SEMESTER 3

SOFT SKILLS LAB II

PRE-MID COURSEWARE
 Chapter 1 – Internship Experiences

Session 1: Internship in Hindsight

Introduction
Internship is an effective catalyst in getting you ready for the competitive market place. Particularly in
2009, the challenges and opportunities have been tremendous. Challenges due to the economic
slowdown enveloping the key drive areas of global and Indian economy and opportunities thanks to
the immense learning. Internship has given you the opportunity to practically learn about the sector
you have served. From the internship, you have acquired insight into the in-house and marketplace
operations of a company at the same wavelength as of a regular executive. The overall learning and
everyday experiences gained during the internship is central to equipping you to successfully weather
the placement gate. What remains to be done is to develop a realistic self awareness, a self SWOT
analysis and action plan to sharpen the placeability skills. The sustained efforts would definitely earn
you a placement interview and enable you to come out successful.

Several practice sessions inside and outside of the regular sessions are required to put your thoughts,
experiences and diction together to gain the required standards to draft internship component in the
CV and to effectively handle the standard interview questions relating to the internship.

Internship has been universally acknowledged as a key and sizeable opportunity to acquire the skills to
make a decisive foray into the maiden job. Internship has set your career direction and disposition
based on the foundation of two semesters of classroom learning. It is a key component of your
placement credential. The vast majority of you appreciate that the internship has been a knowledge
application experience in fulfilling the objectives as set by the interning organization. The four-month
tenure has:

• ensured socialization in specific corporate environment, the organization's work style

and culture
• been a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical
experience by testing, validating, challenging and reinforcing the learning from the pre-
internship semesters
• been a reliable recruiting channel for various organizations as they help the recruiters to
identify high-potential probable human resources across the four months.
• effectively set the stage for final placement preparedness with specific employability
skills.

Classroom Activity
Brainwrite/brainstorm the key internship vocabulary that you have acquired during the four months.

Classroom Activity
Suppose you are invited by a neighbouring business school to present in a seminar the benefits that
you have reaped from the summer internship. Briefly explain the content of your seminar presentation.
Classroom Activity
In hindsight, express the remarkable success achieved in internship, the learning from the failures.
Once the activity is over, collect the most frequently used terms in the expressions.

Classroom Activity
One of the objectives of internship is to apply knowledge and techniques learnt in the first year in a
practical situation. Recall one clear internship example for the application of the knowledge and
techniques learnt in the first year.

Value Addition Activity

One of the commonest comments of post-internship students is that they got the opportunity to
understand the organizational set-up and the ground realities there. How is the understanding of the
organizational set up and the ground realities going to be an asset in preparing for FP selection process
particular the personal interview? What are the key terms used to highlight the organizational set up?
Discuss.

Value Addition Activity

Internship has given you an insider’s view of the integration and interdependence between various
management functions and fields in your interning organization. With examples, explain how this
experience has helped you develop realistic managerial perspectives. Based on the observation of the
whole class, collect the most frequently used terms used to describe the managerial perspectives.

Value Addition Activity

Explain with examples the first-hand experience that you have gained about the particular industry that
your interning company represents. How has the industry responded to and behaved in the global
economic slowdown particularly in 2009? What are the recent trends in the industry?

Value Addition Activity

From your own experience, recall the opportunities that internship has given you to think creatively
and to apply newly acquired learning. How will the experience help you to innovate for your own
final placement initiatives?

Classroom Activity
Using the following action phrases/words, how will you validate the fulfillment of internship
objectives in your case?
Analysed data……..
Assumed responsibility for……….
Compiled statistical data………..
Created new plans, methods…………..
Developed a working knowledge of…………..
Implemented new procedures……………
Improved skills in…………..
Learned new techniques……………

Value Addition Activity

Identify more action phrases/words to express the fulfillment of internship objectives.
 Chapter 1 – Internship Experiences

Session 2 - Internship Objectives Introspection

Classroom Activity

Mock Interview:

• In your internship company, what have you observed regarding the tasks being performed by
others?
• As part of your internship, what work-related queries were you able to raise and clear with the
superiors?
• Recall the most important points that you have logged in the daily journal of activities during
internship.
• During internship, what task/s have you performed repeatedly until you were able to do
without supervision?

