India Inc. in demand

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Jamshedji Tata would have loved to see India Inc. in its current avatar. The craze for jobs in foreign MNCs is finally on the wane and B-school students these days are increasingly veering towards domestic recruiters this placement season, owing to the recession-proof nature of Indian companies.

In fact, after years of hiring experienced desi professionals to serve top customers in the US, Indian tech firms are now seeking to hire fresh engineering graduates from American universities to cope with the talent shortage.
Young applicants from top institutes feel that in the present scenario, Indian companies are as challenging and rewarding as foreign MNCs. K. Sanjay, a graduating batch student from Xavier Institute of Management, says, “Till a few years ago, it was all about getting a job in a foreign MNC, but now it is all about Indian MNCs and firms as the job profile, salary, growth prospects and prestige are all on par, if not better, in Indian companies.”
As Indian companies acquire the professional edge and go global, their trust factor is increasing, claim experts. “There was a time when a job offer with a foreign position would trigger excitement amongst all the students. Often, the entire batch would apply for it. Not anymore,” says Manish Kumar, a corporate and placement adviser. “Students have become more role and job profile-oriented, which the Indian companies are catering to. The current placement season saw domestic firms like Aditya Birla Group, ITC, Godrej Consumer, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, Hero Honda and Axis Bank recruiting with increased vigour,” he adds.
Pointing out this paradigm shift, Devendra Chawla, Future Group head (private brands), who has had stints in both MNCs and domestic companies, says, “Earlier, India had very few such home-grown brands. But now they are creating new marketplaces with their innovations and winning consumers as well as offering satisfying job roles which allow talent to reach their potential,” he adds.
The demand for India Inc. has also soared since Indian tech companies started looking to hire engineering graduates from American universities.
Jonathan Gloyne, head of a top recruiting firm, says, “A recent study by consultancy firm Towers Watson has given the highest score to Indian employers in the area of career advancement opportunities. The pool of students looking out for a career in IT is smaller and all tech firms are tapping into this pool; so definitely, the hunt for talent is there. Firms are thus even ready to recruit graduates from the US because of the unemployment issues there.”