‘What I learned during my MBA degree are aspects that I regularly implement in my professional life’

While pursuing an MBA degree in marketing and finance at Apeejay School of Management (ASM), Poorva Khemchandani was provided ample opportunities beyond the standard curriculum to shape her overall personality. The alumna, who is currently working as a Sales Manager in Quess Corp Ltd, shared in an interview her thoughts on the value of an MBA degree, the potential of sales and marketing jobs, and more. Edited excerpts:

Tell us about some of your learnings at ASM.

 I was a student of ASM between 2014-16. That was right after my graduation. The classes that we had on marketing and sales were great fun. The learning activities and the insights from the professors about everything happening in the global economy in terms of marketing and sales were things that excited me a lot. We developed a special bond with the faculty. They took care of our overall grooming including soft skills, presentation skills, how to conduct ourselves, etc. Besides, the college annual fest ‘Synergy’ was a great learning experience in itself—from getting sponsorships, to relationship building and picking up ways to conduct an event successfully. All these activities had a great impact on me since I was quite inclined to do them.

For those who want to pursue an MBA, can you tell us about some aspects of the course that would benefit them?

In terms of job opportunities, an MBA degree gives you an added advantage of course. There is a visible difference in an individual with an MBA degree with respect to their presentation skills, calibre, personality, analysing capabilities, deep diving into subjects, and so on. What I learned during my MBA degree are aspects that I regularly implement in my professional life.

Some people also prefer pursuing the degree after some industry experience. What is your opinion?

It mostly depends on the individual. There are people who opt for MBA after a few years of work experience thinking it would help them bag a better salary. However, it does not mean you will not get a good package as a fresher with the same degree. On the other hand, pursuing an MBA after industry experience would mean you already have some exposure to the corporate environment. But there are many people who take up the course just after graduation.

Tell us about what your work entails.

A Bengaluru-based organisation, Quess Corp Ltd is operational across the globe. My job deals with contractual staffing services. It is a complete B2B profile wherein we have to get in touch with a lot of HR professionals and businesses to possibly empanel them with our company to get contractual staff onboarded with them. We hunt the client, get them onboarded with Quess, bridge the gap between the operations and recruitment team, and ‘farm’ the business thereafter. I started as a management trainee here and six years down the line, I am here in the position of manager. I am taking care of the sales in the northern part of the country.

What would you like to advise those who want to take up a sales or marketing job?

I belong to the services industry. But in the case of retail, I would say there is a lot of opportunity on that front as well. The initial years might be challenging but you have to set a longer goal for yourself. In the service industry, you have to invest enough time and effort to establish your position. Nowadays, people tend to switch jobs quickly, but my perspective is different—I want to work for many more years in my current company.

In times of frequent job switches, what is your principle or philosophy behind staying in a company for so long?

I am satisfied with the quality of work I am doing at present as well as the exposure I am getting. Of course, I had to work hard to earn all this. If you make significant contributions as an employee and are also rewarded for the same, then I don’t think you really feel the need to switch jobs. For me, my journey in the company has been quite comfortable—its suits aspects of my personal life as well in terms of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.