IIM Ahmedabad

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This does'nt end.. (from IIMA campus at 2245 hrs, 1st March)

You have to read this carefully (the weak heart should think twice). The god of investment banking, Goldman Sachs has been so dazzled by the quality of the IIMA students, that they want to spend the rest of today and tomorrow looking at as many as they can. The Goldman team, which has flown from HongKong, is known to be very selective recruiter across the world and IIMA is one of the chosen few campuses which fit its stringent requirements.

Hold your breaths !!! Goldman is not the only firm which is excited about IIMA grads. The list is endless with i2, Lehman, Deustche Bank - to name a few - wanting to grab the best in the world.

With such a wide variety of options before the students, the heavyweights of the business world are forced to woo the IIMA students into their stables, However, they are not as confident this time as they were in the past. But many recruiters are beginning to accept the reality of a free market.

The common line to be heard from Company recruitment panels,"We are really impressed by the quality here. We don't want to miss the opportunity of mining this gold."

This is evident from the actions of JMMS who extended their original shortlists; and Lehman and i2, not satisfied with their 10 offers each, are still looking to increase their haul.

Here are some more updates from Day 0:

ATK : 1 (still recruiting), MSDW : 2 (more expected), Deutsche Bank : 9 - 7 in Global Markets and 2 in IBD. McKenna, a Silicon valley based firm, has interviewed people through video-conferencing and already made offers. WDR is following suit. D&T is still midway through its process.

The list of offers so far: Well, we will count it later for you guys! Tbe Day 0 is still on... guys, just think, these are the companies which we used to die for while we were on campus. Times have changed...

A day in the life of the rich and famous at IIMA.
Remember the names we only see in newspapers... aaahhh!!! They were in here today in flesh and blood. Anil Ahuja and Bharat Kewalramni of Indocean chase were seen enjoying the opportunity to exchange notes with young enthusiastic minds. K R Bharat of CSFB was torn between the desire to spend more time with the students or fly back to Mumbai. He finally chose the latter, albeit reluctantly - but it was apparent where his heart was!!!

PS: Now for something about us starry-eyed souls... We have been soaking in the action here... and had no time to soak in some of the famous Rambhai Chai... But we promise you, the next update will definitely have something on Rambhai!!!
Will see you tomorrow, happy sleeping (if u can get some)... we know we won't!!!

No stopping this tornado (IIMA campus 1930 hrs)

Bonanza times are on roll for IIMA grads as they receive more offers... and more... and more... from everything which comes there way. The dictum seems to be "everybody who tresspasses will be recruited". The 'job shop' at IIMA is full of jobs and the stuff dreams are made. Indocean chase panel wants to fly back to Mumbai within an hour and is desperately seeking more interviews. i2 will be on recruiting spree this year, confirms one of the recruiter from the company.

So far the updates reads like: MMG: 14 offers and this after sterling performance from Mc(12) and BCG (9). Oout of 14 - NewYork: 7, London: 4, LA: 3. The offer 150,000 green bucks p.a.). Things were never this good for IIMA grads. CSFB: 2 offers but that's not all, more are expected. What's more... JMMS has announced a shortlist of 15 people (not exhaustive). Goldman has come out with 15 offers. The competition is so intense that CoolAvenues team has spotted one of the Goldman panelists taking a Lehman notice out of its allotted space and pasting it somewhere else. You can't aford to give even an inch of the notice space to your competitors. This is the stuff I-bankers are made of.

We just went to check out the 'oop(s)' venue (out of placement signing form for the uninitiated). Chaos was reigning supreme over there. Before a guy could decide between Mc and BCG he was offered Lehman, and here he goes again to decide between IB and Consulting, domestic and offshore locations, green bucks and desi rupees, and saree and skirts (for fairer sex), rum and red wine... and the list goes on...

PS: We have just come across a mail from one of the IIMC alumni (Sunit, hey! you have written it beautifully!). For those who have read that mail, things have gone more bersek at IIMA than IIMC (for those who haven't read the mail so far, read it at IIMC page in CoolAvenues placement updates).

Coming next:
The interviews of people who have made it today, more updates from Day 0 and Day 1... watch this space...

The final shortlist from the 'gods' (IIMA campus, 1630 hrs)

All companies (except Goldman) have announced the shortlist for final round of interviews (being held currently). The list reads as follows:

Slot II: The best but.. (1430 hrs IIMA campus)

These may not be the best as far as the slotting is concerned, but they still attract the cream of IIMA grads. Some of them may be pure unlucky because they happened to be the first-time recruiters, like Indocean Chase, which has offered a whopping salary of Rs, 25 lakhs per annum (highest for India based postings so far). Anil Ahuja of Indocean Chase was seen doing the rounds of the campus and ‘Job Shop’ since the morning probably to get a view of where his company stood or may be finalising his plans for the grill. The other wannable in slot II includes i2 Technologies (which wants as many students as it can get, told Indra Parikh, Chairman Placement Committee, IIMA), Deloitte Consulting, AT Kearney. Other new ‘kids’ in Slot II include Standard & Poor and WDR, which is conducting its entire interview process through Video-Conferencing (the written tests and shortlisting has been done earlier).

