and CDs. The trend has picked up in recent years. Experts and CEOs soon began to realise that success in the new economy came from heightened knowledge and employee skills.
After years of rhetoric, reality was home to roost: The successful companies are those that lend their employees and the organisation opportunities to continually learn and improve. Among the new critical success factors are ability to innovate, speed of response, time of competence and adaptability. Learning plays an essential role in all of these factors.
Concurrent with the recognition of the importance of skilled employees was the advent of Internet. Here, it may be pertinent to distinguish the worth of Web technologies from the failure of dot-coms. Many dot-coms attempted to redefine the basic principles of business, but they discovered that customers, revenues and profits are still pretty important. Most of their efforts were misguided.
Internet technologies themselves, however, have opened up a whole new way to communicate, disseminate, and transact business. Dot-coms were only a blip compared to the transforming value of the Internet. And, as the Web has been used and further understood, many successful models of e-business have been developed.
It is logical, then, to apply the e-model to this vital 'newly respected' area of learning and training. "Using Internet technologies to disseminate information to people where they worked or lived, 24x7 makes sense.
At the very least, travel costs, which account for 40 per cent of training expenditures, can be reduced. With this juncture of learning and technology starting to form, a whole new level of attention arrived," says Jayant Kulkarni, executive director, Harbinger Knowledge Products.
Wall Street regularly follows e-learning companies. Successful business people such as Paul Allen, John Chambers, and Larry Ellison are lending their support.
And publishers, consulting firms, computer hardware companies, and major universities have established e-learning subsidiaries.
The latest financial estimates from IDC project a 50 per cent annual growth rate with the market segment reaching a value of $18 billion dollars in 2005. Even if this projection is overly optimistic, the growth prospects for e-Learning initiatives are very strong despite the softening economy.
In terms of skill requirements, e-learning projects require specialised expertise that is neither easy to obtain nor widely available. The scarcity of supply creates a strong market demand.
"The e-learning field also continues to change and respond to market needs. It takes work and commitment to keep up with the new technologies, players, and techniques," says Kulkarni.
So what does it take to be successful in this new, burgeoning field?
There are four broad skill sets or clusters that are required for most e-learning jobs. Depending on the position, the weighting of these skill sets will be different, but generally all four are present.
These broad skill clusters are instructional design, technology, consulting, and business. Job requirement:
Instructional design relates to the learning in e-learning. These are skills related to instructional models, use of questions and activities, compelling presentations, best use of media and methods, effective feedback, and the instructional design process itself.
As learning materials are conveyed through technology, the technology skill cluster becomes important. For some jobs, the required technology is specific and in-depth, such as developing a Flash tutorial, a Visual Basic simulation engine, or a Cold Fusion test database. For other jobs, an appreciation and understanding of Internet technologies (the e in e-Learning) and their best instructional use is sufficient.
In the past, many trainers and educators have resisted or been uncomfortable with technology. Now, technology is central and actually embedded in the e-learning name.
The consulting and business skill clusters are often overlooked. These clusters not only include skills but also a mindset or approach to issues.
Consulting is significant because it emphasises the total solution and not just a catalog of courses or a particular tool. All too often, we get infatuated with a technology before understanding its role and purpose. "The consultant mindset asks questions such as: What role does a learning initiative play in adding value, strengthening customer relationships, and enhancing competitive positioning? e-Learning consulting skills uncover business problems, stay involved throughout the process, and provide the context or bigger picture for training programs," says Kulkarni.
The business skill cluster brings a professional, hard-nosed approach to running a business or even a project team. It includes establishing benchmarks and metrics for success, and managing the training organisation or company professionally, leanly, and accountably.Typically, training professionals have lacked the business skills to be taken seriously. E-Learning requires a new level of managerial and business competency. These four skill clusters require further definition and expansion in order to define jobs and potential career paths.
E-Learning Job Model
The job model is divided into three categories: Executive and Consulting Roles; Design, Development and Production Team Roles; and Learning Software, Tools and Application Roles.
It is not intended that these roles be exclusive; in fact, a particular job may include several if not many of these roles and skills. But the intent of the job model is to describe 80 to 90 per cent of the most important activities in the field of e-Learning.
Because of these four skill clusters, professionals are now entering the e-learning field from a much wider array of previous vocations. The influx of talent into e-Learning can, therefore, be described in terms of the following major sources:
From the education sector
University degree programs are the primary source for e-Learning professionals with strong instructional design and educational technology skill sets.The flow of professionals into e-Learning can also come directly through teachers or university professors from any discipline. Certainly, these people have important experience in effective education and classroom learning.
But the issue with teachers and professors coming directly into e-Learning is that their experience in the classroom may not provide enough specific skills in instructional design, educational technology, or self-paced instruction to meet the demands of different e-Learning jobs.
From Software and Media Companies
The software, media, and graphics industries have provided a rich source of talent for the e-Learning sector. E-Learning, after all, is an application just like CRM or HRIS or a video game.
