An Ultimate Guide On: Skills Required for MBA

Skills Required for MBA

MBA is the most popular postgraduate degree course. This degree is one of the best ways to have a great career full of money and success. MBA graduates get the best jobs that can make a huge difference in a company and the industry. So, if you want to do great in your career and make a difference, MBA is the degree for you. But an MBA is not a degree for everyone. There are many skills one needs to have to do well in the course.

An MBA student is taught and trained in a particular manner throughout the degree program that prepares them for a particular skill set. However, not all of these skills are academic, some are soft skills, but they all are necessary skills that one needs in this career. In this blog, were going to discuss the variety of skills you need to possess or develop to have a fruitful career in this field.

Generic Skills Required for MBA

Before you decide on doing an MBA, you should know about the skills required to do well in the MBA course and later on in your careers. The following are a few skills that will help you excel in the course and your career.

Here are a few generic skills required for MBA degree:

1. Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are not a part of the formal curriculum as such but they are skills that we use every day to communicate and interact with people. An MBA graduate must be able to take up responsibility, put in the required motivation and dedication, and be good at communication. You must be an active listener, mature, decisive, committed, and optimistic. You must be capable of teamwork and hard work but at the same time remain patient and be flexible. A candidate must have all these abilities.

2. Communication Skills

An MBA graduate must have a good command over both verbal and written communication. You are expected to know and speak good English in email conversations, presentations, or dealing with a client in person. You must be able to interact effectively and drive conversations. Active listening, body language, and a good vocabulary are assessed as communicational skills. Excellent communication skills do not come naturally but you have to develop and work upon them. Great communication skills are a major requirement if youre an MBA graduate and therefore, you must read and speak it enough to be good at it.

3. Qualities

A leader is someone who has good planning and organizing capabilities, someone who is responsible and has problem-solving abilities. As an MBA graduate, you must have leadership qualities and be able to function effectively under pressure and be dedicated enough to complete any challenge that comes your way. It is important to be a team player, however, possessing these leadership qualities makes you dynamic and excel in your field. Being a trustworthy, honest, capable leader is beneficial to the growth of your personal career as well as the future of the organization you work in.

4. Strategic Thinking and Planning Abilities

In this ever-growing economy, it is important to think ahead and plan your next step accordingly. It is really competitive out there. MBA students must be capable of dealing with a lot of pressure and still function properly. You must manage your time well to accomplish the tasks assigned to you. You must be able to think creatively, this gives you the drive to excel and be innovative leaders. Thinking and planning carefully yet strategically are essential qualities required for an MBA.

5. Entrepreneurial Skills

As an MBA it is necessary that you have entrepreneurial skills because you need them to transform your ideas into reality. You need to avoid outdated thinking and come up with new ways to grow or solve problems. Along with a lot of focus on your goal, you need to be able to think and function creatively and innovatively. These entrepreneurial skills are important in the making of an MBA.

6. Technical Skills

Technology is going to be the biggest driving force in business and industry in the near future. Therefore, to be able to leverage technology, you need to have a good understanding of technology and its uses. When an MBA is working professionally, they are expected to bring in many advancements to improve operations. This is where technical skills come into play. You need to know the best technologies, how to use them and incorporate them into operations.

7. Project & Time Management Skills

During your MBA course, and in your career, you will be working on many projects. To do well in them, you will need project management skills. You will need to be a hard worker, good leader, team player, quick thinker, etc. project management encompasses many skills, including time management. Getting work done one time is one of the biggest requirements in an MBA career. Efficiently managing time, getting work done skillfully, meeting tight deadlines, are some of the things good time management skills will help with.

Skills Required for MBA Specialization Wise

There are various streams to pursue an MBA degree. You need to adapt accordingly and focus on a few particular skills based on your specialization. We are now going to discuss the required skill set for each specialization within the MBA degree.

1. Skills Required for MBA Marketing

MBA marketing is one of the most famous specializations. It is mainly about sales and services. You need to market and sell your product in a way that brings the best possible outcome. For this, you require basic interpersonal skills. An MBA Marketing candidate must have the following skillset:

Here are a few skills required for MBA marketing:

• Excellent communication skills as you interact with potential customers.
• Strategic skills because you have to think and work strategically
• Leadership skills because you will be leading marketing teams.
• Effective time management because marketing and sales are all about timing.
• Analytical skills to analyse and improve analytical skills.

Related Blog: 10 Marketing Skills to Learn with an MBA in Marketing

2. Skills Required for MBA Finance

Finance is an important industry whose growth affects the economy of the county. Its a good industry for making a career. Finance professionals are expected to have great analytical skills. You must be attentive, focused, and sharp if you want to specialize in finance. Along with this you also need qualities like:

Here are a few skills required for MBA finance:

• Problem-solving skills as the finance industry can be unstable.
• Accounting skills because you will always be working with numbers.
• Financial reporting skills to make informed financial reports.
• Analytical abilities to analyse the financial markets.
• Technical skills as the finance industry are technologically advanced.

Related Article: MBA Finance Skills that Employers Value

3. Skills Required for MBA Operations

An operations manager is responsible for the growth of an organization and the daily management of the companys operations. You also need to oversee the smooth flow of workings within the company. For this you need to possess the following management skills:

Here are a few skills required for MBA operations:

• Strong communication skills to communicate with the employees.
• Organizational skills that will help you run the operations.
• Motivational skills to keep all employees motivated.
• Good execution skills are important for the execution of operations
• Leadership skills as you have many people working under you.

