- Do your homework
- Look to the past
- Be bold
- Embrace change
- Follow your passion
This blog documents my MBA student life at Ryerson University, Canada (2010-2012). It was an attempt to demystify the MBA experience, help understand MBA topics & encourage MBA wannabes. I have a Pre-MBA blog about B-School application process (and a few other blogs) as well. I used to blog actively in the past and interact with readers regularly, but life got very busy after my MBA. Good luck. Take care. Cheers! Gerry.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
5 Tips for Choosing an M.B.A. Concentration
From the link: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/01/31/5-tips-for-choosing-an-mba-concentration
6 Ways the World of Work is Changing
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/08/09/6-ways-the-world-of-work-is-changing?s_cid=related-links:TOP
- Flexibility abounds.
- More people are working for themselves.
- Not sticking with one job for a lifetime.
- Work-life balance is a priority.
- Personal branding is all the rage.
- Long-term unemployment could be here to stay.
6 Ways to Network While You're in College
From the link: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/28/6-ways-to-network-while-youre-in-college?s_cid=related-links:TOP
Here's why you should build your network before you need a job--and how to do it.
Here's why you should build your network before you need a job--and how to do it.
- Play the student card
- Use your friends' parents as resources
- Get out of the bubble
- Use LinkedIn
- Use Twitter strategically
- Get an internship
How to Use Twitter to Land a Job
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/11/04/how-to-use-twitter-to-land-a-job?s_cid=related-links:TOP
Tips to get noticed and hired on Twitter:
Tips to get noticed and hired on Twitter:
- Create a user-friendly profile.
- Use the website field to link to your online resume.
- Keep your updates public.
- Find jobs using hastags.
- Follow people who work in your industry or companies that interest you.
- Use Twitter lists to find new people to follow.
- Be consistent.
- Promote others before promoting yourself.
Internet Ecosystem ---> Live & Let live !
Screw SOPA.
The internet is an Ecosystem. Live and let live !
There are some people who "get" internet.
And there are some who do not.
No, just using internet is not the same as "getting" it.
We are a special breed of people who live and breathe the internet.
So, what I am saying is this - we are a clan. We are a tribe, people.
Live and let live!
We are an Ecosystem, dammit!
The internet is:
For the people
By the people
Of the people.
Yes, it belongs to those who get it
And to those who don't, LOL.
Cheers!
Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
The internet is an Ecosystem. Live and let live !
There are some people who "get" internet.
And there are some who do not.
No, just using internet is not the same as "getting" it.
We are a special breed of people who live and breathe the internet.
So, what I am saying is this - we are a clan. We are a tribe, people.
Live and let live!
We are an Ecosystem, dammit!
The internet is:
For the people
By the people
Of the people.
Yes, it belongs to those who get it
And to those who don't, LOL.
Cheers!
Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
10 ways to help yourself grow professionally
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/08/17/take-charge-of-your-professional-development?s_cid=related-links:TOP
10 ways to help yourself grow professionally:
10 ways to help yourself grow professionally:
- Take a class.
- Teach yourself a skill.
- Volunteer.
- Master an online tool.
- Seek out people who are on the career path you aspire to.
- Shadow a colleague
- Find a mentor
- Attend a conference.
- Don't neglect your "soft skills."
10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/10-smart-ways-to-use-social-media-in-your-job-search
- Let people know you’re looking.
- Don’t be afraid to network on Facebook.
- Make sure your Facebook profile is private.
- Find information about hiring managers (on LinkedIn).
- Hyperlink your resume.
- Be strategic with Facebook lists.
- Create the connections you need to get the job.
- Get Google on your side.
- Join industry chats on Twitter.
- Seek out job-search advice.
How to Choose a Career That’s Best for You
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/12/06/how-to-choose-a-career-thats-best-for-you?s_cid=related-links:TOP
Here’s what you should consider:
Here’s what you should consider:
- What are your natural talents?
- What’s your work style?
- Where do you like to work?
- Do you enjoy social interaction?
- How important to you is work-life balance?
- Are you looking to give back?
- Are you comfortable in the public eye?
- How much money do you want to make?
6 Careers to Watch in 2012
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/6-careers-to-watch-in-2012
Specialized jobs are hiring. The professions expected to see the most hiring in the coming years are in the Healthcare, Information Technology, and Finance industries. All three sectors have fared well in the recession.
Specialized jobs are hiring. The professions expected to see the most hiring in the coming years are in the Healthcare, Information Technology, and Finance industries. All three sectors have fared well in the recession.