It is certainly possible to further distinguish the software and technical skills from the media and graphic skills, but here they are all grouped together. This influx of technical talent is probably the greatest of the four sources and certainly is markedly different than for previous "training" careers.
From Consulting and Human Capital Firms
The consulting mindset stresses the value of "end to end solutions", not an isolated e-Learning product or tool. There is the growing realisation that this comprehensive solutions approach is necessary for, at least, enterprise e-Learning initiatives to be successful. Successful consultants have been able to crack the "e-Learning code", and generate respectable revenue for their firms.
Executives from Services and Software Companies
The good news is that e Learning is moving from the back room to the boardroom. The bad news is e-Learning now has to deserve its "C" level (CEO, CIO, CLO) status.To address this situation, a whole new level of executives are now entering the field. These are seasoned veterans usually from the software or services sector who have sat in the boardroom before.
They are attracted to e Learning because of the glitz, growth, and glory, and they want to make their mark. To date, the track record of these "external executives" has been mixed. Some have found that it is harder to learn the e-Learning and training business than they anticipated.
This vibrant source of different perspectives and talents is enriching e-Learning. It also opens up career paths and creates many more possibilities than the traditional training career field of five to ten years ago. There are ways for people to grow within, for example, the technology skill cluster or for them to take a consulting or executive track. Because so many e-Learning projects are collaborative, it is interesting to observe the sharing and cross-fertilisation of varied skill sets.
There are numerous opportunities for people to continue to enhance and expand their skill sets within this rich and often exciting environment. e-Learning is now a viable and meaningful career.
How to get started
So, how does one get started in this exciting career? Here are three quick pieces of advice:
• Specific skill sets are the key. Focus initially on the instructional design and technology skills, get your hands 'dirty', and develop expertise.
• Educate yourself on the changing world of e-Learning. Keep abreast of trends, issues, and key events.
• Be aware of the composition of the job landscape. Who's hiring? What are the hot market skills? How can you portray your own skills and competencies to be "market ready"?
• Jobs can be searched in the companies that have their in-house e-Learning facilities such as NIIT or the knowledge product providers.
It is gratifying that e-Learning and Internet technologies are now bringing attention and prestige to a profession that has always deserved it.
For job opportunities you may visit: http://www.elearningcareers.com/
Courtesy: www.sify.com and http://dailypioneer.com/
Companies and educational institutes have realised the need for constant upgradation of knowledge, and e-learning is the easiest way to achieve it. E-learning not only saves time and energy, but also helps to upgrade knowledge 24x7. In the process, e-learning has opened up a barrage of job opportunities for the skilled.
A couple of years ago, careers in technology-based training were, perhaps, interesting to those in the business, but essentially limited to the esoteric few. After all training, just like education, suffered from a credibility and prestige problem. But in spite of the odds, e-learning picked up and career opportunities grew.
E-learning enables learning from material provided through the internet, intranet and CDs. The trend has picked up in recent years. Experts and CEOs soon began to realise that success in the new economy came from heightened knowledge and employee skills.
After years of rhetoric, reality was home to roost: The successful companies are those that lend their employees and the organisation opportunities to continually learn and improve. Among the new critical success factors are ability to innovate, speed of response, time of competence and adaptability. Learning plays an essential role in all of these factors.
Concurrent with the recognition of the importance of skilled employees was the advent of Internet. Here, it may be pertinent to distinguish the worth of Web technologies from the failure of dot-coms. Many dot-coms attempted to redefine the basic principles of business, but they discovered that customers, revenues and profits are still pretty important. Most of their efforts were misguided.
Internet technologies themselves, however, have opened up a whole new way to communicate, disseminate, and transact business. Dot-coms were only a blip compared to the transforming value of the Internet. And, as the Web has been used and further understood, many successful models of e-business have been developed.
It is logical, then, to apply the e-model to this vital 'newly respected' area of learning and training. "Using Internet technologies to disseminate information to people where they worked or lived, 24x7 makes sense.
At the very least, travel costs, which account for 40 per cent of training expenditures, can be reduced. With this juncture of learning and technology starting to form, a whole new level of attention arrived," says Jayant Kulkarni, executive director, Harbinger Knowledge Products.
Wall Street regularly follows e-learning companies. Successful business people such as Paul Allen, John Chambers, and Larry Ellison are lending their support.
And publishers, consulting firms, computer hardware companies, and major universities have established e-learning subsidiaries.
The latest financial estimates from IDC project a 50 per cent annual growth rate with the market segment reaching a value of $18 billion dollars in 2005. Even if this projection is overly optimistic, the growth prospects for e-Learning initiatives are very strong despite the softening economy.
In terms of skill requirements, e-learning projects require specialised expertise that is neither easy to obtain nor widely available. The scarcity of supply creates a strong market demand.
"The e-learning field also continues to change and respond to market needs. It takes work and commitment to keep up with the new technologies, players, and techniques," says Kulkarni.
So what does it take to be successful in this new, burgeoning field?
There are four broad skill sets or clusters that are required for most e-learning jobs. Depending on the position, the weighting of these skill sets will be different, but generally all four are present.
