What to do if you are in MBA 'No Work-Ex' ?

Hello there!
Hope you're doing well this (almost) weekend, well it's a long one this time, so you're bound to rush out from office quickly. Last time I shared my views about the importance of writing a job description for yourself and how it will help in shaping your career-path, this time it's for those who are into the MBA course without any work-ex. 

Switch back to the initial days of your MBA course where-in every professor as a part of your introduction would ask you about your name, education and work-experience. Majorly, many of your class-mates are with work-experience and probably it may count when it's time for the final placements, but, there's so much more that you could do to make your mark and be the placed even if you don't have any work-ex. You could take up few of these measures that would really help put weight on your CV:

1. Live Projects:
Live Projects are a fun way to get exposure of the real corporate world. Every firm is looking for candidates in the field of MBA to help them conduct their live projects. Be a part of such projects of big firms and the certification / letter that they provide after completion would really add value to your CV. 

2. Assist in a Research Project:
Assisting your professor, the one in which you want to specialise in, has dual advantage: One you can learn a lot from the research subject itself, second, there is so much to learn from your professor's expertise rather than only the set curriculum. After the official publication, you could add the project on your CV. 

3. Get as many Certifications as possible:
Now this is something that every person should do, be it with or without work-ex. The times are changing so abruptly that there's no other way out rather than 'survival of the fittest'. Learn continuously and develop yourself in such a way that you are a step better than the others to be valuable for the firm to retain you. Edx.org, Coursera, UpGrad and there are so many other options of virtual and weekend class-room programmes that you should definitely enroll in. 

4. Volunteer for College Activities:
Colleges have various academic and cultural activities which are solely to be organized by the students. Being a part of such activities will not only give you a jist of how well you have to learn to organize these activities but also a hands-on experience around people. Taking part in such activities shows that you are a very all-rounder sort-off personality, someone who's not just into books and power-point presentations.

5. Winter Internships:
Okay, so you did your summer internship and the placements are going to begin in another few months, while your final joining may only be after your April exams of Second year are over. So it's time you could join in for a winter internship and the probability of you landing a pre-placement offer from the same firm is quite high. So, make the most of your time to land a winter internship somewhere. 

6. Focus on your academics:
While you are on spree to do all these activities to enhance your CV, please make sure you focus on academics as well since every firm has a bench-mark set for academic preferences and you surely don't want to lose a chance just because of 'marks', hence its crucial to score well too. 

Well these were the few of the best ways out that you could choose from if you're not having work-ex. While you search for live projects or internships, no matter how reputed your college / institute is, please don't be solely dependent on the college to help you out with it. Find your own way out, because there's a lot you can learn about yourself in that journey. 

Hope this post helps you get a notch hire in your career path and you enjoy this process. 

Much Love, Gratitude and Positivity.

-Binal R. Chitroda