- Accountant
- Registered Nurse
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Social Worker
- Dental Hygienist
- Sales Managers & Representatives
7 things that turn off employers during interviews
From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/01/23/7-things-that-turn-off-employers-during-interviews
- Trashing your former company.
- Demonstrating a lack of direction.
- Being too desperate.
- Arriving too early.
- Having the money talk.
- Anxious behavior.
- Dwelling on accomplishments and successes.
What is the interviewer trying to know from you, during an interview? Here are Six Questions & Answers.
From the link: http://career-advice.monster.ca/job-interview/interview-questions/six-answers-interviewers-need-to-hire-you-canada/article.aspx?WT.mc_n=Ycanada_YToday
During a job interview, there are a lot of questions. But what does the interviewer want to know?
"Most have no idea why a recruiter asks a particular question,". "They tend to think it's a competition to outwit the interviewer." The truth is that employers have neither the time nor inclination to play games with you, especially when hiring.
Your interviewer is not trying to outsmart you ---> he's wants to assess the following:
During a job interview, there are a lot of questions. But what does the interviewer want to know?
"Most have no idea why a recruiter asks a particular question,". "They tend to think it's a competition to outwit the interviewer." The truth is that employers have neither the time nor inclination to play games with you, especially when hiring.
Your interviewer is not trying to outsmart you ---> he's wants to assess the following:
- Do You Have the Skills to Do the Job?
- Do You Fit?
- Do You Understand the Company and Its Purpose?
- How Do You Stack Up Against the Competition?
- Do You Have the Right Mind-Set for the Job and Company?
- Do You Want the Job?
Is political neutrality a good strategy for businesses or a bad one? Should a business have a political alignment and is it a wise decision to go public about it?
Will complete this blog later.
Quick thoughts:
- Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
Quick thoughts:
- It is better to keep your political alignment to yourself, to avoid offending people who may think differently.
- Humans are thinking beings and we all have our biases, choices and preferences. And there is NOTHING wrong with it, as long as you do not express it explicitly and cause trouble to the general public.
- No one has ever been sued or punished for having a belief. It is for expressing and acting on the beliefs that people are punished, LOL :)
- So, IMHO (In my humble opinion), it is better not to wear your political patronage on your sleeve.
- However, I do know of companies - and there are many - who openly donate to political campaigns with the hope of having favourable legislations passed. I do not know what to say. - Good for them.
- But personally, I would not want my company to be open about its political opinions or leanings :)
- Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
It is good to know that Mitt Romney has an MBA, is a Management Consultant and was a CEO. Hope he is smart enough to run a country (if need arises). God knows that USA needs better management !
From the Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney
Mr. Mitt Romney is much in the news these days as the Republican candidate with promise.
What interests me is that he is an MBA from HBS (Harvard Business School) and a Management Consultant, who has worked at Bain & Company as well as BCG (Boston Consulting Group). Eventually, he became CEO of Bain & Co.
If not anything, I am glad that there is a smart alternative to Mr.Barack Obama. I hope that Mitt Romney is capable of running the country - USA - if need arises. God knows that USA needs better management.
I have high regards for Mr. Obama, though there are discussions in general public that he could have done better. I am a Canadian and I like to stick to my Canadian business and keep away from the American business.
Which brings me to the topic ---> Is political neutrality a good strategy for businesses or a bad one? Should a business have a political alignment and is it a wise decision to go public about it? Will blog about it someday :)
Cheers!
- Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
Here is an extract about the Management Consulting work done by Mr. Mitt Romney from Wiki:
Management consulting
Romney was heavily recruited and, after graduation, chose to remain in Massachusetts to work for Boston Consulting Group (BCG), thinking that working as a management consultant to a variety of companies would prepare him for a future job as a chief executive. Romney was part of a 1970s wave of top graduates who chose to go into consulting rather than join a major company directly. Romney's legal and business education proved useful in his job, and he became a rising star while applying BCG principles such as the growth-share matrix.
In 1977, he was hired away by Bain & Company, a management consulting firm in Boston that had been formed a few years earlier by Bill Bain and other former BCG employees. Bain would later say of the thirty-year-old Romney, "He had the appearance of confidence of a guy who was maybe ten years older." With Bain & Company, Romney learned the "Bain way", which consisted of immersing the firm in each client's business, and not simply to issue recommendations, but to stay with the company until they were changed for the better.
With a record of helping clients such as the Monsanto Company, Outboard Marine Corporation, Burlington Industries, and Corning Incorporated, Romney became a vice president of the firm in 1978 and within a few years one of its best consultants and one sought after by clients over more senior partners. Romney became a believer in Bain's methods; he later said, "The idea that consultancies should not measure themselves by the thickness of their reports, or even the elegance of their writing, but rather by whether or not the report was effectively implemented was an inflection point in the history of consulting."