So things are on roll now both for companies and IIMA grads ... Watch out this space later as CoolAvenues brings out the live action from Vastrapur.

The JOB SHOP at IIMA (1215 hrs IIMA campus)

It’s called ‘The Job Shop’ and it is virtually so. Containing about 40 temporary AC rooms, this is the structure built by IIMA for Placement 2000. Standing tall (and wide) in D-16 lawns, which is a favourite cricket playground for students and faculty alike, this place today (and for 3 more days) is going to decide the fate of many including ‘the gods’ (read Mckinsey) and lions (read IIMA grads). Right now the place is inhabitated by 40 interview panels, of which McKinsey and BCG together account for half. Each of them have 10 different interview panels and have been alloted two seprate corridors. Goldman Sachs shares its gallery with D&T (five panels each), Lehman with AT Kearney (five panels each). JP Morgan, CSFB and Deutsche Bank (about 4-5 panels each) have been alloted interview space in MDC (Management Development Centre).

When asked by CoolAvenues Team, Indra Parikh, Chairperson, Placement Committee told that ‘Job Shop’ has been built this time to minimise the time and hassles to students while rushing from one interview to another. This also ensures better co-ordaintion between various interview panels of recruitng companies.

The first offer may be expected by after 1730 hrs today, which is a deadline imposed by Placement Committee (8 hours after the process has started). JP Morgan has already announced its second shortlist and people are being interviewed for third round.

Live from IIMA placement room at 1030 hrs. 1st March 2000

When we were writing live from IIMB campus, we had anticipated a tornado at IIMA and our thoughts turned out to be bang on target. On Day 0 itself, there are top 15 names worldwide fighting for their share of lions (read IIMA grads). Going by the feel here, we are confident that this is going to be the best placement India has ever seen so far, and our feeling is shared by Narayan, PGP2, Member placement committee, IIMA who feels that this will be a watershed year in IIMA placement history.

The placement at IIMA has started with top names in investment banking and consulting fighting for their share of lions (read IIMA grad). The prized 'first day first show' (read Day 0, Slot I) belong to 9 top names, including veterans Mckinsey, BCG, Lehman, MMG, Deutche Bamk (global), and the new kids inlcuding "moonies' Goldman Sachs, MSDW, JP Morgan and CSFB. All except Mckinsey and BCG would be flying their recruits across seven seas (read US of A).

Most of the companies in Slot I are expected to have 3-4 rounds of interviews. The first final offer is expected to be out by tomorrow morning.

Walkie-talkie
IIMA students can be seen shouting on walkie -talkies for co-ordincation among interview panels, information desks, and control panel. The show is aglow.

Placement venue change
IIMA placement scene has moved with times and to the front (literally so). This time the placment is being held in specially erected AC tents at D-16 lawns which acts as a cricket playground for students in rare moments of leisure. Well, today they are playing corporate games out here.

It's all happening and it is live. Check later for more updates...

Move over regulars, dotcoms have arrived

It's the placement season at the premier-most Management Institute of Asia. As a departure from the regular companies, dotcom companies are coming in droves, hoping to entice the crème de la crème. There are also 22 firms which are looking for grey cells to export to their global offices abroad. Placecom claims that it will mirror trends in international job markets. IT start-ups, venture capitalists, consultancies and investment banks are competing with traditional favourites for management students.

Statistics:
In IT, as many as 32 companies, including 10 dotcoms have confirmed their participation, in what the IIMA placecom assures "the best placement season in IIMAs history. Reflecting the arrival of new economy, these internet start-ups and IT companies are promising attractive ESOPs, entrepreneurial dreams and fantastic growth opportunities. Most of the IT majors and dotcom firms are coming to IIMA for the first time. They include CyberNet software, Planetasia. India Infoline, AuctionIndia, Sabmail and PSL. This apart, the McKenna group of the US, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Mphasis, Satyam Infoway and others will also make their presence felt.

What students say:
People are looking for start-up ventures and are willing to take risks. There is a sea-change in the mindset of graduates at IIMA as to what they are looking as a career. The geographical location and company size or brands may not appeal to some at all. A survey conducted amongst the students reveals that job content and growth opportunities drive career decisions. There are many students who agree that IT is going to be the "buzzword" for sometime to come. But, they are also aware that there is a wealth of career options at their disposal - functional options, corporate finance, global market trading and research. And almost 50% of them prefer to be a part of these sectors.

Participants:
Investment banks like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter will also make their presence felt on campus this year. World's top consulting firms are also there, most of them focussing on global operations. As a result, the traditional favourites on campus, marketing and financial sector companies, have been forced to hike salaries, besides offering international positions and increased pre-placement offers, presenting themselves as globally competitive as other options. Most of the IT majors and dot com firms are coming to IIMA for the first time. These Internet start-ups and IT companies are promising attractive ESOPs, entrepreneurial dreams and fantastic growth opportunities.

May the best man wins.

Concluded.

Placements 2001

Read complete story of Placement 2001 as it happened along with analysis and comparison across the B-Schools and segment-wise analysis.

Placements 2002

Read complete story of Placement 200 as2 it happened along with analysis and comparison across the B-Schools and segment-wise analysis.

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