"Talk by Commodore Dilip K Mohapatra"
Head, Resourcing, Tata Consultancy Services
at XIM Bhubaneswar
October 29, 2003
On October 29, 2003, XIM Bhubaneswar played host to Commodore Dilip K Mohapatra (Head, Resourcing, TCS) who delivered a three hour talk on a topic very pertinent to B-school graduates this time of the year - Handling Interviews and Marketing Yourself. With campus placements round the corner, this workshop was beneficial to all the students, particularly those in their second year. Commodore Mohapatra, has wide ranging experience in the area of HRM both during his stint at the Services Selection Board while he was with the Indian Navy and as the Resourcing Head of Asia's largest software consultancy firm.
During his lecture, Commodore Mohapatra dealt at length on how to tackle interviews, particularly campus interviews. Speaking from his experience, he pointed out several common mistakes candidates often make at the various stages of the selection process. He stressed on the importance of the right selection of the companies by candidates to ensure that they did not jeopardize their long-term career goals with a view to maximizing short-term gains.
He suggested that candidates should think in terms of their careers and not just in terms of jobs. Thus, the proper selection of companies that a student should apply to is very important and requires exhaustive scrutiny and information gathering by students before applying so that they could make an informed decision. Once a prospective list of companies has been finalized, the student should leave no stone unturned to collect relevant information about those companies so that he has a fair understanding of their business and processes.
He touched on the resume writing aspect as well. Emphasizing the importance of resumes in the process of short listing, he opined that resumes should be such that they help a student in reaching out across the horde and catching the attention of the person short listing the resumes.
He also dealt briefly with the art of standing out in group discussions. Then he moved on to the interview phase that he talked about exhaustively. Starting with the basic ground rules, he brought in crucial insights, those only a man of his experience and capabilities could provide. Filled with wit and delivered lucidly, his talk added immense value to the participants.
During the entire three hours of the lecture, the students were captivated and went back to their rooms with a determination to put Commodore Mohapatra's thoughts and recommendations into practice when the companies came hunting in January.
This talk was a part of the regular corporate interaction initiatives of XIMB. Lined up next are talks by Mr. P. J. Nayak, Chairman and CMD, UTI Bank and Mr. J. J. Irani, Director, Tata Sons. The XIMB Media Cell will try to share the dignitaries' views with the rest of the world through this website. Keep watching.
Contributed by
Rupam Das & Ankita Sarangi
The Media Cell
XIMB
