Department of Management

Spring-24
BUS520
Section 1
Case Report

Group 5
Submitted by

Name I.D

Mahila Mahboob 2415111660

Kasfa Mehnaz 2415345660

Kazi Al - Samin 2415112660

Md. Abid Miah 2215323660

Submitted to
Dr. Mahmud Akhter Shareef

Submission Date: 02/05/2024

Recommendations:

1. Setting Up Clear Career Goals:

Ralph should define his career aspirations clearly and he can begin with self-assessment. He
should first look for all the short-term interests and then connect the dots to find the long-term
ambitions. It will involve identifying his passions and strengths which will help him to build a
bridge to his career goals. He can create a roadmap through SMART goals for clear direction. To
create a SMART roadmap, he will have to align with it and how he can break it down is given
below-
Specific: Ralph cannot keep any vague aspirations. He should specifically define his goals. For
example, he can aim to be a financial analyst and it can be defined as his short-term goal. But for
the long-term he can aspire to become a CFO. Here, we can see that there’s a clear relation
between his short-term and long-term goals.
Measurable: There should be a measurable criterion for him to monitor and evaluate his progress.
He can set different metrics to track his progress. For example, the number of job applications he
submitted, the number of interviews he has secured, the number of calls for jobs he did not get,
and the level of proficiency for different skills he got through courses or certifications that are
finance-related.
Achievable: Ralph’s goals should be realistic and can be achievable within his circumstances.
The resources he has within him should be implemented into his career path through which he
can attain whatever he desires. For example, his educational background, work experience,
commitment, and some other factors should be linked with his career objectives to turn his aim
into reality.
Relevant: Ralph’s career values, interests, aspirations, and strengths should be connected with his
goals. It has to be relevant to his career path. For example, if his desired career path is in a
finance-related field, he should pursue opportunities that are related to this sector.
Time-bound: Ralph should fix a deadline to meet the target goals. He can divide it into little parts
with timelines. For the short-term objectives he can set deadlines accordingly and for the long-
term goals, he can set a deadline which will include the short-term objectives as well. For
example, completing finance-related courses within three months, doing an internship in the
finance department for six months, and getting into a full-time job within three months. It will
help him to stay motivated and focused.

2. Improving the Understanding of the Job Market:

Job market knowledge is considered as the sum of all business policies and procedures about any
kind of job. Proper research regarding finance related job markets is essential for Ralph. This
provides awareness, familiarity, ability to know at which department he needs to apply for in
particular. Having an understanding of its subfields and key players in the industry will give him
a proper idea about the emerging opportunities and the skills and qualifications in demand.
Strong network with professionals already working in the finance sector can provide valuable
insights for Ralph. Ralph should follow financial news outlets, publications, and online resources
regularly to stay well informed about market developments, regulatory changes, and emerging
trends. Also, Career advisors can provide mentorship with their expertise and experience in the
finance sector. Besides that, participating in workshops, seminars, or online courses based on
finance-related topics can deepen Ralph’s understanding of particular fields within the industry,
such as investment management, financial analysis, or corporate finance. These learning can
increase his credibility as a job candidate.

3. Adequate Preparation for Interviews:

Ralph needs to be more dedicated and show more effort for the interviews. Now-a-days cracking
interviews are not simple. It needs in-depth research. He should focus on quality over quantity
before preparing for interviews. For example, gathering knowledge about the company in detail,
finding out industry trends and researching about it, looking for recent developments on it and
having ideas about common business concepts. He should prepare his answers that are related to
the job role and the company. Additionally, he can engage himself in mock interviews for
practicing and polishing his skills. He can also take feedback from others to improve his
interview cracking skills. To get the most attention in the interview board from other candidates
he needs to look for the best skill he has so that he can stand out from others. For that, he can
highlight the transferable skills and accomplishments. Furthermore, he can prepare insightful
questions to ask the interviewer during the process which will reflect his genuine interest in the
role.

