MAST after MBA to get into Dream Jobs.

Lakhsmangarh, Sep 22: After belling the Common Admission Test (CAT) to gain entry into a B-school, MBA graduates will now have to crack an all-new test to grab a job.
The All India Management Association (AIMA) on Tuesday, Sep 21, announced its plans of introducing the Management Aptitude & Skill Test (MAST).
The 150-minute, computer-based screening test will be designed to assess an MBA graduate's skills. The results of the test will help the companies chose the right candidate by making the best match of the candidate's skills and the requirement of the job.
The test will provide an employability ranking by accessing the candidate’s management aptitude, domain knowledge in areas of specialisation like finance, marketing, HR, international business, operations & IT.
MAST will also assess personality traits such as leadership, stress management, decision-making, and teamwork abilities.
As per media reports, recruiters like Deloitte, Dabur, MetLife India, Idea Cellular, Camlin Ltd, Alembic Ltd, HLL, Pfizer, Parle, PwC India, McAfee, Nokia, Lenovo, JM Financial, Reliance Industries, Suzlon and TATA Communications are ready to use the MAST score during recruitment.
The first test is scheduled to be held on February 20, 2011 across India.
Announcing the introduction of MAST, AIMA president Sanjeev Goenka said that the test has been designed in a concerted effort with IMRB and it would also be a ranking oriented online test.

Five Positive Traits That Are Exhibited By A Successful Manager

When it comes time to evaluate the performance of a department or team, one must first look at the performance of the manager. The manager is the one responsible for the make-up and performance of the team. Through their interaction on a personal level with the team as a whole along with their interaction with the individuals that make up the team, they are expected to be able to motivate and encourage employees so that they can perfom at their best. The role of the modern day manager has evolved more into that of a coach and mentor than that of a task master.

Here are five positive traits exhibited by the successful manager.

1. Lead By Example

A successful manager knows that their employees are always watching them. It is very hard for a manager to expect their employees to exhibit strong work habits if they do not exhibit them themselves. Managers should work hard to show up on time, stay busy during the work day, and not leave early. They should always help out co-workers when time allows and do everything possible to help the work environment be positive.

2. See And Communicate What The Big Picture Is

When a manager can identify and translate how their employees’ roles in the company affect both the product or service that is being created or performed as well as how their role affects their co-workers, he is giving the employee the kind of understanding of the big picture that most companies don’t provide. Knowing the ins and outs of why their job is important and who is depending on them doing it well is a great way to inspire workers to take even the most mundane tasks that they are required to perform more seriously.

3. Encouraging Growth Of An Employee In Their Job

A good employee who strives to improve their skills and undertake more responsibility in the workplace should be encouraged by management to do so. These employees are incredibly valuable to a company as they are more often than not the company leaders of tomorrow. A successful manager needs to not only encourage this type of employee, but make sure that employee also knows that their extra efforts are appreciated and rewarded too.

4. Recognizing And Rewarding When Appropriate

Whilis the an employee should complete their assigned task simply because it is their job, a successful manager knows that they will have better performing employees if they are rewarded and recognized for doing so. Every worker wants to feel like their efforts and hard work are appreciated. This appreciation doesn’t always need to be shown in the form of a monetary bonus; positive words, gift cards, certificates, and public recognition are also effective.

5. Great Team Building

One of the hardest traits for a manager to develop is the ability to assemble great teams to work under them. It isn’t enough to just assemble well qualified individuals and hope that they can get the job done. Team members have to compliment the abilities and skills that they each possess or a manager may end up with workers who are unable to work together. A successful manager also needs to assemble employees that will help to create a positive work environment. Few things lower productivity more than a workplace where the employees do not want to show up or give one hundred percent.

Building a successful team and then coaching and guiding them to a point where every amount of talent and skill is maximized so that the output of the employees is more than enough to reach the goals set for the team by the company. A successful manager knows that it takes more than assembling a strong team though, they must also create a positive work environment and guide their employees through the rough spots or any points of confusion. A successful manager can both put the team together and then guide their performance towars the goals that have been set.

Management Lessons

A Professor at a Management Institute was explaining marketing concepts to the Students

• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" - That's Direct Marketing
• You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: "He's very rich. Marry him." - That's Advertising
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her telephone number. The next day, you call and say: "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me." - That's Telemarketing
• You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink, you open the door (of the car) for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say: "By the way, I'm rich. Will you marry me?" - That's Public Relations
• You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and says: "You are very rich! Can you marry ! me?" - That's Brand Recognition
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. - That's Customer Feedback
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say:
  "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband. - That's Demand and Supply Gap
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say anything, another person come and tell her: "I'm rich. Will you marry me?" and she goes with him - That's Competition eating into your Market Share
• You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you say: "I'm rich, Marry me!" & your wife arrives. - That's Restriction for entering New Markets

Speech by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis...

Don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

"Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your
life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die. ...................

One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? ................

It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices........." :)

"Don't be serious, be sincere."!!!