Classroom Activity

Just a Sentence
Make a sentence each using action words and ideas that explain how you will demonstrate your
internship learning for final placement evaluation.

Classroom Activity
Just an Example

Give an example of how you successfully convinced your CG about your ability to produce result in
your work in the most time-efficient way.

Value Addition Activity

Savers and Wasters

What were the key time savers and time wasters during internship and how will you use the learning in
your FP initiative?

Value Addition Activity

Win-Win
How will you establish that your internship has been a win-win situation to both the company and to
yourself?

MBA interns frequently provide inspirational and exciting thoughts and creative insights in problem
solving. Do you have any tangible claim/s to this effect during your internship?
Value Addition Activity

Professional proximity
Substantiate how the internship offered you the important opportunity to work closely with
professionals in your field, and enabled you to develop knowledge, competencies, and experience
related directly to your career goals.

Value Addition Activity

Advantage Networking
Explain with examples how internship has led to new contacts, mentors, and references.

Classroom Activity
Demonstrate with example/s your initiatives to complete your internship successfully, with specific
examples covering your commitment, receptiveness to constructive criticism, ability to prioritize,
problem solving skills and adaptability.

Additional Activities
Keeping the internship objectives in introspection and the learning thereof, briefly articulate your
specific initiatives to identify, anticipate, prepare for and successfully clinch the first job.

Briefly describe the areas of improvement that you have identified for yourself during internship,
based on specific challenges encountered?

Give specific examples to highlight your improved communication and interpersonal skills that have
enabled you to create a more positive environment, particularly the ability to work with supervisors,
fellow workers, customers.
 Chapter 1 – Internship Experiences

Session 3 - Internship Achievements

Classroom Activity
Students to sit in groups. Each group to brainstorm and arrive at the most relevant interview questions
based on the internship experience and achievements. (Each group 15 minutes)

Value Addition Activity

Each student to draft 10 interview questions based on the brainstorming experience gained from the
classroom activity.

Value Addition Activity

Under the auspices of the SPC, think of expressing/articulating your internship achievements using the
following means:
Collage
Caption bowl
Special Vocabulary Zone
Mock interview
JAM
WAP (write a para)
Mock press
 Chapter 1 – Internship Experiences

Session 4: Learning from Internship (oral & written)

Classroom Activity
Students to form themselves into groups. Ideate, brainstorm and arrive at a list of the commonly
applicable and most relevant words and phrases useful for internship component of the CV. (Each
group, 10 minutes)

Value Addition Activity

Each student to draft 10 unique sentences relating to the internship experience using the words and
phrases brainstormed in the earlier session.

Classroom Activity
Each student to speak for just two minutes on the internship company and the major products handled.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to draft 15 sentences about his/her internship company and the products handled, based
on the J2M exercise performed as part of the classroom activity.

Classroom Activity
Each student to take part in a mock interview conducted by the in-house Trainer or an external HR
professional. The interview to primarily focus on internship achievements. Interview results to be
shared and discussed with the students individually/in group as required, so that it will help them
improve upon their performance.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to draft the learning from the mock interview conducted as part of the classroom session.
 Chapter 1 – Internship Experiences

Session 5: Sustaining Interest in Internship Sector and Keeping Track of Company Updates and
Relationship

Classroom Activity
Each student to submit an action plan to the faculty member handling the course and later a written
progress report covering the following initiatives that are aimed at keeping track of the internship
sector and the company and maintaining relationship.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to make a brief presentation covering the topics below relating to learning from
internship:
Direct learning; peer learning; circumstantial learning; situational learning; experiential
learning; mandatory learning; learning avenues.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to do a JAM on a given topic from the list below:
Art of learning through contribution to the company (active learning versus passive learning)
Art of negotiating everyday internship chores while not missing the focus on getting ready for
final placement
Customer expectation
Employer expectation
 Chapter 2 - Training for Final Placement

