A better-than-expected lateral placement process notwithstanding, management schools are apprehensive about the final placements this year.
Lateral placement window is opened to management graduates with work experience. Nearly 30 per cent of the top B-school graduates fall in this category.
Lateral placement, organised mid-December and early-February at the top four B-schools in the country, saw adequate response from recruiters.
number of offers
While the number of offers remained more or less the same as last year, the average salary was up 5-10 per cent. IT, consulting, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industries were major recruiters.
Though the lateral placement process is looking better than last year, prospects for the final placements (for grads without work experience) do not look encouraging, according to Rajiv Mishra, chairperson, placements, XLRI, Jamshedpur.
XLRI, on its part, is trying to connect with some new corporates. “It is difficult to predict how the final placements will be,” Mishra pointed out.
IIM-Kozhikode is conducting lateral placements after nearly four years as the batches in between did not have a sizeable number of roll-outs with significant work experience, according to a placement committee member.
The institute reintroduced the laterals this year to enable students with work experience to get an opportunity to bag jobs commensurate with their experience and to ensure good placements for the entire batch.
Nearly 120 of the batch of 328 students at IIM-Kozhikode were eligible for the lateral placements this year.
“There were 20-25 companies that participated in the laterals. There has been renewed interest from the IT sector this year. This apart, we got about seven international offers for West Asia (two) and Africa (five),” the member said.
IIM-Rohtak placed 56 out of its batch of 123 students through laterals this year. The institute’s batch strength has trebled from 47 last year.
“This will pose some challenge for us this year. We are therefore following a rollover process wherein corporates can come and visit the campus on days other than those stipulated for final placements to ensure a good placement for all candidates,” said Pranit Upadhyay, member, placement committee, IIM-Rohtak. .
shobha.roy@thehindu.co.in