Job Analysis and Strategic HRM
Human Resource Management is the most critical function of any organization as it deals with the most complicated problems – the people problems, especially when the organizations are operating in highly competitive and uncertain environments. Strategic HRM lays emphasis on developing and implementing policies and strategies in order to get the desired output. Therefore, job […]
Shortcomings of Employee Multitasking
Everything in life comes with some positives and some negatives. Every coin has two sides and the same logic applies to employee multitasking as well. Employee multitasking has both pros as well as cons. Let us go through the shortcomings of employee multitasking: Employees who are responsible for many things at workplace are generally overburdened […]
Youth Unemployment and Causes
Youth unemployment is being recognised as one of the problems that could grow into global proportions in the coming years causing social and economical problems for the societies. Youth entrepreneurship is being look at as an alternative besides other methods of creating employment opportunities. However, there is a need for global recognition and promotion of […]
Qualities in a Professional for Better Relationship with Co Workers
An individual must share a warm relationship with his fellow workers to remain happy and satisfied at work. Don’t fight with your colleagues and spoil the decorum of the office. You need people around to talk to, discuss several issues, evaluate the pros and cons of your ideas and finally come to a solution which […]
Why we work and Managing Work-Life Balance and Thriving in Hyper-Competition
Why do we work? Why do we work? The obvious answer to this question would be that we need the money and benefits to support our families and ourselves. However, is money the only criterion for working? Moreover, many work to remain productive and active throughout their adulthood without which they would lapse into depression […]
Many management programs are offered by leading business schools that specialize in a particular nice or field of management. Prominent among these programs are the specialized courses offered in Systems, HR, and Finance.
For instance, the business schools in Asia like the IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) and XLRI (Xavier Labor Relations Institute) along with the AIM (Asian Institute of Management) in Manila offer postgraduate programs in systems, HR, and industrial relations. This means that students who opt for these courses specialize in these niches apart from the usual management courses that are part of these programs.
The advantages of such programs are that students get a chance to specialize in the niches and they are more likely to be placed in companies that are looking for specialists rather than generalists.
Further, specializing in a niche field is different from specializing in a particular area of management, which students anyway do when they enroll for any management program.
The difference is that specializing in a field as part of the regular management program is all about taking the required electives whereas specializing in a niche program means that students are more focused on the field of management when compared to the former.
The disadvantages of enrolling in a niche management program are that students are slotted into the specialized niches leaving them without the means of applying for all the jobs that regular management program students do.
In other words, when students take electives, they can still manage to get shortlisted by companies because they have been exposed to general management courses during their studies. However, students in specialized programs have to focus on the niche subjects in the second year, which means that their chances of getting shortlisted by companies looking for candidates who have wider expertise are limited. This is the reason why many students shy away from enrolling in specialized niche programs.
Of course, this is not to say that such programs do not find takers. For instance, these programs are highly useful to those who have worked in the IT industry for a few years and want to have a management degree that would complement and supplement their skills. This is the reason why the programs in systems find many takers among those with considerable working experience. This is also the reason why many students with a technological bent of mind enroll in these programs.
Having said that, it must be remembered that there are some institutes like XLRI that are known for certain specialties like HR and Industrial Relations. These institutes offer general management programs as well. However, the perceptions are such that these institutes are slotted as being more suitable for particular management programs. Therefore, one must be careful when applying to such institutes as recruiters view these institutes as being for particular niches. Of course, many companies flock to these institutes for general management students as well.
The point here is that the perceptions matter and hence, it is better to delineate oneself if one is studying in these institutes so that recruiters have an idea about the skills of the students.
In other words, when studying in niche programs or particular institutes, it is better to present a well-rounded resume that has electives based on what the priorities of the student are rather than being slotted according to the program or the institute. This would go a long way in ensuring that companies find the students to be a mix of generalists and specialists in the niche field.
Finally, any management program teaches a lot more about how to prepare oneself for the corporate world and by giving a theoretical foundation, the management programs ensure that students apply theory to practice. Therefore, when one opts for a specialized niche or an institute that is known for certain niches, one must make conscious choices about where one wants to be after the program.
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Current Employment Trends and Their Implications for Business, Society, and Individuals
February 12, 2025
