Growing No. of
Firms Offering Diverse Roles, Greater Responsibilities & Higher Salaries
Highlight IIM-A Lateral Placements
The Lateral Placement Process
for the Two Year Post Graduate Programme (PGP) at IIM Ahmedabad has reaffirmed
the status of the institute as the premier recruitment destination for both
Indian and international firms. Conducted in the months of January
and February 2008, the process was unprecedented both in terms of scale and
diversity.
The significant amount of prior
work experience of the batch of 2006-08 led to an increase in the number of
students eligible for lateral placements. Many big names in fields such as
consulting, private equity, general management and banking participated in the
process, and some of them recruited exclusively from IIM-A.
Sectors such as private equity,
niche consulting, technology and logistics made a debut at this process. The
growing number of firms on campus offering diverse roles, greater job
responsibilities and higher compensation packages, at a time when the global job
market is in a downturn, stands testament to the quality and diversity of the
talent at IIM-A.
Lateral
Placement Process
The lateral recruitment process
is conducted specifically for students with prior work experience of at least 18
months. The increasing significance of the laterals process can be attributed to
the rising proportion of students with work experience in each successive batch.
The number of students eligible for lateral placements saw a significant jump
from 89 last year to 112 students this year.
Prof. Piyush Sinha,
Faculty Chairperson of the Placement Committee, adds, "Lateral Placements at IIM
Ahmedabad have proved once again the standing of the institute among the world�s
best when it comes to preparing managers not only for entry level but also for
middle level management."
A Stellar
Reputation
With this increase in the number
of students eligible for lateral placements, even the number of firms
participating in the process shot up to 37 firms.
These firms made a total of 103 offers in the
process. At a time when the job market across the world is going through a major
upheaval, the above numbers reflect the continuing confidence firms worldwide
place in IIM Ahmedabad. In fact, the number of firms offering
international positions more than doubled this year from
3 to 7. The average salary for the laterals
process as a whole saw an increase from Rs. 16.2 Lakhs last year to Rs. 18.3
Lakhs this year.
Increased
Global Recognition & Diversity
Firms from a wide range of
sectors, namely consulting, private equity, real estate, finance, information
technology, general management and marketing, participated in the process. Some
of the notable firms recruiting on campus were Booz Allen Hamilton,
Monitor Group, Google and Amazon, among others.
Consulting major Monitor Group
and private equity player Greater Pacific Capital were some of the big
names which recruited exclusively from IIM Ahmedabad; while the world�s largest
steel manufacturer Arcelor Mittal offered some very unique and
challenging roles in hitherto unexplored but rapidly emerging economies of
Eastern Europe.
Such diversity in offers can be
attributed to the rich and varied work experience that the batch at IIM
Ahmedabad has in fields such as IT, manufacturing, sales, finance and general
management (Exhibit 1).
Building a
Talent Pool at Home
There was a significant increase
in the compensation offered to students by Indian firms as well. Top Indian
firms, namely the Aditya Birla Group, Trilogy and HCL
significantly increased the salaries offered to students to compete for talent
with international firms. These firms also targeted students for specific roles
in middle and upper management positions with significant responsibility.
Overall, the laterals process
this year has reaffirmed the fact that IIM Ahmedabad has evolved into a
favourable destination across the world for a diverse set of recruiters across
sectors and roles, which underscores its superior quality of students and their
diversity.