These broad skill clusters are instructional design, technology, consulting, and business. Job requirement:
Instructional design relates to the learning in e-learning. These are skills related to instructional models, use of questions and activities, compelling presentations, best use of media and methods, effective feedback, and the instructional design process itself.
As learning materials are conveyed through technology, the technology skill cluster becomes important. For some jobs, the required technology is specific and in-depth, such as developing a Flash tutorial, a Visual Basic simulation engine, or a Cold Fusion test database. For other jobs, an appreciation and understanding of Internet technologies (the e in e-Learning) and their best instructional use is sufficient.
In the past, many trainers and educators have resisted or been uncomfortable with technology. Now, technology is central and actually embedded in the e-learning name.
The consulting and business skill clusters are often overlooked. These clusters not only include skills but also a mindset or approach to issues.
Consulting is significant because it emphasises the total solution and not just a catalog of courses or a particular tool. All too often, we get infatuated with a technology before understanding its role and purpose. "The consultant mindset asks questions such as: What role does a learning initiative play in adding value, strengthening customer relationships, and enhancing competitive positioning? e-Learning consulting skills uncover business problems, stay involved throughout the process, and provide the context or bigger picture for training programs," says Kulkarni.
The business skill cluster brings a professional, hard-nosed approach to running a business or even a project team. It includes establishing benchmarks and metrics for success, and managing the training organisation or company professionally, leanly, and accountably.Typically, training professionals have lacked the business skills to be taken seriously. E-Learning requires a new level of managerial and business competency. These four skill clusters require further definition and expansion in order to define jobs and potential career paths.
E-Learning Job Model
The job model is divided into three categories: Executive and Consulting Roles; Design, Development and Production Team Roles; and Learning Software, Tools and Application Roles.
It is not intended that these roles be exclusive; in fact, a particular job may include several if not many of these roles and skills. But the intent of the job model is to describe 80 to 90 per cent of the most important activities in the field of e-Learning.
Because of these four skill clusters, professionals are now entering the e-learning field from a much wider array of previous vocations. The influx of talent into e-Learning can, therefore, be described in terms of the following major sources:
From the education sector
University degree programs are the primary source for e-Learning professionals with strong instructional design and educational technology skill sets.The flow of professionals into e-Learning can also come directly through teachers or university professors from any discipline. Certainly, these people have important experience in effective education and classroom learning.
But the issue with teachers and professors coming directly into e-Learning is that their experience in the classroom may not provide enough specific skills in instructional design, educational technology, or self-paced instruction to meet the demands of different e-Learning jobs.
From Software and Media Companies
The software, media, and graphics industries have provided a rich source of talent for the e-Learning sector. E-Learning, after all, is an application just like CRM or HRIS or a video game.
It is certainly possible to further distinguish the software and technical skills from the media and graphic skills, but here they are all grouped together. This influx of technical talent is probably the greatest of the four sources and certainly is markedly different than for previous "training" careers.
From Consulting and Human Capital Firms
The consulting mindset stresses the value of "end to end solutions", not an isolated e-Learning product or tool. There is the growing realisation that this comprehensive solutions approach is necessary for, at least, enterprise e-Learning initiatives to be successful. Successful consultants have been able to crack the "e-Learning code", and generate respectable revenue for their firms.
Executives from Services and Software Companies
The good news is that e Learning is moving from the back room to the boardroom. The bad news is e-Learning now has to deserve its "C" level (CEO, CIO, CLO) status.To address this situation, a whole new level of executives are now entering the field. These are seasoned veterans usually from the software or services sector who have sat in the boardroom before.
They are attracted to e Learning because of the glitz, growth, and glory, and they want to make their mark. To date, the track record of these "external executives" has been mixed. Some have found that it is harder to learn the e-Learning and training business than they anticipated.
This vibrant source of different perspectives and talents is enriching e-Learning. It also opens up career paths and creates many more possibilities than the traditional training career field of five to ten years ago. There are ways for people to grow within, for example, the technology skill cluster or for them to take a consulting or executive track. Because so many e-Learning projects are collaborative, it is interesting to observe the sharing and cross-fertilisation of varied skill sets.
There are numerous opportunities for people to continue to enhance and expand their skill sets within this rich and often exciting environment. e-Learning is now a viable and meaningful career.
How to get started
So, how does one get started in this exciting career? Here are three quick pieces of advice:
• Specific skill sets are the key. Focus initially on the instructional design and technology skills, get your hands 'dirty', and develop expertise.
• Educate yourself on the changing world of e-Learning. Keep abreast of trends, issues, and key events.
• Be aware of the composition of the job landscape. Who's hiring? What are the hot market skills? How can you portray your own skills and competencies to be "market ready"?
• Jobs can be searched in the companies that have their in-house e-Learning facilities such as NIIT or the knowledge product providers.
It is gratifying that e-Learning and Internet technologies are now bringing attention and prestige to a profession that has always deserved it.
For job opportunities you may visit: http://www.elearningcareers.com/
Courtesy: www.sify.com and http://dailypioneer.com/
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