Jumping the queue

Flipkart, Amazon and a clutch of e-commerce companies are pitching themselves as employer-brands to students, way before placements begin

Walk into any of the premier institutes during placement season and you will find a new caste system at work. It goes by the name of Day Zero, Day 1 and so on. Companies that make it to Day Zero are the likes of Google, Microsoft, Deustche Bank and other such global luminaries, the next day is for companies a notch down the pecking order and so on. And despite a strong demand from the growing clamour from e-commerce companies for a new order at the placements table, the premier institutes have been reluctant to change. So companies are finding ways to sidestep the system. Through well-defined internship processes, e-commerce companies are identifying talent and winning them over with open workplaces and jobs that tap into their skill sets while nurturing their entrepreneurial ambitions.

Bring the interns in
"We have a robust internship process which enables us to handpick the right candidates," said Dalbir Singh, senior director, HR, Flipkart. The interns get to work with a team of professionals and get an idea of what the company stands for. "This also gives us a chance to evaluate their skill-set and passion towards this industry," said Mr Singh. He added that although Flipkart does get invited for a Day Zero slot in the IITs and IIMs, it is the internship process that they stress upon more than getting noticed at day zero.

The situation is no different at Amazon India. In the past one year, it has aggressively marketed its flagship program Amazon Customer Excellence (ACE) challenge across business schools in India. Raj Raghavan, Director HR at Amazon India said, "We want to be absolutely sure about what we want to communicate as a brand. Hiring is definitely a focus area. However, we also want to ensure that we are looking towards building relationships with students."

Companies use the internship programme also to assess students and their ability to fit in with the company's culture. "Based on their performance, the chances (for retaining) are very good. In fact internship is a key and effective source for campus hires at Flipkart," said Dalbir Singh. So, long before Day Zero, the company identifies its future recruits and more importantly, pitches its brand.

Tilt the scales
According to media reports Flipkart offered 26 positions at IIT-Kharagpur in 2014. A report from IIM-Bengaluru shows that Snapdeal offered 17 placements at the institute, the highest for an individual organisation along with Amazon this year. The IIT-Kharagpur placement report suggests that about five per cent recruitment for the batch 2013-2015 is by e-commerce companies. At the recently concluded placements for PGP program at IIM -Indore (2013-2015 batch), nine per cent of its 508 students were placed at e-commerce companies, nearly four per cent more than the previous year.

E-commerce, like the rest of Indian industry is wooing and (seems to be) winning over the engineer-MBA. But how do they get past the older and wealthier companies in the queue?

Simple, by offering students a challenging job. E-commerce companies are technology intensive and this is what attracts young management graduates with an engineering background. Bhavin Shah, an ex-student at IIM Indore, batch of 2010, currently transitioning between startups said, "A lot of people come from an engineering background and are inclined towards the product management side, which is a mix of technology and business."

No stress start-up
According to a report by PwC, the e-commerce industry's compounded annual growth (CAGR) has been approximately 35 per cent since 2009 and has touched a record $16.4 billion in 2015. Yet, and largely because of the nature of the industry, an opportunity here is seen as an entry into the exciting world of start-up ventures.

An e-commerce company allows people to work across functions, get involved with operational aspects of the business and participate in decision making processes. So a fresher is expected to work on multiple levels. Bhavin Shah compared his experience of working with a small company versus a big organisation where he spent more than four years. He said, "For me, the one year (at the startup) has been like two to three years in a bigger company." In the insurance company where Bhavin worked prior to joining a startup, he managed a team of eight people whereas he found himself handling a team of 120, which grew into 180 within a span of four months.

Kshitij Sanghi, an ex IIM-Indore student, currently working at PayTM echoed the sentiment. He said, "Most large organisations are typically set to just doing one small thing whereas in e-commerce companies, if you are willing to take up responsibilities, you set the pace at which you grow." For the young, restless and adventurous, what better pitch can there be?