Session 6 – Employability
Introduction
Employability is defined by ‘what I can do right from day one’ more than ‘what I know’ or ‘what I can
learn’. When the economy is at a slow phase, companies cannot afford to hire candidates who are not
productive from day one; they need candidates who can create and/or work on opportunities from
adversity. When the economy is showing signs of revival, companies cannot afford to hire slow
starters; they need candidates who can take the best early advantage of the revival; when the economy
gains good momentum, companies cannot afford to hire candidates who lack in sharp skills; they need
candidates who make the best out of the fast growth.

Classroom Activity
As part of getting ready with the final leg of the employability skills development initiatives, how will
you sell yourself to you, prior to facing an interviewer? Students at random to make a brief
presentation.

Classroom Activity
In order to get a realistic picture of the expectations of an employer from a particular sector (in terms
of the employability skills of a candidate), substantiate the importance of interviewing
achievers/alumni.

Value Addition Activity

If you are asked to prepare your own employability scorecard, what are the criteria and respective
weight that you will include? Do brainstorming and do presentations based on the points evolved
from the brainstorming.
 Chapter 2 – Training for Final Placement

Session 7: Adaptability

You may define adaptability as the ability to modify your thinking, attitude or behavior in order to
be better suited to your current or future environments; adaptability also means the ability to handle
multiple goals, tasks and inputs within the constraints of time, resources and systems (e.g.,
organisational, technological). As you have realized from the internship experiences, adaptability
skills enable you to respond quickly, willingly and positively to new conditions and changing times.

Classroom Activity
Make a brief presentation on how you have adapted yourself to the campus environment back from
internship and how you are evolving your own adaptability to get ready for the final placement.

Introduction
Value Addition Activity
Form groups and discuss the role of adaptability skills in enabling the Indian cricket team to regain the
winning ways.

Value Addition Activity

Given the challenging economic environment, the recruitment process has undergone tremendous
changes. One such change is the increasing role of online job sites. Firstnaukri.com is a job site
targeted at fresh graduates including business graduates ready for the job market in 2009. Present your
understanding and preparation to adapt and equip yourself to the requirements of a site like
Firstnaukri.com in your efforts to get placed.
 Chapter 2 - Training for Final Placement

Session 8: Corporate Expectations

Introduction
Each downturn teaches lessons, determining a new pattern of recruitment. There is a shift in hiring
patterns, with companies focusing on ensuring quality rather than quantity in recruitment and a
pronounced thrust on the all-round ability to deliver.
As the Indian economy shows signs of recovery, we are going to see companies getting smarter about
recruitment. When the economy was booming, even above-average quality recruits were acceptable,
but now the focus would be to ensure ‘high quality’ hires. The focus is shifting to the all-round ability
to deliver, rather than stopgap skills.

Classroom Activity
Based on interaction with the alumni and other young executives, each student to present one case
study regarding the hiring criteria and screening process being newly followed by employers in
various sectors.

Value Addition Activity

Based on the classroom activity, each student to draft a detailed note on how to rework self SWOT and
re-engineer selection competitiveness for the FP.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to do J2M exercise on the topics below and any additional area/s going into employer
expectation management.
skill-related expectation
attitude-related expectation
competence-related expectation
team-orientation related expectation
productivity related expectation
short term expectation
longer term expectation
impact of current business challenges on expectations
recent media coverage regarding corporate expectation.
 Chapter 2 - Training for Final Placement

Session 9: Employment Market Demand-Supply Dynamics

Introduction
The hindsight of most of the material on goal setting covered in Semester II come in handy for post-
internship goal setting and hence, not repeated here. However, the actual experiences and learning
during internship must have had a tempering and realistic impact on the career roadmap on the one
hand and the mind and mechanics to operate the roadmap. Following observations and exercises are
aimed at building a realistic understanding of the demand-supply dynamics relating to employable
candidates.

