Author: Saurav

We’ve all been there. Sitting outside the interview room, trying to convince yourself that the last 10 hours of mock interviews, PPT rehearsals, and caffeine-fueled late nights weren’t for nothing. Meanwhile, somewhere inside, someone gets the offer because… well, let’s just say their uncle’s friend knows someone in HR or he has a family business in the domain the company is operating. Placement politics is real, but it doesn’t have to define your story. There’s always a way to turn the tables — with preparation, confidence, and a sprinkle of MBA survival humour.

Step 1: Map Your Strengths Like a Consultant

Take a moment and list your strengths. Not just technical ones, but also soft skills, leadership moments, and the stories that make you memorable. Did you resolve a last-minute mess committee chaos? Lead a mini marketing campaign in class? Survive three rounds of finance quizzes without losing your mind? These aren’t just anecdotes; they’re your interview ammunition.

Step 2: Turn Experiences Into STAR Stories

Your projects, committees, and even chaotic hostel nights can be transformed into STAR stories (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Example:
Situation: Mess committee struggled with late-night food management.
Task: Ensure everyone got their food on time without complaints.
Action: Created a rotation schedule, coordinated volunteers, and tracked inventory.
Result: Reduced complaints by 40%, students cheered (and survived midnight hunger pangs).

Interviews love specifics. And honestly, your mess committee stories are way more fun than generic internship tales.

Step 3: Use Your Academic & Technical Knowledge

Remember all those hours buried in textbooks and case studies? Time to make them work for you. Whether it’s price elasticity in marketing, EOQ in supply chain, or portfolio analysis in finance, frame your answers with real concepts you’ve learned. This shows interviewers that you’re not just book-smart; you’re practically ready for the job. And trust me, sprinkling a bit of jargon at the right moment makes you look like a wizard rather than a nervous candidate.

Even in Group Discussions if you feel even without valid points a person is trying to take you over just because of oratory skills and confidence, integrate technical terms regarding that topic in the GD, that will make sure only the people who know the topic thoroughly can counter you and will filter out those with less knowledge.

Step 4: Mock Interviews and Peer Feedback

Nothing beats practice. Set up mock interviews with batchmates or alumni, record yourself, and then cringe productively. Notice your “ummms,” your nervous hand gestures, your shaky “confidence smile.” Fix them. Do at least three rounds before the real day. Bonus points if you can somehow work in a joke about the chaos of committee meetings — nothing breaks tension like shared misery.

During MBA Internship season – Seniors are the best people for setting up mock group discussions and interviews , as they are done with their SIP’s in the first year and few even hold PPO’s , this makes them the first go to person for help. Ask seniors from thee committee you are in or who are your friends.

Consistently get your resume checked and updated , use advanced tools like salahkart for getting your resume score and even look for recruiters on LinkedIn, depending only on campus placements is not your final option.

Step 5: Emotional Resilience and Stress-Busting

Placement rejections sting. Campus politics frustrates. But your heart doesn’t have to be heavy. Here’s how to keep it warm:

• Connect with friends and committee teammates. Remember those nights in the mess committee, planning events, laughing over chai, arguing over tiny poster backgrounds. Those memories are your morale fuel.
  
• Celebrate micro-wins — a completed case study, a perfectly delivered mock pitch, a new certification. Each win reminds you why you’re capable.
  
• Laugh at the absurdity of it all. Memes, funny group chats, roasting your own mistakes — it helps more than you think.
  
• If you feel anxious and stressed alone, call your friends who understand you and make you feel good – taking emotional help is never bad nor let’s you down as a person.
  
• Move your body. A 20-minute walk, a quick sports game, or even dancing in the hostel corridor can reset your mind.

Interview Prep Roadmap

Step 6: Turn Rejections Into Momentum

Every rejection is a free lesson. Analyse what went wrong, adjust, and step back in stronger. Many alumni who now lead teams, start companies, or run the placement process themselves, were rejected multiple times in their first year. The difference? They used every “no” as fuel. You can too.

Final Thoughts

Placement politics may exist, but preparation, stories, technical knowledge, and emotional resilience beat it every time. Channel your MBA lessons, your committee experiences, your late-night laughter and chai breaks into confidence. Walk into your next interview room like you belong there — because you do. And maybe sneak in a mess committee anecdote; it might just be the thing that makes them remember you.

You’re entering the job market as an MBA student in International Business and Marketing, and one of the most innovative ways to leap ahead is by securing short-term or live projects. These experiences go a long way in making your resume stand out. Let’s explore how to find them, how to approach companies, how to use tools effectively, and ultimately how to craft them into impactful resume narratives.

Why These Projects Matter Now

For fresh graduates, real experience speaks louder than grades. Live projects allow you to demonstrate practical application—an asset recruiters value. Indeed, projects can highlight your ability to lead, problem-solve, and manage workflows—key elements differentiating top resumes.

