IITs to consider capping recruiter numbers to 40 on Day Zero of placements

They may stretch premium slots by two days

Come December and there might be more than one Day Zero (the opening one) slots during the final job placement process at the campuses of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

The premium Day Zero and Day One slots typically begin in the early hours of December 1 and run late into the night. It is during these premium two-day slots that marquee recruiters — Oracle, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Samsung, Amazon and the like — visit the IITs, offering crore-plus salaries and international placements. However, with so much at stake, these two days take a toll on students and faculty. “The first two-three days tend to be strenuous for students, with the number of marquee recruiters at 70-80 or even 100 at some of the older IITs. Hence, we are thinking of stretching the premium slots by a day or two,” said a placement committee member at one of the older IITs.

The older institutions are likely to meet next month to discuss this and related issues, under the All IITs Placement Committee. Since the newer IITs are not in the same league on premium slots and a decent number of recruiters visiting, the move might be taken by only the older IITs for now.

“Many marquee recruiters seek top slots in the first three days. This leaves less time for students to evaluate offers. Hence, there is a proposal to cap the number of marquee recruiters for the premium slots. The IITs might also reach out to the recruiters to seek their view,” said a placement committee member.

From 80 or 100 companies, the IITs are considering a limit at 30-40 firms, while extending the premium slots by a day or two, to allow students enough time to evaluate the offers. Also, having recently tasted success with the core manufacturing sector, especially from public sector units (PSUs), the IITs are planning to pursue more such entities this year. “In the meeting, we will evaluate the placement process and accordingly decide on inviting more such firms. Most IITs have seen decent success with the core manufacturing sector, especially PSUs. We anticipate there is potential for more such recruiters to participate in the IIT placements,” a placement committee member stated. “Jobs in the core sector are increasing. We want them (companies offering these) to come early and will continue pursue this. Hopefully, we will see more companies coming in,” confirmed a placement chairperson at one of the older IITs.