SMPL

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 30: The Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB), Pune, welcomed its incoming MBA Batch of 2026-28 with an engaging HR leadership panel titled 'Building Corporate Careers: Conversations with HR Leaders' as part of its Induction and Orientation Programme. The session brought together eminent HR leaders from diverse industries, including Ms. Preeti Ahuja, Global CHRO, Husk Power; Ms. Rinita Laskar, Director HR, Marquardt India; Mr. Sudhanshu Gawande, Director HR, Zepto; and Ms. Sayantani Basu, Head HR, Spring Energy. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Alka Maurya, Director, SIIB, who guided an enriching conversation with the newly inducted MBA students.

The panel offered practical insights into the evolving expectations of the corporate world and highlighted the attributes that distinguish successful management professionals. While each leader brought unique perspectives from their respective industries, a common theme emerged: career success is built on self-awareness, continuous learning, initiative, and authenticity.

Start with Self-Awareness

The panel unanimously agreed that the foundation of a successful career is knowing oneself. Students were encouraged to engage in regular self-reflection, understanding their strengths, weaknesses, aspirations, and areas for improvement. Maintaining a personal journal or to-do list aligned with one's goals was suggested as a practical habit. Every individual in the room, the panelists noted, carries a different dream and a different plan, and recognising that uniqueness early is what sets the trajectory for the future.

The Internship Is Your First Real Job Interview

Perhaps the most emphatic message of the session was around summer internships. The panel urged students to stop thinking of their internship as a two-month formality and instead treat it as a two-month job interview. What matters is not merely the brand name of the company, but the quality of work undertaken and the initiative shown. A student who develops a market penetration strategy in a mid-sized company will outshine one who simply collected data for a multinational. Three critical questions were posed as the yardstick for a successful internship: Do you thoroughly understand the business you are working in? Can you clearly articulate the problem you were assigned and what you did about it? And most importantly, did you make at least one critical observation that was not asked of you? Stipend, the panelists stressed, should be the last consideration. The willingness to work for learning, even at personal cost, is what builds a resume worth reading.

Your CV Should Tell a Story of Impact

When it comes to building a curriculum vitae, the discussion steered students away from listing roles and responsibilities toward quantifying impact. Recruiters are not looking for descriptions of what a student was assigned; they are looking for evidence of what changed because of that student's presence. A CV must read as a structured story of contribution, not a job description. A word of caution was also extended about the over-reliance on artificial intelligence to write CVs. With AI-generated resumes becoming indistinguishable from one another, authenticity has become a differentiator. Students were advised to ensure their CV reflects their individual voice and experience, and crucially, to know every word on it before walking into an interview room.

LinkedIn: Build a Brand, Not Just a Network

The panel devoted considerable attention to the role of LinkedIn in shaping a professional identity. Simply accumulating connections, the panellists observed, adds little value. What matters is how the platform is used for sharing learning, posting certifications, expressing ideas on industry topics, and engaging meaningfully with professionals and mentors. Recruiters actively review candidates' LinkedIn profiles, and what they find there speaks volumes about intellectual curiosity and professional seriousness. A well-maintained LinkedIn profile, the discussion concluded, is a living portfolio.

Attitude, Patience and the Courage to Run Towards Problems

The most memorable advice of the session was distilled into four words: run towards the problem. Whenever a challenge arises, an assignment seems difficult, or a project lacks ownership, the student who steps forward rather than stepping back is the one who learns, grows, and leads. This philosophy, the panellists agreed, separates mediocre careers from great ones. Equally emphasised was the virtue of patience, a quality the panel gently flagged as needing strengthening in today's generation. Early career years are years of observation and absorption, not entitlement. The cabin, the promotion, the leadership role -- these come in time, and only to those who invest deeply in the fundamentals first.

SIIB Is Your First Organisation

The session closed on an inspiring note, with students reminded that their MBA journey itself is their first professional assignment. The institute is their first organisation, the faculty their first stakeholders, and every interaction from today shapes the brand they are building. The call to action was clear: begin making an impact from day one, however small, because the habits formed now will define the careers they go on to build.

The panel discussion was part of the SIIB Induction and Orientation Programme 2026 and featured alumni and industry leaders from diverse sectors. SIIB continues to create platforms that bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations, equipping its students with the mindset and tools needed to build careers that are not only successful, but meaningful.

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