At Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, the batch of 2009-11, despite being a large one of 312 students, was placed for summer internship in four days, the shortest time in recent memory. The two previous — and smaller — batches were placed in six days each. At IIM Lucknow, the first phase of the summer placements saw an increase of 25 per cent in number of offers compared to last year.
For IIMs, the summer of 2010 will be anything but harsh. Sure, they were expecting a thaw in summer placements after the freezing 2009 final placement season, but the return of top recruiters has taken them by surprise. “I am surprised at the sense of renewed optimism,” says P.D. Jose, Chairperson, Career Development Services, IIM Bangalore.
But will this optimism reflect in final placements for 2010 batch? Opinions are divided. According to Saral Mukherjee, Chairperson of the Placement Committee, IIM-A: “This may not necessarily translate into increased final placement hiring as often summer placements serve a different need of the recruiter.” IIM-B and IIM-L are more optimistic. “Summer placements are sure indicators of final placements,” says R.L. Raina, Chairperson, Placements for IIM-L.
Optimism Returns
