THE JOB-GIVER
“A B-SCHOOL EDUCATION has helped me a lot in life,” says 59-year-old Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Info Edge, which owns job portal Naukri.com, matrimonial site jeevansathi.com, real estate portal 99acres.com and education portal shiksha.com. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Bikhchandani says his PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) not only provided him with knowledge and equipped him with various skills, but gave much more. “It instilled in me an attitude that helped me a lot later in life. Whether it is managing a very high workload, meeting deadlines or having a certain benchmark for excellence—these are intangible but they help you in life,” says the start-up investor.
Bikhchandani, who also owns stakes in online food delivery platform Zomato and insurance marketplace Policybazaar.com, adds that while a B-school education is significant, there are some things that cannot be taught in a classroom. “There is a lot that you learn in life which is of a very practical nature, and you only learn that by experience. It is somewhat unrealistic to expect that it will be taught in a classroom.”
While over the years, the IIM alumni network has helped Bikhchandani in his entrepreneurial journey, he says it wasn’t as if networking was a priority. “When we went to B-school, networking wasn’t such a big deal. You went there for the knowledge, for the intrinsic value of the MBA.” However, he admits that having the IIMA brand does help. “Of course, along the way the network helps… very often passively without you realising it. Some doors open for you easier than they would have if you did not have that IIMA tag,” he says. Even today, in the post-pandemic world, a degree from a high-quality place that “actually pushes you, and you work hard on it”, is something that is sought after.
Bikhchandani’s advice for budding Bschool aspirants is to “engage, immerse and work hard”. He suggests that they do a wide variety of courses and not focus on only one area or discipline. “Don’t believe you are a specialist. You should pass out as a generalist and then specialise when you are doing a job,” he says. For those wanting to follow the entrepreneurial route, Bikhchandani has only one piece of advice: “You have to have a very high bias for action to get things done.”
— SMITA TRIPATHI