Classroom Activity
JAM exercise on each of the topics below:
demand in a fast growing economy
demand in a slow growing economy
demand in different sectors
impact of uncertainty in demand
share that the freshers occupy in the demand pie
changing marketing trends and demand
role of goodwill and networking in identifying and tapping demand

Classroom Activity
Conduct a reading seminar collecting relevant columns from business papers and other sources
regarding new recruitment pattern. Each student to present a unique report on the market and to
enable the Student Placement Committee to cast their net into the demand side much wider than ever
before.

Value Addition Activity

Each student to prepare his/her own skill balance sheet. On the asset side, list out the key skills,
achievements, experience, competence, exposure, rewards & recognition and so on. On the liability
side, based on the common requirements of 20 companies likely to recruit the students, list out the
most frequently referred to skills sets required of the applications. Compare and contrast the asset and
liability sides.

Value Addition Activity

Students in groups to do brainstorming sessions on the following topics:
Objective of self evaluation
Scope of self evaluation
Standard self evaluation parameters
Mechanism of self evaluation
Self evaluation and SWOT.
Value Addition Activity
Each student to write a paragraph on the following points relating to realistic career expectations:
the first job
positive influences on career expectation
role of industry mentoring on career expectation
preferred sector and career expectation
role of alumni in shaping realistic career expectation
role of industry networking in career expectation.

Value Addition Activity

You can only set informed career goals if you acquire plenty of information about the career choices
open to you. This will require research. In groups, prepare report on such information that you have
acquired by now.
 Chapter 2 - Training for Final Placement
Session 10: Placement Initiatives & Ownership
Classroom Activity
Students in turn to make brief presentation on their understanding regarding a point each below:
Online Job sites registration
Online interview
Walk-in interview
Identifying and networking with placement prospective companies
Preparing a list of frequently hired positions
Key competencies
Alumni interface
Internship company-focused initiatives
Win-win situation from short paying assignments
Interface with industry experts to understand the market and grasp the skills to be honed
Career fair
Campus interview.
 Chapter 3 – CV

Session 11: Post-internship CV

Introduction
Please revise the Sem 2 soft skills chapters covering CV in order to reinforce the basic preparation for
CV. However the major difference is that, unlike Sem 2 targeted at internship CV, here the focus is on
FP CV. Additionally, the learning from Chapter 1 Internship of the current courseware is of
preparatory value in approaching the internship component of FP CV. However, the following
exercises are additionally useful.

Classroom Activity
Students in groups of 6-8 to brainstorm and arrive at the key components and words to be included in
the dynamic part of the FP CV.

Value Addition Activity

Prepare CV for appropriate walk-in interview opportunities.
Discuss and review your CV with the Placement Executive.
 Chapter 3 – CV

Session 12: Defending & Validating CV

Introduction
Employers today want to know concrete things about you, and what you can produce. Sentences with
action or power words help you to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are capable of the right
mode of thinking backed with proven results particularly during the internship. Following is a list of
indicative power words some of which can go into your CV subject to relevant context, skill and
competence to validate the words with specific examples.

Classroom Activity

Identify the most suitable situations where you can use some of the following words in your FP CV
and personal interview based on your claims in the CV.

