In a maiden drive, Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) has steered to IITs and IIMs to pick talent for its global marketing operations.

Under the first phase of its ‘Hyundai Blue Wave' programme, the auto company has already hired two engineers from IIT Madras at a salary of over $50,000 each per year (over Rs 27 lakh each).

The next stop will be IIM Bangalore for the fifth largest motor company in the world, which expects to recruit at least one student for its global marketing operations, a Hyundai official told Business Line .

The salary in this case, will be much higher and will be as much as $70,000 (roughly Rs 39 lakh) a year. Apart from the salary, the new recruit will get a housing allowance, health insurance and a visit to his/her home country.

With Hyundai setting up plants all across the world, and seeing the need to recruit globally and across all cultures, ‘Leader Waves' for engineers and ‘Professional Waves' for management graduates are tapping the talent of these educational institutions.

The recruits under the ‘Leader Wave' will be offered a job in HMC Seoul, where they will be trained across various verticals at the headquarters for two years, before being deputed to one of Hyundai's overseas facilities.

“The company will also sponsor the student's management/engineering education before the final placement in the company's overseas facilities” the official said. “Most IIT students prefer to get a Masters degree and we decided to meet their aspirations,” he said.

The ‘Professional Wave' students, however, enter the company straightaway and don't need to pursue higher studies, he said.

“We went to IIT Madras as it is closer to where we are and we're happy with the quality of students IIT Madras produces. If the results of this campaign are good, we might go to other campuses next year,” the company official said.

“These are baby steps and if the results are good, there will be a comfort factor to recruit more numbers from India,” the official added.