4. Skill Required for MBA HR

Human Resource jobs require excellent administration. HR needs to have a lot of knowledge and good expertise in their field as they are the ones who keep employees happy and motivated. Their work ensures employees experience job satisfaction. They have many other responsibilities as well and for that, they need to have the following qualities:

Here are a few skills required for MBA HR:

• Excellent communication skills to communicate with employees.
• Recruitment and selection expertise to hire talent for the companies.
• Advising and coaching skills to help out the employees.
• Decision-making skills as they have many responsibilities.
• Supervising skills as the HR department oversees many employees.

5. Skills Required for MBA in Business Analytics (BA)

An MBA Business Analyst needs to be a good decision-maker. You must think and plan in such a way that benefits your company and increases growth. A business analyst must be able to turn data into insights and insights into the business. For this you must possess the following skillset:

Here are a few skills required for MBA Business analytics:

• Must be a great analyser and critical thinker.
• Effective communicator.
• Visualizer for the future of the organization
• Must be inquisitive and creative.
• Must have good problem-solving skills.

6. Skill Required for MBA in Supply Chain Management

Supply chain managers must have a technical understanding of the company. You need to be aware of business ethics and understand the working of systems. Supply chain managers work ensures there is a continuous flow of goods and services. To succeed, they must have the given skills qualities:

Here are a few skills required for MBA supply chain management:

• Should be able to manage projects.
• Must have the ability to understand financial statements.
• Should have problem-solving skills.
• Accounting skills are important to keep track of products.
• You must be aware of national and international supply markets.

7. Skills Required for MBA in Rural and Agriculture

An MBA with this specialization is qualified for the professional development of rural areas. Rural agriculture is an upcoming field of business that needs professionals managers. To be able to do an MBA for this field, you need:

Here are a few skills required for MBA agriculture:

• Good communication skills to convey your plans.
• Multi-lingual to be able to speak to people of other languages.
• You must be truly passionate about rural planning and functioning.
• You must be able to reason analytically.
• Leadership and problem-solving abilities are a must.

8. Skills required for MBA in Pharma & Healthcare Management

Pharma & healthcare are supposed to be the fastest-growing industries in the country. This specialization is for those who wish to be hospital administrators or pharmaceutical project managers. Such a candidate must be interested in administration in the medical field. For this you require to following skillset:

Here are a few skills required for MBA in healthcare management:

• Good communication skills to create sound lines of communication.
• Must be willing to undertake risks and solve problems.
• Should be a good decision-maker.
• You must understand accounting and logistics
• Coordination and leadership skills are necessary.

9. Skills Required for MBA in Tourism & Hospitality Management

An MBA of this specialization is qualified to work in travel agencies, hotels, food and beverage companies, airlines, and other hospitality organizations. It is essential to have knowledge and understanding of the tourism industry for this kind of an MBA. You need the following skillset for tourism and hospitality management:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to analyse the industry and make appropriate decisions.
• Effectively market the destination or hotel.
• Awareness of global news and issues.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of how the industry functions.

10. Skills Required for MBA in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the ability to store, manage, process, and deploy data and software programs and tools through remotely located servers. This delivery of services is done through the internet. To get an MBA and get a career in this field, you must possess the given skill set:

Here are a few skills required for MBA in cloud computing:

• Should have excellent technical skills.
• You must understand how cloud service provides work and function.
• Must be acquainted with operating systems, and understand networking
• Should be able to use programs to store and process data effectively.
• Knowledge of virtualization is a must.

11. Skills Required for MBA in Artificial Intelligence

This specialization is for those who want to venture into the AI arena. An MBA candidate in this field must have a deep understanding of artificial intelligence and its drive in this world. For this you require the given skill set:

Here are a few skills required for MBA in artificial intelligence:

• Knowledge of math, probability, statistics, calculus, and algorithms.
• You must have the ability to research.
• Good understanding of software solutions and physics knowledge.
• You need to be highly effective in communication
• You must have strong analytical skills.

12. Skills Required For MBA In Machine Learning

Machine learning is one of the next big developments in business and technology. It is going to be a valuable industry in India that is going to grow positively. To be a part of this industry and do an MBA in machine learning, you need to have the following skills:

Here are a few skills required for MBA in Machine learning:

• Deep knowledge of maths, probability, statistics, calculus, and algorithms.
• Good technical skills to understand and operate software programs
• Market machine learning programs and tools.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• To need to be a visionary to understand the potential of machine learning.

13. Skills Required For MBA In Big Data And Data Science

An MBA graduate of this specialization is expected to know about basic analytics and statistics. You should be familiar with technologies and aware of data mining. For this particular field, you require the following skills:

Here are a few skills required for MBA in big data and data science:

• You must know Python or R or SPSS.
• Should be familiar with Big Data tools.
• Must possess data visualization skills.
• Should have programming skills.
• Must possess analytical skills and problem-solving skills as well.

Final Thoughts

MBA is a degree that requires you to have many skills. Even if you dont have all the needed skills, you can put in some effort and develop these skills. All of the different forms of MBA stated above are high-value degrees, and you can compare your skills with the required skills to know which will be the right MBA for you.

Many of the given management courses, especially the ones in artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, big data & data science, are offered at ASMs Institute of Business Management & Research. Located in Pune (Pimpri-Chinchwad), IBMR is known for its strong management programs. Get in touch with the institute’s counsellors to know more about the latest courses.