Dissecting the illustrious MT program

Management Trainee (MT) Programs are special job curriculums that are designed for fresh graduates to make their entry in the corporate world interesting and learning. In our country, business students are often more acquainted with the concept of MT programs compared to students of other schools. The cool part about MT programs is that they are way more interesting and exhaustively upskilling than conventional entry-level jobs. MT programs last for a period of one to two years and require the trainee to work in various departments of the organization. This program has different names in different organizations. For example, in HSBC they call it the Management Associate Program.

A diversified job description
Management trainees work under a lot of stress and their work involves frequent interactions with high level management. Thus the program provides them more learning opportunities, stronger career lines and more prospects of promotion and placements abroad. Trainees are not necessarily recruited in a specific department in the organization. The program curriculum varies from organization to organization, but all of the organizations the MT program requires them to rotate around different sections of the business with a minimum attachment of about three to six months in each department.
While talking to us on this topic a young MT was saying, “I started in Sales and worked there for three months. Now I'm working in Reporting under the Finance department, where I was originally supposed to join. I'll be working in 6 month-stints in Factory Finance, Supply Chain Finance, Category/Brand Finance, etc. So I am not restricted in an MT program, I have more rotations, and future opportunities open up because I have more learning than others.”
Usually there is less recruitment of MTs in Sales. Supply chain MTs almost always start their job with responsibilities circling around the organization's factories. The job can be cross functional too. For example, most organizations nowadays are combining the Brand and Sales departments. This provides Marketing employees an immediate scope to understand their consumers better.

Requirements of the job
There are no specific requirements of one's major unless he or she is applying for technical jobs in IT or Legal, etc. In the case of banks, they usually recruit more Finance or Economics majors as most of their activities revolve around financial transactions. But in MT programs a Finance graduate might be put into in Sales or Marketing and vice versa. It all depends on the particular organization and their business requirements.
Organizations look for graduates with a standard CGPA and good record of extracurricular activities. Business competitions, debate, working in different projects, internships or work experience, all bolster one's stand in the recruitment process. Organizations seek leadership skills in the individuals and relevant roles during the student years can spice up the interview sessions for the individual.

The recruitment process
Customarily organizations do a campus drive or holds an event or business competitions like 'Battle of Minds' and 'Bizmaestro' to advertise MT programs among the fresh or to-be graduates. The recruitment process varies from organization to organization. Typically it starts with an aptitude test. The structure and emphasis on these tests is different for different organizations. Some companies go through an online application system, acquire more information about the individual, and perform screening to sort out candidates for the next step of recruitment. In the final stage of recruitment the candidates are invited to assessment centers where they face interviews, case studies, group discussion and other appointed tasks. After selection the selected person is offered the job along with all the details of the salary and incentives. The compensation packages are barely ever negotiated at entry level in MNCs.
In Bangladesh, fresh graduates are recruited every year from different institutions for MT Programs. MT programs have always been there in Multinational Corporations, but some of our local firms are also coming ahead in this respect. Local banks City Bank and Eastern Bank have their own programs. Other local companies like Pran, Abul Khair and Abdul Monem have also come forward with their MT programs to catch up with the recent trends of the business world. The MT program is a great way for fresh graduates to blend into the corporate scene, learn about different aspects of the business and be prepared to lead the future in the corporate sector.