The Hindu Business Line : Recruiters descend on IIMs; salary graph keeps rising

Graduating management students across the country could not have had a better week than this one. Despite the turbulence in the markets, outcomes at the campus recruitment processes across the country were positive, displaying an upbeat mood among recruiters.

At the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, more than 50 per cent of the 256 students accepted offers on Day Zero, a number unmatched by any other IIM. More than 25 per cent of the students accepted international offers. Though IIM-B refused to divulge any salary figures, sources at the institute said that the highest salary is on par with IIM-C or IIM-A (around Rs 1.30 crore per annum).

Statistics at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, look equally good: 402 offers (23 international) to 178 students. The highest international salary was higher by 60 per cent at Rs 70 lakh per annum; the highest domestic salary was up 28 per cent to Rs 29 lakh per annum.

The Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, too showed a healthy increase of 27 per cent in its average salary, with the highest domestic salary at Rs 26 lakh and the highest international offer at Rs 42 lakh.

Nearly 52 per cent of the batch opted for a career in finance, while 26 per cent opted for marketing. While 16 per cent took up consulting offers, six per cent opted for IT.

Consulting pie

At both the IIMs, consulting firms hogged a great chunk of the talent pie: at IIM-B, leading consulting firms netted 37 per cent of the students with McKinsey & Co alone hiring 15 students. At IIM-K, Accenture Business Consulting made the highest number of offers.

IIM-B was the preferred hiring destination for many MNCs .

Blackstone Group, Olivery Wyman, ING Asia, Aloe Group, Caterpillar, Lebua Hotels and UAE Exchange. At IIM-K, several IT, ITeS, retail and telecom companies vied for fresh talent.

For banking talent

FMS, Delhi was more a banking talent powerhouse, with the highest number of offers (45) made by the sector. Leading names include HSBC, Standard Chartered, Barclays Bank, BNP Paribas and ICICI with international offers in investment banking, treasury sales, corporate finance, relationship manager, private equity and other financial profiles.

Consulting giants such as McKinsey & Co and Arthur D. Little, and European banks such as Barclays and BNP Paribas initiated strong relationships with the campus this year, making multiple offers.