Mr. Mitt Romney is much in the news these days as the Republican candidate with promise.
What interests me is that he is an MBA from HBS (Harvard Business School) and a Management Consultant, who has worked at Bain & Company as well as BCG (Boston Consulting Group). Eventually, he became CEO of Bain & Co.
If not anything, I am glad that there is a smart alternative to Mr.Barack Obama. I hope that Mitt Romney is capable of running the country - USA - if need arises. God knows that USA needs better management.
I have high regards for Mr. Obama, though there are discussions in general public that he could have done better. I am a Canadian and I like to stick to my Canadian business and keep away from the American business.
Which brings me to the topic ---> Is political neutrality a good strategy for businesses or a bad one? Should a business have a political alignment and is it a wise decision to go public about it? Will blog about it someday :)
Cheers!
- Gerry Som.
www.gerry.in
Here is an extract about the Management Consulting work done by Mr. Mitt Romney from Wiki:
Management consulting
Romney was heavily recruited and, after graduation, chose to remain in Massachusetts to work for Boston Consulting Group (BCG), thinking that working as a management consultant to a variety of companies would prepare him for a future job as a chief executive. Romney was part of a 1970s wave of top graduates who chose to go into consulting rather than join a major company directly. Romney's legal and business education proved useful in his job, and he became a rising star while applying BCG principles such as the growth-share matrix.
In 1977, he was hired away by Bain & Company, a management consulting firm in Boston that had been formed a few years earlier by Bill Bain and other former BCG employees. Bain would later say of the thirty-year-old Romney, "He had the appearance of confidence of a guy who was maybe ten years older." With Bain & Company, Romney learned the "Bain way", which consisted of immersing the firm in each client's business, and not simply to issue recommendations, but to stay with the company until they were changed for the better.
With a record of helping clients such as the Monsanto Company, Outboard Marine Corporation, Burlington Industries, and Corning Incorporated, Romney became a vice president of the firm in 1978 and within a few years one of its best consultants and one sought after by clients over more senior partners. Romney became a believer in Bain's methods; he later said, "The idea that consultancies should not measure themselves by the thickness of their reports, or even the elegance of their writing, but rather by whether or not the report was effectively implemented was an inflection point in the history of consulting."
? Good idea for businesses to AVOID lawsuits and settle cases out of court?
Here is a thought: Conflicts in business are best settled out of court, as much as possible. Court battles can lead to a lot of time, money and energy lost. Plus cause frustrations and mental strain.
I make this analogy from the article at the link below that mentions that when it comes to their OWN divorce matters, expert divorce lawyers try to settle cases OUT OF COURT, rather than in court. I guess it is more efficient and less painful that way.
From the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-richard-kulerski/what-do-divorce-lawyers-d_b_1252868.html
Excerpt:
What do lawyers do in their own divorces? Avoid court.
They try to stay out of court. Despite their familiarity with the system, and despite any perceived advantage they are believed to have, they do everything they can to settle their case before it reaches the court system. Divorce insiders try to resist the inclination to fight. They think going to court is a losing proposition. It wastes energy, time, and money and is a last resort; it is something they will consider only when there is no other choice. Why are the pros more reluctant to fight than the public is? What do they know that the average person does not know?
They know what the divorce legal system looks like from the inside; and they see fighting it out in court as a waste. They are not misled by Hollywood, and the various lawyer shows on television, which have traditionally depicted courtroom justice as being clear-cut, instantaneous, and sure. They regard litigation (taking the case to court) as a counter-productive force that destroys their chances of achieving a healthy negotiation climate.
They know the system doesn't run on time and doesn't have the magic that the public thinks it has. They know there are no winners in a divorce battle, and that the outcome of a divorce trial can only define the extent of how much they will lose. Their experience is that everyone leaves the litigation process feeling frustrated, disillusioned, and poorer. They see going to trial as an emotional vampire that sucks the spirit out of people; they liken it to mental cruelty all over again.
Divorce insiders know that over 90 percent of all divorce cases settle before trial, with many settling on the very eve of trial. It makes no sense to them to spend months (and lots of dollars) gearing up for a trial that, statistically, isn't going to happen. They would prefer to spend their energy and family funds working toward an early out-of-court settlement, rather than following the typical pattern of waiting until the end of the case to begin serious negotiations. Because more than nine out of every 10 divorcing spouses reach a settlement before they ever get before a judge, insiders realize they will not get to vent and speak their minds in court. They will be deprived of the opportunity to tell the judge about the injustices, the dishonesty, the betrayal, the adultery, the lies, the pain, the unfairness, and most of the other things that the public thinks the judge should hear.