• accelerated • mastered
• accomplished • motivated
• achieved • operated
• adapted • ordered
• administered • originated
• analyzed • organized
• approved • participated
• conceived • performed
• conducted • pinpointed
• completed • planned
• controlled • prepared
• coordinated • produced
• created • programmed
• delegated • proposed
• demonstrated • proved
• designed • provided
• developed • proficient in
• directed • purchased
• earned • recommended
• effected • reduced
• eliminated • reinforced
• established • reorganized
• evaluated • revamped
• expanded • reviewed
• expedited • revised
• facilitated • scheduled
• found • simplified
• generated • set up
• implemented • solved
• improved • streamlined
• increased • structured
• influenced • supervised
• initiated • supported
• inspected • surpassed
• instructed • taught
• interpreted • trained
• launched • translated
• led • used
• lectured • utilized
• maintained • won

• managed • wrote
 Chapter 4 – Verbal Aptitude Training

Session 13: Introduction to Verbal Aptitude Training

An aptitude is something that you have the potential to be good at; it refers to your innate ability to
perform tasks that require a specific type of skill. Skill development to clear the aptitude test including
verbal reasoning skills demand sustained efforts over a period of time. The expertise of external
bodies specialized in such training is a channel to avail.

Intensive training in handling the test should precede tests. The components of verbal aptitude covers
mainly the following areas:

Classroom Activity
The faculty member handling the course to give a brief description of each of these components, the
most important of which is reading comprehension.

 English Language Error Identification/Correction

 Sentence Completion/Correction
 Spelling Error Identification/Correction
 English Language Usage
 Synonyms and Antonym
 Analogy
 Paragraph Completion
 Critical reasoning
 Reading Comprehension
 Chapter 4 – Verbal Aptitude Training

Session 14: Aptitude Test Training - Comprehension

There are several books and internet sites offering reading comprehension tests at various levels.
 Chapter 4 – Verbal Aptitude Training

Session 15

Aptitude Test Training - Business Phrases & Vocabulary

Please refer to Business Vocabulary in Use by Bill Mascull for suitable exercises.
 Chapter 4 – Verbal Aptitude Training

Session 16: Aptitude Test Training - Verbal Reasoning Skills

Introduction
Verbal intelligence is the ability to analyze information and solve problems using language-based
reasoning. There are several standard test papers available on the internet. The Faculty Member
handling the course may already be familiar with such sites and hard books. Such reinforcements are
in addition to external training sessions.

Note: The courseware soft copy to be loaded in the notebook computers of the students. There
will be no hardcopy distribution from HQ.
 Soft Skills Lab - II

Class of : 2010 Academic Year : Second

Course Code : SS-II Semester : III
Credit : (Audit) Sessions : 33

Objective: to empower students with skills and competence to earn the first job that has growth prospects.

Text Book Author/Publication

Soft Skills Lab - II INC Material
Reference Source Author/publication
Complete Manager Sem III ICFAI Publication
Business Vocabulary in Use Bill Mascull – Cambridge University Press

Detailed Syllabus
Internship Experiences: Internship achievements; learning’s from internship (oral & written); sustaining interest in
internship sector and keeping track of company updates and relationship
Training for Final Placement: Adaptability skills; corporate expectations; employment market demand-supply dynamics;
self evaluation; realistic career expectations; post-internship goal setting; placement initiatives & ownership
Curriculum Vitae: Post-internship CV, job-specific CVs; role of CV in selection process; defending & validating CV
Verbal Aptitude Training: Comprehension; business phrases and vocabulary; verbal reasoning skills
Group Discussion: Foundation skills; GD challenges; approach to various GD topics; GD-specific communication skills;
integrating latest updates for GD
Presentation Skills: Presentation skills for marketing & sales
Personal Interview: Professional self-introduction; specific skills for PI; handling personal interview, group interview,
telephone interview, video-conference interview
Industry Networking: Introduction to networking, sector seminars, panel discussions, industry mentors; local networking;
career fair; campus interview

Suggested Allotment of Sessions

Title Sessions
Pre-Mid
Internship Experiences 5
Training for Final Placement 5
Curriculum Vitae 2
Verbal Aptitude Training 4
Post-Mid
Group Discussion 6
Presentation Skills 3
Personal Interview 4
Industry Networking 4
Total 33
Note: Evaluation Methodology will be issued as a circular.