How a stand-up comedian & recruiters guided incoming MBA students

What happens when acres and acres of lush campus shrink to a 17” laptop screen? While we all know through memes on social media how the student finally got one over the professor, it is time to add water and see the campus expand back to its former glory. In 2 years since the pandemic hit, B-Schools are ready to welcome the incoming MBA batch of 2022. The campus locale wasn't the only thing that changed in the last 2 years. The way companies hire, the way they work, and major technology upgrades have completely changed the landscape. 

MBA aspirants, who in the coming few weeks will enjoy the real environs of a B-School classroom, are both excited and anxious. To calm their nerves and also to give them the much-needed guidance, the leading student community and engagement platform, Unstop, formerly known as Dare2Compete, recently concluded the 4th season of IGNITE. 

Season 4 was witness to over 10K viewers from over 30 B-Schools, representation from top campus recruiters such as Reliance, Asian Paints, Flipkart, The Coca-Cola Company, HUL, TAS, to name a few along with the famous standup comedian, Rahul Dua. A 2014 FMS Delhi pass-out, Dua not only had the audience laughing out loud but also was able to share a few rare pearls of wisdom from his days on campus. 

Reflecting on why students are opting for new-age companies, Twara Tarkas, Senior Manager, Pathways Operations from Amazon said,

“Marketing and money are one of the reasons many students these days are moving from traditional companies to new-age companies. But for me, the shift is primarily because of these two things: The new generation connects with ideas and what we are trying to achieve in new-age companies. These business models excite them. Secondly, it helps us make more impact because we’re trying to solve so many problems and develop so many businesses.”

“FMCGs and FMCDs are one of the biggest employers in the country,” quoted Madhu Varma B, Associate General Manager, Marketing, Asian Paints. He continued,

“These sectors are quite attractive to MBA students & they are different from other industries because they are largely consumer-first and offer a mix of competition, excitement, growth, & learning.”

Times are getting tougher and the only way to thrive is to, Be Unstoppable. The Unstop founder, Ankit Aggarwal, an MBA himself from IMT Ghaziabad shared not only actionable concrete advice but also a starter kit that will be the true companion that any aspiring professional will ever need. 

IGNITE Season 4 was the best start that the fresh batch of MBAs could have asked for. It had laughs, sound advice, a guiding hand, and resources, the perfect making of a successful MBA journey!