Poonam Sharma has over 15 years of experience in the Marketing industry. Many of those years have been spent teaching and the journey has been rewarding. She has evolved and changed to suit the times. “Teaching has changed. Today the students are very sharp and smart. The very quality of students is different. Together with teaching, we are focusing on their personalities. We are very student centric today. All these aspects have become part of our teaching now,” Sharma observes.
To make her classes more interesting, she gives innumerable relevant examples. “We want our students at Jaipuria Noida to grow into global managers who can work anywhere in the world, so we train them accordingly.” A lot of case studies go into each aspect of her subject. During her classes, students can be found doing role playing and decision making. Lessons are retained when they are interesting, involving and interactive.

A Mentor:

Jaipuria Noida is focusing on is Entrepreneurship as a career option. “It is a very unique focus as we create an entrepreneurial environment on the campus with a student run entrepreneurial cell. We have collaborated with the National Entrepreneurship Network,” she says. Adding to the focus Jaipuria Noida has an Entrepreneurship Fair. “I take care of the fair and alumni relationship.”
She is realistic to entry level careers. Right when they step out of college, they cannot expect to be grabbed and put into Marketing Strategy and Planning. “In fact, for the first four to five years, they must work in a sales job. It will give them exposure to customer realities: what they like, what is a strict ‘no no’.”

A Guide:

Poonam Sharma goes out as a Guest Lecturer and presents papers in seminars and workshops. She has visited several countries and has received accolades. Her most memorable experience came last year, when she was presenting a paper at the Huston University, Virginia. “I met a faculty from Eastern Mennonite University. He liked my presentation and we started talking on the areas of our interest. Coincidentally, his area was also marketing.” He immediately invited her to deliver a guest talk to his students – online.
Being the perfect Indian hostess,Poonam Sharma invited them to Jaipuria Noida for a presentation. The relationship blossomed into her going there to take one of their courses on Entrepreneurship and Stewardship. Those 15 days in —– was a wonderful experience. “The people there are very professional; their culture is very interesting. Being there, meeting their students and finding out how their teaching is different from our teaching was truly a unforgettable opportunity,” she remembers.

Some Advice:

“Have a positive approach. Being positive helps you think better. Perseverance really works in life. Finally and most importantly, networking – you are not working if you are not networking. I tell my students that all the time. It is important. You need to meet and talk to people.” All the time. Nothing works like people inputs for a marketing person.