4. Enhancing Resume Presentation:

Revamping the resume while considering highlighting accomplishments is a way to enhance the
resume presentation of Ralph. A strong and well-crafted career objective at the beginning of
Ralph’s resume can deliver clear messages to the recruiters about his career goals. The objective
section should depict his passion for the finance industry-related field, as well as the relevant
skills and experience he has. His resume should contain skills, experiences which are relevant to
the finance sector. Quantifiable achievements and outcomes should be the focal point while
building the resume to demonstrate his value. Relevant projects, and financial metrics he
improved can be added to the resume. The use of action-oriented language and metrics to
describe Ralph’s experiences in the respective field will definitely help to attract the recruiters.
By using powerful verbs and providing quantifiable metrics or numbers to measure his
accomplishments can make this resume more compelling and impactful. Ralph should ensure his
resume is well-organized and easy for the recruiter to read. Inclusion of most relevant
information, such as his education, work experience, and skill to ensure that recruiters can easily
understand his qualifications. Before finalizing his resume, Ralph should consider taking
feedback from career advisors or trusted professionals in the finance industry. Their valuable
insights and suggestions will definitely help Ralph in terms of improving, polishing, and
showcasing his strengths and qualifications.

5. Enhancing Networking Efforts:

Ralph needs to understand the importance of networking in the job market. Recognizing and
expanding the need for networking is highly encouraged in the job market. Firstly, he needs to
proactively build a relationship with his peers and alumni. He can get connected with his peers
and alumni who have the same career goal. For example, connecting with those peers and alumni
who are pursuing or pursued careers in finance or related fields. These are the source of job
referrals and valuable insights. For networking opportunities, there are so many platforms
through which he can engage himself with professional discussions. Such as, LinkedIn and
Indeed.
Next, he can attend different conferences and events that are industry-specific. There are many
seminars or events on business, management, and finance. Attending there he can enhance his
knowledge as well as do networking. There are many industry experts, professionals, and
recruiters with whom he can interact and get connected.
Moreover, there are so many online groups and professional associations too. Such as the CFA
Institute, Financial Management Association, mentorship program, and many more. He can join
there and create a circle to enhance his opportunities.
Lastly, not only creating a network will help him, but he will also have to nurture those
relationships by following up. Networking can be only the initial part. He should maintain the
relationship as well. He can keep in touch with them by texting or expressing appreciation to
build mutual trust for the long term.

6. Embracing Individuality and Focusing on Self-Approach:

To embrace individuality, Ralph needs to understand his personal values and interests first. For
example, he can ask himself several questions to identify his personal values and interests-
1) Which area of finance specifically interests him?
2) Why is that specific part interesting for him?
3) What are the factors that are motivating him to get into that?
4) Is it going to lead him to greater job satisfaction or not?
Another thing he can do is identify his strengths and weaknesses so that he can improve himself
in specific areas. Strengths will help him to keep motivated and weakness will help him to set
strategies for growth. Then he should align his strengths and weaknesses with his personal goals
to get the best output.
Also, he can seek mentorship for objective insights. Any guidance can help him to shape his
career path. In any professional journey, mentorship and guidance can help to navigate
challenges.
Again, Ralph should make career decisions based on his personal aspirations not for external
pressure. There will be different opinions and pressure that will definitely influence his decision.
He can get ideas from different opinions rather than ignoring them entirely but the decision will
be based on his priorities and career goals.

Conclusion:

Ralph Power struggled with his job search as he hadn’t figured out what he wanted to achieve
and didn’t plan accordingly. He is confused about his career goals, hardly has enough knowledge
about the job market, isn’t ready for job interviews, has a simple and basic resume, doesn’t focus
on building strong relationships and networks, and cares too much about others’ opinions which
shows a lack of self-confidence. Ralph should define his career aspirations clearly and do a self-
assessment. He needs to be specific about his career goals. He needs to research properly about
the industry. Expert mentors in the respective industry might be very helpful for understanding
the job market. More dedication and more effort for the job interviews are necessary to smoothen
his path. Quantifiable achievements and outcomes should be the focal point while building the
resume to demonstrate his value. By using different platforms, he can connect with professionals
which will be beneficial for him shortly. Knowledge about himself in terms of his expertise and
where he is lacking is essential for developing himself in necessary areas. By considering all
these things, Ralph can make himself a better fit for his upcoming job interviews.