POR value varies dramatically by context - tier 1 college leadership PORs strongly influence top company shortlists, weak tier 3 PORs with no measurable impact add minimal value beyond baseline. Asked about a low-tier marketing club POR at IIM C, the broader consensus is that genuine leadership with measurable outcomes beats titular positions. POR evaluation hierarchy at IIM C (Rs 27L fees, Rs 34.23 LPA avg):
- Top tier PORs: National-level leadership (TedX organizers, national sports captain, student body president at IIT/NIT/NLU),
- Strong PORs: Head of major clubs at reputed UG colleges (cultural fest head, marketing club president at SRCC/SSCBS/DU),
- Medium PORs: Active member roles with quantifiable outcomes (organized events for 500+ students, raised Rs 10L+ sponsorship),
- Weak PORs: Titular membership without active contribution or outcomes,
- Non-PORs: Social volunteering without leadership component. What recruiters extract from PORs:
- Leadership behavior (team management, conflict resolution),
- Stakeholder management (faculty, sponsors, peers),
- Project execution (event planning + delivery),
- Initiative-taking (created new committee/event),
- Quantifiable impact (sponsorship raised, event attendance, revenue generated). For the specific case asked - "Marketing Club POR at low tier SOC overall, won't even have good pointers corresponding to it as we don't do much stuff" - honesty is the best policy. Don't inflate weak PORs on CV, but include them with humble framing. During interviews, present what you actually did, lessons learned, and what you'd do differently. Empty PORs get called out by experienced interviewers. What if you have no strong PORs:
- Take on PORs during MBA itself (club heads, placement committee, event organizers),
- Build leadership through case comp wins,
- Lead live projects as SIP or in 2nd year,
- Create your own initiative - start a club, a newsletter, a podcast. At IIM C, case comp wins + MBA CGPA + SIP performance outweigh pre-MBA PORs by placement time. Use MBA to build leadership experience if pre-MBA is lacking. Check your eligibility at collvera.com/eligibility