Recession blues: B-schools outsource placements to HR firms

Posted Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:45:37 -0000

A large number of B-schools in the country have begun outsourcing the process of student placements to human resource (HR) consultants. Traditionally, most management institutes have an in-house placement team which is headed by a faculty member.

On the condition of anonymity, several management institutes have confirmed they had hired HR consultancies to find placements for their students. They have also revealed that they take the help of agencies to place their students as interns with companies.

As per a report in Business Standard, Bangalore-based B-school, Enrich Management Academy (EMA), which will offer a two-year post graduate progamme in management from this academic year, has collaborated with TROI Management Consultants. This HR firm is engaged in recruitment, training and staffing services. Officials from EMA said that the management consultant company would work with students from the day they get enrolled into the institute.

Several other management institutes have tie ups with HR consultancies to get their students placed. International Management Institute (IMI), too, said it was in dialogue with an HR consultancy for campus placements last year but managed placements on its own.

The reasons for outsourcing placements are many. Till 2007, placements were a cakewalk for B-schools. However, after the recession and the industry putting a freeze on hiring, institutes had a tough time finding jobs for all their students in 2008 and 2009.

Confirming about this trend, a Hyderabad based consultancy firm has said that last year approximately 200-250 B-schools approached them to place their students last year.

HR consultants take up the job at two levels - helping the students design their resumes along with grooming them and providing them with jobs. These firms charge between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 per student according to the head of one of the top 10 recruiting firms in the country, says a media report,

Many management institutes are initiating innovative measures to deal with economic crisis. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), for instance, introduced the 'cohort process' (calling a group of companies from a specific sector rather than just a few major companies from across sectors who take their pick on the first day itself) while some others are looking at extending the number of days allotted for placement. IIM Bangalore hired a full-time professional to head its placement process.

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parmeetbrar – Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:42:42 -0000

I hve done Post graduation in MBA-Operations this year from Thapar University , but i dnt have any idea about hw to approch HR consultants who cud help me out in getting placed, and who r the best HR consultants

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