Mr. Kurien
Date: 16 November, 2010
CARRER AND PLANNING IN HR
The evening started off with an interactive session by Mr. Kurien, GM HR and Design, Pantaloons Retail India Ltd which is a part of Future Group, India’s leading business house in the retail sector.
The colloquia started with the most obvious question raised by one of the students as to what did HR and design mean? To this Mr. Kurien replied in his usual candid style that HR and design is about understanding diversity, recognising one’s ability as well as disability and helping one to maximise one’s potential. This was followed by a series of questions raised by the students regarding the different aspects of HR and also the recruitment policies of the company.
During the discussions he emphasised on the importance of passion that drives one towards one’s aspirations and goals in life. He urged the students to follow passion in whatever they do, to look at multiple scenarios, to explore and equip ourselves to handle different vicissitudes of life by prodding ourselves with questions like why, how and when!
During the discussion on the attitude of the younger generation, he referred to one of the articles in the Times of India which talks about how the youngsters are becoming money minded which is causing them to think and act in that direction instead of focussing on their abilities and passion. To be successful one doesn’t have to ape the Tier I cities but has to concentrate on improving their skills and knowledge. The students should venture into unknown territories and use their talents in such a way that it would take even a start up company to great heights.
To a question on recruitment policies in HR by his company, he replied that his company looks for students who can empathise with others and have a willingness to work in that field. An IIM-A student might not necessarily impress him but a student with the desire to learn, with the confidence of using his skills to the best of his abilities would hit the nail on the head!
Finally, at the end of the discussion he gave some priceless tips on what are the major laxities that students face in group discussions. He said that in the eagerness to speak, the students sometimes forget to listen to others and thus end up speaking completely out of the context! The students have to be confident about what they speak and as a perquisite to such effective discussions the students should get more exposure on the industry front which would be possible only if they improve their knowledge in various aspects by extensive reading.
It was an amazing evening and as an icing to the cake the session ended with the announcement of asbians who got recruited by the company. With immense pleasure, we express our gratitude to Mr. Kurien and we looking forward to many such thought provoking sessions in the future from other pioneers of the industry.