A brief stint at an organisation may help candidates at a B-school considering they understand organisational dynamics better…

…says Paul Franklin, a BE in Mechanical Engineering (CSE) in an interview with Reshma Majithia.  He has to his credit a work experience of two years with Caterpillar India Private Limited as a Manufacturing Specialist prior to pursuing his MBA education at IIM Shillong.

Tell our readers a bit about yourself, tracing your journey from being a B.E. Mechanical Engineering from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore to an MBA student at IIM-Shillong.
I completed my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. Subsequently, I worked with Caterpillar India, a construction and mining equipment manufacturer at Thiruvallur, Chennai for two years. I was part of the supply chain team at Caterpillar and this helped me build a profile which was concurrent with my Mechanical Engineering background and my MBA aspirations in Operations Management; my long term goal of rising to the top leadership in a global organisation. 

What led you to do an MBA and why did you choose IIM-Shillong? What according to you is the USP of the Institute? 
Since I passed out of school, and took up engineering, I had the desire to pursue an MBA after Engineering, largely because of the environment in which I grew up and the people around me who influenced such a thought process. However, during engineering, after a lot of introspection and focus on setting long term career goals, I realised my aptitude was more on the managerial front. My target was to study at a leading B-school in the country. I enrolled for a training course with IMS in my second year of Engineering. It was during my work tenure that I realised that an MBA helps to climb up the hierarchy and get to a position of influence and change.

After two years of work, I had the opportunity to join IIM Shillong. But for the initial apprehension of the institute being new, the choice was by and large easy. The IIM brand being more of a long term investment with good returns, the “new-institute” factor was weighed out. The batch size being small gives a healthy peer-learning environment and also the admission process with a holistic approach (rather than just CAT scores) ensures a highly talented and competitive peer environment. To me, personally, the USP of the institute is that it is the first of the IIMs of the 21st century India with its very different economic and global footprint. The institute aims to tread a path never taken before, be it on the gender ratio or the ERP or sustainability or the Golf Cup. This aggressiveness to excel and create new process and a niche for itself is wonderful to be part of as a budding manager. 

Did you appear for the final rounds of selection at any other Institute? How was your experience in each of those? 
I was largely driven by the IIM factor and took up only the CAT. IIM Shillong was the only call and convert.

What was the biggest hurdle in your CAT preparation and how did you overcome that? 
My biggest hurdle was the fact that I wrote CAT two years after I finished my engineering. My speed at which I could crack DI or Quants was slow, as I had lost touch. I still remember, joking about sharpness levels dropping down because of the work factor. It was a serious concern two months before the CAT, when I could not get that jump in speed as expected. Though it may sound stereotyped, regular practice tests are the key to get back on track.

Tell us about your GD/PI experience. What were the most valuable lessons that you learnt from that experience?
Frankly speaking, the Group Discussion was on expected lines. The group discussion, which was more of a ‘case based’ discussion with summarisation was structured, and well spaced. All the candidates participated in equal competency. There was a lot of scope for assessing candidates on their content and command of communication. The ‘case’ also marginally tested candidates on the ethical front. I, in fact had a late start, but because of the well-structured GD, I could come back with my view points and be still part of the group. I feel it is important to remain calm throughout, to come up with your natural thoughts on any issue and remain as objective as possible trying to bring out clarity in the discussion. A good command of the language is obviously a huge asset to help you express better. 

What are your long term aspirations and how do you see the MBA degree helping you achieve the same? 
As I have mentioned, my long term aspirations is to reach the top leadership in a global organisation preferably in manufacturing or retail as its core competency. Supply chain management was one of my electives in graduation; and with my two years of industry experience in this field with its practical constraints it has helped me get a strong focus in this field. This domain also has a tremendous scope for growth and development in India with our country looking at an infrastructure boom in the next few decades. All these factors have just given better shape to my long term goal.

MBA, especially one from a premier school largely helps with paradigm changes in the way we see things. Being from an engineering background, some of the basics of accounting and finance give an interesting value addition in terms of a holistic business model. It is at this juncture, that MBA from an IIM, which focuses on a general management education model with a peer learning pedagogy, comes in as a real boon. Needless to say, the peer and the networking that we develop here and the exposure to some of the top guys in the industry will go a long way to assist me in my long term aspirations.

Relate your work experience with Caterpillar and the MBA degree… 
Caterpillar is the world leader in its line of business and the exposure to how an organization functions, especially an MNC, was the best take away. I was with the Supply Chain Management team and had the opportunity to interface with various suppliers and supply chain partners. To deliver results on time and structuring work processes through 6 sigma is very valuable for both, the rigor of an MBA and beyond. Another great exposure during work was that, I was part of Caterpillar when the 2009 recession hit the world and this helped to put things in perspective and take calculative measures on career growth related investments.

As I had mentioned earlier, I was set on a career in management; and I had the opportunity to work in a supply chain management area as well. The designation ‘manufacturing specialist’, is across one cadre of work force in the organisation and can be misleading to the nature of work I was involved in. Supply chain management was more of managerial mechanical engineering than technical engineering. I am planning on specialising in operations management and plan to get back to a very similar functionality of work but at a higher level in the hierarchy. 

What would you like to tell all MBA aspirants who probably want to get into IIMs? 
This is a very tough question to answer. First, I would ask them to clearly decide on what their real interests are and be clear on their long term goal in life. With the surge in MBA aspirants, this reality check is something that is necessary for all to make sure they do not end up here because of peer pressure. For those who sincerely decide on this career path, it is good to aim high and be among the top in the competitive world of today. Also, MBA is more of a long term investment and not for short term returns or high pay packages. In fact, in terms of earnings, my previous job was significantly good and immediately after 2 years, I may not reap all the benefits of an IIM on the monetary front. A brief stint at an organisation may help candidates at a B-school considering they understand organisational dynamics better. However, the aggressiveness and enthusiasm of a direct entrant from college is equally sought for. 

In terms of the CAT preparation, with many new IIMs opening up and the pool of seats increasing, the key is to keep writing tests and keep the practice going till you get the break you desire for. Having said that, there is a significant change in the admission processes across many institutes including ours where an overall approach is used to select candidates and I would encourage candidates to build their profile with achievements at their own levels, both in college and at work. A good rationale understanding of the country and the world, its economics, social and political aspects is an asset irrespective of the MBA degree. It is also good to widen perspectives and structure ones thought processes. This knowledge pool coupled with significant ability with quants, DI and communication is exactly the kind of people leading B-schools and corporates would want to rope into their ranks.