IIM Udaipur: Planning for the post-COVID world

NEW DELHI: The COVID-19 outbreak has forced business schools to rethink recruitment. Even top business schools are gearing up for an online recruitment process and strategizing to attract companies from sectors that are likely to do well even in the gloomy recruitment scene that is shaping up. Janat Shah, director, Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur, Spoke to Careers360 about how the institute is girding up for what remains of 2020 and also the next year.

Q. As this year’s placements and internships were affected, is IIM Udaipur planning a different placement, internship approach for the next year?

A. We at IIM Udaipur are in constant touch with our corporate partners to ensure that we understand the factors that would facilitate a smooth placement process. For example, most companies want to interact with the students as much as possible before conducting the hiring processes. So, there are many requests for group interactions with students through webinars and guest lecture sessions so that recruiters could understand the students’ aspirations. Students are also exposed to the specific company’s requirements this way. We are also strengthening our infrastructure to support the online medium of the recruitment process.

Q. How is the placement cell of the institute working to ensure placement and internship prospects aren’t affected in the aftermath of the pandemic?

A. We try to ensure that a student is best prepared for cracking their preferred job. As most of the placement processes are likely to happen virtually, training and workshops are being planned and carried out to ensure that the candidate adapts to this new setting. Additionally, the placement cell also tries to engage students in live projects throughout the year so that they could apply their academic learnings, which could improve their profile.

Q. As some sectors will take time to recover, how is the institute reorienting its strategy for better placement of students?

A. Information Technology and Analytics sectors seem to be hiring a similar number of management professionals as the previous year. Companies from the manufacturing and retail sectors that got affected the most by the pandemic might reduce their intake for the coming year. With constant feedback from our corporate partners, we are trying to help upskill our students in the areas or domains which the companies are looking for.

Q. This year’s internships were either work-from-home, delayed or cancelled altogether. How is your institute planning for next year so that students get real exposure?

A. Our corporate partners can be seen moving towards normalcy. Hence, while we prepare ourselves for the hiring process to be online, we hope that the students will get a chance to work from the offices. This depends on so many factors. It is also worth noting that most firms have restructured and prepared their recruitment strategies accordingly. Thus, the projects’ nature will indeed ensure more real exposure and learning to the students, allowing them to contribute better to the organisation via their projects.

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