bKash looks to strengthen its team of GenNEXT Leaders
In September and October of 2016, representatives of senior management from bKash hosted recruitment talks and seminars about the GenNEXT Leader Management Trainee Programme at several universities in order to introduce the company's business profile. Held for the first time ever, the programme attracted more than 1,500 applications from local and international universities.
Apart from written and aptitude tests, applicants had to undertake a series of challenging interview rounds. For applicants entering the fourth round, there was a High Tea Session arranged by bKash which was an informal get-together for the selected applicants and bKash employees. Following that was the assessment center, where the judges tested the applicants' leadership and emergency-solving skills through case studies and group work. In the final round, applicants had to pass a panel interview which included directors and top management, in order to win a spot in the Management Trainee (MT) programme.
Out of the chosen six, five management trainees were selected from IBA, DU and one from NSU with various backgrounds in marketing, business, finance and human resources. All the candidates needed to experience 6 months of training rotations in every division and department in bKash and then another 18 months in their designated departments before they could graduate.
bKash also arranged a 5-day orientation programme, where Senior Executives such as the CEO along with the heads of every division described the outward-bound challenges of their roles. During the 24-month programme, the trainees experienced various phases of job attachments: in core business units, support functions and portfolio projects. The GenNEXT Leader Management Trainee Programme completed its first recruitment of 6 trainees in 2017.
When asked about the work culture, Akib, MT (Marketing) said, "Mutual respect is the foundation of the work culture at bKash. So far, I have been exposed to not only the activities of all the divisions, but also real-time market experiences, which are an integral part in the learning of a new employee." Sababa, MT (Marketing) added, "At bKash, although people are busy with work, there is still time for fun. Every now and then, sweets and chocolates are distributed for someone who wants to celebrate a major moment in their life." Wasifa, MT (Sales) also said, "We have been assigned to a 6-month rotation plan just to get us fully acquainted with the company to the core, before we are handed projects."
When asked about the recruitment process and work structure, Nishat, MT (HR) said, "After the interviews, we were invited for a high tea session which was a semi-formal hangout with the people at bKash. This session helped me to understand the culture of bKash, get a feel of the workplace and meet its people." Hasib, MT (Finance) added, "Although the recruitment process was extensive, the high tea session gave us reassurance of the work philosophy and the sense of purpose for those who work at bKash." Raiyaan, MT (Sales) finished with, "The market visit, which was a mandatory part of our induction process, was a very enlightening experience. Even though we got classroom knowledge prior to the market visit, it helped us understand how the distribution actually works. We got an understanding of how the distribution house provides services to the market, how the Territory Manager manages his house to make sure daily targets are met, how compliance is ensured at every level of the process and lastly, how the end customer's needs are satisfied. We also got to experience the agent's perception towards the brand of bKash."
bKash has announced its next GenNEXT Leader Management Trainee Programme. Undergraduate degree holders (preferably BBA, Economics, Statistics & Mathematics) with CGPA of 3.0 or above are encouraged to apply at www.bkash.com/career by today, November 30, 2017.
The writer is Senior Officer, HR at bKash.