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How have IIM placements fared in wake of slowdown?

Published on Sat, Nov 15, 2008 at 12:40 | Source : CNBC-TV18

Updated at Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 18:30

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Summer placements at IIM Calcutta are underway. However, things are not as upbeat as they seemed. Avni Raja goes to check the mood at the premier B-school.

Here is a transcript of Avni Raja's comments on CNBC TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.

There definitely seems to be some anxiety among the IIM C students. At the end of slot zero, a third of students had already been placed. However, six days into the placements, not all students have been placed still. Compare it to last year when the entire 300-student batch was placed in four days - though last year was exceptionally good for the IIMs and sources say comparing the two [years] is not a good idea.

Also, the number of offers per firm has also dropped and IIM C has invited an increased number of companies this year to participate in the placement session. Most IIMs are adopting this strategy to hedge themselves against the current volatility. Marketing and finance are the major recruiters this year. Sources added that students have become a little cautious - the summer placements could be a reflection of what can be expected during the final placements and it will help students prepare since they will know what to expect.

However, CNBC-TV18's Vineetha Athrey reports the mood at IIM Bangalore is quite upbeat this time around, especially in light of all the fears of slowdown. The top officials sources have shared the broad perspectives of some of the large trends around. There are no brutal shocks; things are pretty much in line with their expectations. Last year's recruiters have returned this year, although the total number of offers from each one of them has gone down considerably.

Financial companies and consulting firms are still the frontrunners despite all fears. Last year, 80% of jobs were from financial companies, which has gone down this year. However, both these sectors have made equal number of offers. Apart from that, media and infrastructure companies have also shown greater interest in recruiting students this time.

Earlier, placement officials had said that IT would be a good option because a lot of IIM B students are engineers and have an IT background. But now they say things could be different now, because people who have had experience in the IT sector may want to try hands in some other sectors. Also, a lot of recruiters are looking at summer placements as a form of investment because these students will mostly be given pre-placement offers in 2010. The officials say that because the drawback in that year is likely to be much better than now, they don't want to let go off this opportunity.