Listing projects strategically—under education, experience, or a separate projects section—reinforces competencies and closes the gap between theory and execution. But the issue is that most of the students don’t know how to secure them.

Here’s how you secure the the live project in a step by step manner:

How to Find & Secure Projects: A Tactical Approach

1. Define Your Focus

Clarify your interest—growth marketing, trade strategy, or digital analytics. This helps you present value to recruiters or companies when you reach out.

2. Tap Institutional Networks

Use your B-school’s placement cell, incubation hub, or alumni portals—many institutes partner with corporates to offer live projects, often leading to PPOs.

3. Use LinkedIn Strategically

Post a short statement like “Looking for a 4-week live project in digital marketing.” Tag #LiveProjects #MBA #ResumeGrowth and connect with alums or recruiters with similar programs.

4. Engage Faculty & Student Circles

Professors and student clubs—like consulting cells—often have direct access to live project briefs from corporates.

5. Pitch Startups Directly

Write concise pitches: “I can help optimize your customer acquisition for 4 weeks—at no cost except experience.” Highlight your skills and timeline.

Platform Snapshot: Where to Look for Projects

Tools to Maximize Project Experience

• Project Management Tools: Use Trello or Asana to break down tasks, track milestones, and stay organized.
  
• Communication & Collaboration: Slack or Google Drive are essential for seamless remote coordination.
  
• Outcome Tracking & Dashboarding: Use a career dashboard platform—like the Dashboard—to log project impact, update your resume, and keep progress visible.
  
  • For example, log metrics such as engagement lift or report turnaround directly on your dashboard after completing a campaign project. This keeps your achievements ready for your resume or job applications.
    

Crafting Project Output into Resume Gold

Once a project is complete:

1. Quantify Results: e.g., “Increased Instagram engagement by 20% in 3 weeks.”
   
2. Write a Concise Summary: Use action verbs—“Led,” “Designed,” “Optimized”—to frame your role and results (Indeed suggests action verbs significantly boost resume impact).
   
3. Choose Placement Wisely: Place strong projects in the experience section or create a dedicated Projects section, depending on length and relevance.
   
4. Store Evidence: Add screenshots or brief results summaries to your dashboard for future reference.
   

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Overload: Don’t juggle too many projects—quality over quantity wins.
  
• Lack of Documentation: Without tracking results, even good work gets forgotten.
  
• Doing Projects with No Learning Outcome: Choose projects that develop new skills or allow you to apply classroom learning.
  
• Being Generic: Tailor each project description to showcase domain relevance and impact.
  

Securing short-term and live projects isn’t just about building your resume—it’s about building credibility, drive, and resilience. When approached strategically—through networking, precise pitches, and innovative use of tools like project dashboards—these experiences become career accelerators, not just checkboxes.

Career paths are no longer straight lines. Instead, professionals today move through winding routes—trying out multiple roles, learning varied skills, and gradually stacking expertise in a way that makes them uniquely valuable. This journey from being a generalist to a specialist has become one of the most important strategies for building long-term career resilience.

Why Generalists Thrive First

At the start of a career, being a generalist often works in your favor. You get exposure to multiple functions, industries, and work environments. For example, fresh graduates who work in rotational programs or startups quickly understand marketing, sales, finance, and operations, even if not at a deep level.

Generalist roles help you:

• Discover strengths and interests before committing.
• Develop adaptability across industries.
• Build strong problem-solving foundations.

Yet, staying a generalist forever may limit growth. Organizations reward those who can go deeper in a domain and create measurable impact.

The Transition to Specialist

Becoming a specialist doesn’t mean abandoning versatility. It means stacking expertise on top of your generalist base to stand out in a competitive market. For example, a generalist in digital marketing may choose to specialize in SEO or performance marketing. Similarly, a finance graduate may carve a niche in fintech or sustainable finance.

Specialists gain:

• Higher credibility in their niche.
• Better salary potential due to expertise scarcity.
• Opportunities to lead projects requiring domain depth.

Building a Career Stack

The concept of a career stack combines breadth (generalist skills) and depth (specialist expertise). Professionals who deliberately build a stack can transition smoothly as industries evolve. The key is to view skills as building blocks that complement one another.

Here’s a simple comparison of Generalist vs. Specialist paths:

Steps to Transition Effectively

1. Identify your foundation: Map out your transferable skills—communication, data analysis, project management—that form your generalist base.
2. Spot high-value niches: Look for emerging domains (AI strategy, climate finance, healthtech, etc.) where specialist roles are in demand.
3. Stack complementary skills: Combine technical expertise with soft skills. For instance, a data analyst specializing in AI ethics can become uniquely valuable.
4. Invest in credentials: Certifications, advanced degrees, or industry-recognized courses act as proof of your depth.
5. Build authority: Share insights, publish content, or speak at industry events to signal your specialization.

