I believe one of the myths of blogging is that when someone doesn't update for a while that nothing is really happening. Contrary to that belief, I think too much has been happening in the world right now and especially the past 2 weeks that it's been rare for me to take a break from things to really reflect about it.
Outside of INSEAD, we've seen continued uprisings across the Middle East and most violently in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. Citizens have been rising up against their governments in a show of their dissatisfaction with the status quo and government forces have been cracking down brutally to control the protests. The UN only just recently passed a resolution declaring a "no fly zone" over Libya to prevent excessive brutality of Col Gaddafi's forces against his own citizens.
We've also experienced the day that "shook the world" on the 11th of March in the form of a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake that realigned the earth's axis slightly and shifted Japan 4 meters to the east. You would have thought that the earthquake itself would have been the most damaging episode of that event but it turned out to be the subsequent tsunami that really wreaked the most havoc by sweeping away entire towns and cities or covering them in mud and debris. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the Fukushima nuclear power plant began to suffer a meltdown due to the shutting down of pumps meant to cool the fuel rods, creating yet another potential disaster that as yet people have no idea how to quantify or really think about. As news trickles in from the front line of this unfolding situation, people do not yet know what is the appropriate response to such news and something like this has never happened before. Do you stay and help your nation in this time of need, not really knowing how things if you are putting yourself and your family in harm's way or do you save yourself, evacuate from the surrounding areas and come back when things have cleared up? I don't think there's any right answer to these questions and that is what is making it so difficult for people to respond.
Inside of INSEAD, we are fortunately not to have suffered from any disasters of this nature and we are physically detached from the situations. However, as some of our classmates have friends and relatives in these affected regions, we have also joined forces in organising fund raising events to aid the relief efforts. It is a very heartwarming show of solidarity with the rest of the world as we help out our fellow man. You can never predict where the next natural disaster will strike next or in what form.
Recruitment fever is officially also upon us now that we are in P4 and people start realising that they are fast approaching the end of their time in school and need to figure out what they are doing next. I have been caught up in the wave of activity as well, researching companies, reaching out to my network to speak to people about opportunities, attending on campus recruitment talks and helping out my peers with case interviews. The curse of choice means that people realise that they CAN do quite a number of things given their work experience and interests but find it hard to really narrow down what exactly they WANT to do. My peers and I are all ambitious and driven people otherwise we would not be in business school to begin with, but having to choose just a few things to focus on among the wide range of options out there is not easy.
The whole recruitment process is kinda like dating really. You see an interesting company that you would like to work for and then realise that the criteria they have listed for a successful candidate sounds a bit like your own profile and so you apply, summarising your best intentions and achievements in a document that is meant to capture their imagination. The company of course is highly desirable and has many "suitors" and if she likes what she sees, she calls together these "suitors" and thus begins the tango of interviews, case studies and assessments to help her really understand if you really are the one for her. Through the various interactions and conversations you have along the way, both sides begin to get a better appreciation of the other and what the other party has to offer; most importantly I feel, whether there's a good fit with the personality/culture of both parties. Both parties tend to be extremely polite and pleasant as you "court" each others' feelings while at the same time try to get a better sense of the other. Along the way, you may be rejected and left heartbroken especially when you think that things are going well, only to have the rug pulled out from under you. But you have to pick yourself up as soon as possible as the next opportunity is just around the corner and you might miss it if you are still dwelling on the past. No effort is ever wasted effort of course as the experience only makes you sharper, more self aware of your strengths, weaknesses and your own character if you bother to take a step back and reflect. It may take weeks, maybe even months, but if you keep on trying, you eventually find a company that wants you as much as you want them. Both of you become excited about the future together as you begin what hopefully is a rewarding and fulfilling relationship.
Outside of INSEAD, we've seen continued uprisings across the Middle East and most violently in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. Citizens have been rising up against their governments in a show of their dissatisfaction with the status quo and government forces have been cracking down brutally to control the protests. The UN only just recently passed a resolution declaring a "no fly zone" over Libya to prevent excessive brutality of Col Gaddafi's forces against his own citizens.
We've also experienced the day that "shook the world" on the 11th of March in the form of a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake that realigned the earth's axis slightly and shifted Japan 4 meters to the east. You would have thought that the earthquake itself would have been the most damaging episode of that event but it turned out to be the subsequent tsunami that really wreaked the most havoc by sweeping away entire towns and cities or covering them in mud and debris. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the Fukushima nuclear power plant began to suffer a meltdown due to the shutting down of pumps meant to cool the fuel rods, creating yet another potential disaster that as yet people have no idea how to quantify or really think about. As news trickles in from the front line of this unfolding situation, people do not yet know what is the appropriate response to such news and something like this has never happened before. Do you stay and help your nation in this time of need, not really knowing how things if you are putting yourself and your family in harm's way or do you save yourself, evacuate from the surrounding areas and come back when things have cleared up? I don't think there's any right answer to these questions and that is what is making it so difficult for people to respond.
Inside of INSEAD, we are fortunately not to have suffered from any disasters of this nature and we are physically detached from the situations. However, as some of our classmates have friends and relatives in these affected regions, we have also joined forces in organising fund raising events to aid the relief efforts. It is a very heartwarming show of solidarity with the rest of the world as we help out our fellow man. You can never predict where the next natural disaster will strike next or in what form.
Recruitment fever is officially also upon us now that we are in P4 and people start realising that they are fast approaching the end of their time in school and need to figure out what they are doing next. I have been caught up in the wave of activity as well, researching companies, reaching out to my network to speak to people about opportunities, attending on campus recruitment talks and helping out my peers with case interviews. The curse of choice means that people realise that they CAN do quite a number of things given their work experience and interests but find it hard to really narrow down what exactly they WANT to do. My peers and I are all ambitious and driven people otherwise we would not be in business school to begin with, but having to choose just a few things to focus on among the wide range of options out there is not easy.
The whole recruitment process is kinda like dating really. You see an interesting company that you would like to work for and then realise that the criteria they have listed for a successful candidate sounds a bit like your own profile and so you apply, summarising your best intentions and achievements in a document that is meant to capture their imagination. The company of course is highly desirable and has many "suitors" and if she likes what she sees, she calls together these "suitors" and thus begins the tango of interviews, case studies and assessments to help her really understand if you really are the one for her. Through the various interactions and conversations you have along the way, both sides begin to get a better appreciation of the other and what the other party has to offer; most importantly I feel, whether there's a good fit with the personality/culture of both parties. Both parties tend to be extremely polite and pleasant as you "court" each others' feelings while at the same time try to get a better sense of the other. Along the way, you may be rejected and left heartbroken especially when you think that things are going well, only to have the rug pulled out from under you. But you have to pick yourself up as soon as possible as the next opportunity is just around the corner and you might miss it if you are still dwelling on the past. No effort is ever wasted effort of course as the experience only makes you sharper, more self aware of your strengths, weaknesses and your own character if you bother to take a step back and reflect. It may take weeks, maybe even months, but if you keep on trying, you eventually find a company that wants you as much as you want them. Both of you become excited about the future together as you begin what hopefully is a rewarding and fulfilling relationship.
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