IIM Bangalore, Calcutta to better placement process
Taking a cue from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), which changed its placement process from Day Zero to a cluster-based system last year, IIM Bangalore (IIMB) and IIM Calcutta (IIMC) are planning to follow suit.
IIM-B, for instance, has decided to stretch its placement duration by a few days. "We are exploring various options. We want to reduce the pressure on students. We are thinking of how to conduct placements in a more relaxed manner," says PD Jose, chairperson of placement at IIM-B.
At the recently-concluded final placements season, IIMB placed nearly 270 students in a span of five days. The institute is planning to extend this period to 8-10 days to ensure that the process is not too hectic for both companies and students. The move is being explored at a time when the batch size is expected to increase. IIM-B has a batch size of 350 students which will go up to 375 for the incoming batch and expected to rise to over 400 for the following batch.
Day Zero (or Slot Zero) at IIMs was created when demand for IIM graduates had peaked and the institutes had to resort to creative mathematics to accommodate big recruiters without offending the existing ones. Under the slot system, there are usually three or four slot periods like slot zero (or Day zero), one and two. Each slot may comprise one or two days depending on the process followed by the institute. Day Zero is the most-coveted slot of placement which is frequented by preferred employers like investment banks and consultancies.