The Future of Career Stacks

As industries change rapidly, the most resilient professionals won’t just be pure generalists or pure specialists. They’ll be specialized generalists—people who know enough across domains to collaborate effectively but also have mastery in one or two areas. This balance creates future-proof careers, whether in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship, or consulting.

A career stack is not built overnight. It’s an evolving journey, where every role, project, and learning experience adds a new layer. The smartest professionals are already stacking today for the opportunities of tomorrow.

We all know Chrome extensions for blocking ads or saving recipes, but have you ever thought of using them to land your next job?
If you’re an MBA student, fresher, or someone in the middle of career prep, the right browser tools can make a huge difference.
Not in a “maybe it helps” way — but in a measurable, data-backed way.

In a LinkedIn Recruiter survey, 3 out of 5 hiring managers admitted that they value candidates who use tech smartly to save time and stay organized. That means the tools you choose, even browser add-ons, can put you one step ahead.

Why Chrome Extensions Matter in Your Job Search

Think about your week:

• You’re drafting multiple resumes and cover letters.
  
• You’re scheduling mock interviews.
  
• You’re hunting for job openings at midnight after classes.
  

Now imagine shaving off 2–3 hours a week just by letting an extension handle repetitive work for you. That’s real time you can invest in actual prep.

Real-Life Example

When I was prepping for my own interviews, I used Grammarly for all my email follow-ups and Scribe to document case study solutions for group discussions.
It didn’t just save time—it gave me polished, repeatable material I could reuse for different roles.

How Salahkart Fits Into This

You might be thinking, “Extensions are cool, but how do I know which ones matter for my industry?”
That’s where Salahkart comes in. It’s not about throwing 20 tools at you—it’s about curating the 3–4 that directly help with your resume building, interview prep, or upskilling.
Think of extensions as your daily helpers and Salahkart as your career strategist.

If you’re in career mode right now, start small. Install one or two of these productivity extensions this week and track your time savings.
The goal isn’t to have the fanciest setup—it’s to make your preparation more efficient so you show up to every opportunity ready and confident. Visit the Slahkart website for more Resume Templates, LinkedIn enhancements.

And trust me, recruiters can tell the difference.

What Recruiters Value Most in Freshers;

• 30% said they focus on Skills and Certifications (like Excel, Power BI, SEO, etc.)
• 25% value Internships or College Projects that show you’ve applied your knowledge practically
• 20% look at Academic Achievements (high GPA, rank, subject awards)
• 15% consider your Extracurricular Activities (clubs, fests, competitions)
• 10% appreciate Volunteering or Leadership roles
  

More than half of the recruiters prioritize things you can build on your own  like learning skills or doing short internships  rather than just past job titles.

This means you need to have what it takes to stand out as a fresher, you just need to present it properly in your resume or interview.

Most Common Types of Fresher Achievements

• Academic Projects – 28%
• Internships – 25%
• Certifications – 20%
• Volunteering – 17%
• Personal Projects – 10%
  

55% of listed fresher achievements are self-initiated (projects, certifications, volunteering) — meaning you can control what recruiters see.

Hackathons and Case Competitions

Even if you didn’t win, participating in a case competition or hackathon shows problem-solving, collaboration, and pressure handling.

Example:

“Top 5 finalists among 600+ teams in an IIM Indore case challenge on sustainability innovation.”

These are ideal for your internship resume with no experience, recruiters love seeing action over theory. Participate in Case Competitions and Hackathons of premier institutes like IIT’s and IIM’s which will create a more significant impact in your resume. These not only portray you as a initiator or good presenter but also sell a lot about your technical skills like Power Point, Excel and Analytics.

Ideal Tools For Creating Impact

Salahkart’s resume tool includes an auto-formatting achievement section (https://www.salahkart.com/editor?new=true) designed specifically for students.

Use Action Words and Quantify Everything

Instead of:

“I attended a financial modeling course.”

Write:

“Completed a 5-week certification in Financial Modeling using Excel; built models projecting company cash flows with 95% accuracy.”

Always combine:

Action Verb + Skill/Tool + Result/Impact

This approach transforms effort into resume-worthy results.

Refer to the blog https://admin.salahkart.com/top-5-resume-mistakes-to-steer-clear-of/ to avoid mistakes in Resume.

Even Passion Projects Count

Personal wins often speak louder than internships. Some examples:

• A newsletter you ran
• A YouTube channel or blog
• A freelancing gig that you have worked on
• An app or website you built
  

“Built a Instagram page regarding MBA — reached 12,000+ followers and 25M+ Views across 3 months via organic SEO.”

This shows creativity, self-discipline, and relevance — especially useful in emerging careers and digital roles.

Remember company always takes the bet on the person not only the technical skills or prior work experience. Skills like Storytelling and Public Speaking also give you an edge over others in the interview.

Having no work experience doesn’t mean having no value. By highlighting your skills, achievements, certifications, and leadership, you can create a compelling story of potential.

And tools like Salahkart help students organize and present this story — with resume formats, bullet examples, and trackers tailored for freshers.