It is said that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I guess, this analogy applies to MBA colleges as well. Somehow, the terminology used in an MBA course gets transferred to daily life and everyday activities. Terms like CV Building, CV Submission, CV Shortlisting, and PPO etc which became the norm during the placements for jobs or interviews came to be applicable to a very different process in life, a different kind of selection so to speak. I will try to explain the process and the terms involved in this post.
Note : It was planned to give examples to clarify and help people understand this process, but I decided against it in order to prevent offending people, and to save my skin as well.
1. PPT – PPT or Pre Placement Task is the first impression that a company (a girl) makes, based on which the interested candidate (a boy) decides whether or not he would want to submit his Curriculum Vitae. In case of an impressive PPT, the boy may directly initiate the CV building process or if there are doubts in his mind, he could go in for discussions, research or question answer sessions to help make his decisions.
2. CV Building – CV building is probably the most important stage in the entire process, which is the first step in which a boy approaches a girl. He begins interaction with the girl and slowly improves his reputation and closeness with the girl. The qualities that he wishes to inculcate ad display, along with the perception of himself that he wishes to portray to the female is created in this step. CV building is all about building a strong and lasting impression and is one of the most important steps in the selection process. Boys may tend to look for diversity and could look at more than one girl or avenue in order to keep his options open. This comes under the next step called CV Circulation.
3. CV Circulation – There is no guarantee that a boy may be shortlisted by the first girl that he applies to. Because of the skewed gender ratio, there is no disparity between the number of applicants and the girls who shall be handling the selection process. In order to ensure placement/selection, a candidate tries to apply to as many companies as he can, in which he feels he may be interested. Some candidates believe in a customised CV building process according the his perceived needs and requirements, while some feel that they have a tried and tested resume which should suffice for every girl. Some candidates however tend to remain very focussed on very specific females and may persist in their quest of getting placed.
4. CV Shortlisting – Shortlisting is perceived as a very random process and candidates are completely at the mercy of the companies to shortlist their CV and allow them to participate in the further stages of the placement process. Shortlisting depends on the needs and requirements of the girl and the level of effort put into the CV building process. Some candidates may have misinterpreted the requirements of the girl and their efforts may be misdirected towards a lost cause. Shortlisting does not mean selection or placement, it leads to a rigorous screening process, in which ever candidate needs to prove his mettle and prove to the company that he is perfect for the job description offered, and would be an asset to meet the goals of the company. After being shortlisted, a candidate needs to fight it out with other eligible candidates and may have to be involved in several rounds of courting and other stressful processes to test his reactions in different circumstances.
5. PPI – The Pre Placement Interview is the penultimate step in the selection process where all the candidates who cleared the shortlisting process are required to be involved in a final interview, based on which their fate with the company will be decided. A grand presentation may be required by the candidate in order to ensure a definite selection by the company. The questions like long term and short term goals, expectations from the company, compensation, work hours are all discussed by the candidate and the company. Any doubts in the mind of the candidate may be clarified during this stage of the process. This is one of the last stages interaction between the candidate and the company before an offer is made.
6. PPO – The Pre Placement Offer is the final stage in which the company, pleased with the candidate, offers him a chance to be recruited and hence begin a relationship with the company. Last minute negotiations are permitted at this stage, especially by the candidate to ensure that he gets a good offer from the company. The candidate has the right to accept or reject the offer at this stage. Reaching this stage indicates that the company is pleased with the candidate and has deemed him appropriate.
7. Acceptance/Rejection – This stage may be reached at any step during the placement process. Acceptance is normally preceded by the PPO but may sometimes occur at a quicker stage if the candidate seems to be a perfect and ideal choice. This step indicates that both the company and the candidate are happy with each other and are willing to accept the terms laid out ant begin a career. Rejection can take place at any step from either side. Companies reject candidates if they are dissatisfied or are able to find someone who is a better choice for the job. A candidate may reject the company in case he loses interest in it or he accepts a PPO from a different company and does wants to exhibit loyalty, or he may decide to apply to companies off campus in search for better prospects. This stage is the final step in any process and marks the end of a cycle for a particular candidate. In case a candidate needs to reapply, he might have to go through all the processes again.
Note : Even girls may take part in the recruitment process and could go through all the steps in order to get placed. However, more often than not, boys are the candidates who have to go through the grueling process, which is why the post is written with them in mind.
