Dr. Sainy, Chair Programme and Branding at Jaipuria, Indore has been a marketing faculty member at Jaipuria Institute of Management for years now, and has, over time, developed a passion for training industry executives. Having completed a few in-company training seminars and MDPs in the last few years, she has seen the field evolve, both in academia and in the industry. She is also working on a paper on technology readiness among customers in banking, which can be helpful to both banks and scholars doing research on related topics.

Given her experience on both sides of the fence, so to speak, it seems obvious to ask her about the latest trends in marketing. “There are two things happening in digital marketing that just cannot be ignored. Marketing analytics is definitely the driver, but personalized marketing is also coming of age. It’s interesting to see how it is affecting the marketing landscape, giving way to whole new methods of promotion and forcing companies to revamp their integrated marketing strategies” says Dr. Sainy.

New trends in the industry often bring exciting and dynamic opportunities for professionals in the field. It’s something all management hopefuls look forward to and Dr. Sainy has some good news: “Opportunities are immense, as a recent survey conducted by McKinsey shows pretty positive sentiments towards jobs available in marketing with a special focus on online platforms. Students who plan to take up marketing as their major should take these developments very seriously and start preparing themselves.”

Having worked closely with recruiters, and after conducting training sessions for students applying for marketing profiles, Dr. Sainy also seems to be the right person to offer aspirants an insight into what skills are required of them as future professionals. “Both hard and soft skills are taken into account,” she says. “Recruiters want students who are smart and possess hands on experience with MS Excel and presentations, besides just analytical and problem solving skills. Your dedication, commitment and flexibility are soft skills that come into play.”

After all, organizations are looking to recruit professionals who can be moulded into the culture of the company. Hence, flexibility and adaptability and the willingness to learn and grow are some of the attributes marketing professionals of today should have, according to Dr. Sainy. And how does one go about building on these skills? She ponders before replying, “There is no specific formula as such, but I believe in the old saying, ‘practice makes you perfect.’ Students should also focus on their interests and build their careers around them.”

At the end of the day, the world of marketing is challenging – professionals need to strive for excellence in order to make place for themselves. Dr. Sainy agrees whole-heartedly and adds, “You need to have a learner’s attitude and the hunger to strive for nothing less than extraordinary. If you have the fire in you, nobody can stop you from achieving what you desire. It’s also a good idea to update yourself in your areas of interest because once you have mentioned them in an interview, you can expect lot of questions on them.”