Despite big names, 5% dip in IIT placements this year
This placement session at the IITs has seen some big names coming to campuses. Despite that, the number of placements seems to have gone down. Overall, placement across IITs has seen a 5% drop across campuses. Taken individually, some like IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Kharagpur have seen a fall of 8-10%. This data is from 17 of the 23 IITs. The remaining six are newly-established.
Top companies make a beeline for the best talents
Reports said there was intense competition among top companies this time for winning over the best talents. Microsoft upped its previous year's offer by almost $80,000. Uber, with a reported package of $155,000, went for the first slot on Day One of placements. Samsung had already started recruiting through the pre-placement process. This year marked Apple's entry into India's campus placement scene, including IIT-Bombay.
Significant increase in the number of foreign offers too
In 2016-17, there were very few overseas offers. But this time, foreign offers more than tripled at the IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur. At Madras, the number of international offers increased from six in 2016-17 to 22 in the first three days of placements, while those at Kharagpur rose from nine to 30. IIT-Bombay saw 60 international offers compared to 50 last year.
Considering such growths, why the drop in hiring?
Despite these positive trends, job offers have gone down. The HRD attributed it to prevailing dull market conditions, preference for higher studies, and interest of students in entrepreneurship. "We are hopeful that the situation will be much better this year," said an IIT director.
IITs, HRD working to ensure no repeat of the situation
A senior HRD official said they have asked IITs to draw up an action plan for better hiring next time, including directing placement cells to "put in more effort to reach out to companies". Some IITs have started career development centers to help students choose careers. Others are investing in training candidates in soft skills to give them an edge.
