PLACEMENTS REIMAGINED

IIMK DITCHES TRADITIONAL PLACEMENT CELL, REDEFINES HOW TALENT MEETS INDUSTRY.

- BY JOE C. MATHEW

LAST YEAR, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) did something few management schools would dare to do: it disbanded its placement cell. Instead, the institution created a Corporate Access Readiness and Engagement (CARE) office where the IIMK faculty, along with outside specialists and experts, groom students to enhance their employability quotient.

“There are no jobs out there, only customers for your talent. At CARE, we hone your talent and enhance your employability. It is not an employment centre. Companies offer placements, not us,” says Debashis Chatterjee, director, IIMK.

The logic behind the decision was simple. Placements were increasingly becoming a competitive rat race among institutions, and within institutions, among students. IIMK wanted to break free. “We did it last year, and this year it started delivering value. We saw 30 new companies coming (for campus hiring) because of CARE. In addition, we had, as usual, all the recruiters who go to other IIMs coming too,” says Chatterjee.