They know their emotions, feelings, and pain do not count in a courtroom. Instead, when deciding a case, the judge is duty-bound to stick to the facts and the applicable law. The judge is likely to be prohibited from considering their underlying humanity, which is the very fulcrum upon which they base their sense of justice and entitlement. Even if they are the one out of ten litigants who do get the opportunity to testify in court, they know they still won't be able to say what all they want to say. They will be allowed to speak only when answering questions put to them by the lawyers, and the rules of evidence will limit what the lawyers can ask.
Most people look to the judge to mete out the justice that their spouse has long withheld. Divorce professionals, however, know there is no back pay in divorce and that the court cannot consider misconduct in determining monetary or property awards. In other areas of law, litigation puts an end to the problem. Divorce does bring legal closure, but it often causes additional family problems. The emotional devastation caused by litigation can last for decades.
I make this analogy from the article at the link below that mentions that when it comes to their OWN divorce matters, expert divorce lawyers try to settle cases OUT OF COURT, rather than in court. I guess it is more efficient and less painful that way.
From the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-richard-kulerski/what-do-divorce-lawyers-d_b_1252868.html
Excerpt:
What do lawyers do in their own divorces? Avoid court.
They try to stay out of court. Despite their familiarity with the system, and despite any perceived advantage they are believed to have, they do everything they can to settle their case before it reaches the court system. Divorce insiders try to resist the inclination to fight. They think going to court is a losing proposition. It wastes energy, time, and money and is a last resort; it is something they will consider only when there is no other choice. Why are the pros more reluctant to fight than the public is? What do they know that the average person does not know?
They know what the divorce legal system looks like from the inside; and they see fighting it out in court as a waste. They are not misled by Hollywood, and the various lawyer shows on television, which have traditionally depicted courtroom justice as being clear-cut, instantaneous, and sure. They regard litigation (taking the case to court) as a counter-productive force that destroys their chances of achieving a healthy negotiation climate.
They know the system doesn't run on time and doesn't have the magic that the public thinks it has. They know there are no winners in a divorce battle, and that the outcome of a divorce trial can only define the extent of how much they will lose. Their experience is that everyone leaves the litigation process feeling frustrated, disillusioned, and poorer. They see going to trial as an emotional vampire that sucks the spirit out of people; they liken it to mental cruelty all over again.
Divorce insiders know that over 90 percent of all divorce cases settle before trial, with many settling on the very eve of trial. It makes no sense to them to spend months (and lots of dollars) gearing up for a trial that, statistically, isn't going to happen. They would prefer to spend their energy and family funds working toward an early out-of-court settlement, rather than following the typical pattern of waiting until the end of the case to begin serious negotiations. Because more than nine out of every 10 divorcing spouses reach a settlement before they ever get before a judge, insiders realize they will not get to vent and speak their minds in court. They will be deprived of the opportunity to tell the judge about the injustices, the dishonesty, the betrayal, the adultery, the lies, the pain, the unfairness, and most of the other things that the public thinks the judge should hear.
They know their emotions, feelings, and pain do not count in a courtroom. Instead, when deciding a case, the judge is duty-bound to stick to the facts and the applicable law. The judge is likely to be prohibited from considering their underlying humanity, which is the very fulcrum upon which they base their sense of justice and entitlement. Even if they are the one out of ten litigants who do get the opportunity to testify in court, they know they still won't be able to say what all they want to say. They will be allowed to speak only when answering questions put to them by the lawyers, and the rules of evidence will limit what the lawyers can ask.
Most people look to the judge to mete out the justice that their spouse has long withheld. Divorce professionals, however, know there is no back pay in divorce and that the court cannot consider misconduct in determining monetary or property awards. In other areas of law, litigation puts an end to the problem. Divorce does bring legal closure, but it often causes additional family problems. The emotional devastation caused by litigation can last for decades.
Nortel trial hears fraud allegations. "Cookie jar Accounting & Sudoku-Accounting" criticized.
At the ongoing trial, Crown lawyers at the fraud trial of three former Nortel Networks executives say the men created a culture of dishonesty at Nortel, the fallen telecom equipment maker, encouraging staff members to cook the books to meet bonus-related targets. Under the direction of then-CEO Frank Dunn, the use of financial reserves to bulk up flagging balance sheets was widespread at Nortel.
There was a cookie-jar approach to accounting. The lawyer likened the scheme to a game of Sudoku, in which he knew what would trigger bonuses tied to a return to profitability and manipulated numbers to get there.
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