IIM grads take road less travelled

AHMEDABAD: They are taking the road less travelled, literally. Graduates from the top IIMs — Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta are now giving a thumbs down to the usual postings in the UK or the US. Instead, they are hitting the road to the picturesque Caribbean, greater China, Kazakhstan, Poland or business hubs of Dubai and even Kuwait. For the first time this year, the Arcelor Mittal group offered a student of IIM-B a marketing job in the Caribbean. And, he lapped it up instantly.

“It is challenging to work at such locations. It is not all about money alone. Many students are now opting for such locations,” said Madhur Bhagat, placement committee member at the IIM-B. The profiles offered are mainly for business development, strategy and consulting roles.

A total of around 12-15 students at the IIM-B are heading to locations less preferred. This includes around 12 students who are to take up consulting and retail jobs in the Middle East. “It’s for the first time this year that so many companies from the Middle East visited the campus and made offers. The acceptance has been high,” adds Madhur Bhagat of IIM-B. These firms include Al Ghanim and Alshaya amongst others.

Last year, Arcelor Mittal recruited a student from IIM-A for a marketing job in Tajikistan. This year, the institute has seen a good number of students accepting offers with posting in Dubai and Kuwait. Around 2% of the students at IIM-A have opted for locations other than India, US and UK. The Dragonland is finding takers at IIMs. Two students at the IIM-B will be heading to greater China for a marketing job with General Motors. A leading Indian conglomerate has made a job offer to one IIM-C student for a posting in Poland.