| Amit Sharan: A Lesson in How to "Stand Out" |
Like most University of South Florida MBA graduates, Amit Sharan knows the value of hard work. Four years ago, Sharan started his own Internet company that supplies lacrosse equipment and sports uniforms to several teams throughout Florida and nationwide.
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“Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America according to Sports Illustrated, and there was only one store in Florida,” said Sharan. “I noticed a market with a need and did something about it.”
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Aside from hard work, Sharan also knows and has greatly benefited from the value of a network. After graduating with an MBA from USF in December 2005, Sharan began working for Electronic Learning Products (ELP), a successful software company that has recently made national buzz with its Literacy products’ ability to improve reading skills. According to a study conducted by USF’s College of Education, use of ELP’s programs has improved reading levels by one year in only nine weeks.
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“ELP's technology is like no other company I've seen,” said Sharan, who is also proud of his company’s involvement with the U.S. Department of Defense. “The speech recognition technology is being used to create a ‘learn-to-speak-Arabic’ program.”
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ELP is a division of the Thompson Group, a long time supporter of the College of Business Administration at USF. They approached COBA marketing professor Paul Solomon for consulting advice, who turned it into a student project. Amit was one of those students.
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| “Amit did an outstanding job on the consulting project for the Thompson group while an MBA student,” said Solomon. |
Solomon also helped Sharan during his job search after graduation by suggesting networking as a tool. “Students need to take advantage of the people they know and have worked for in the past,” said Solomon. “The key is to not press for a job but to ask advice about whom to talk to about careers and opportunities.”
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Sharan decided to get advice from Carlo Franzblau, president and founder of ELP, who set up interviews for him with several internal groups within the Thompson Group. He was offered two positions based on his skills set and the work he did on the student project.
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“We got great value from the MBA project Amit did and got to know him personally,” said Franzblau. “We were very confident that he’d be a great contributor as well as fit into our team.”
But Sharan credits his success to the contacts he made and the relationships he built with those he worked with while completing his MBA.
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| “The MBA Program was the key,” said Sharan. “The opportunities the program provided are what you make of it. You can't expect to have employers calling you because you get good grades- they expect you to get good grades in a master's program. Being part of the Graduate Business Association (GBA), becoming actively involved with the faculty, and the constant practice of talking to employers at networking events made me stand out.” |
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