Scorching summer for consulting at B-schools

From real estate to reverse supply chain management and from carbon credit to risk management, these are some of the consulting profiles being offered at B-schools during summer placement this year. While IT and banking, financial services and insurance are present on campuses, it’s the consulting sector which is increasing its penetration for summer internships this year.

“This year witnessed a rise in the number of consulting companies recruiting in good numbers,” says Yash Gandhi, a member of the placement committee at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS). “Accenture Management Consulting offered high-end roles to students in various projects. Some of the niche profiles included carbon consulting and real estate consulting by companies like Emergent Ventures and Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL),” says Gandhi and adds, “Fresh as well as popular profiles like reverse supply chain management and treasury consultancy are also being offered for internships.”

JBIMS also saw the average domestic stipend reaching Rs. 89,000 and the highest domestic stipend touching new heights of Rs. 200,000. The summer internship process saw 79 companies coming to its campus. Similarly, consulting rose from 5% last year to 9% this year as one of the top recruiters during summer internships at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR). The institute attracted premier companies from diverse sectors such as financial services, IT, FMCG, private equity, manufacturing, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, media and consulting. These included TAS, Microsoft, HUL, P&G, Nestle, Intel, J&J Consumer, Colgate Palmolive, Citibank, General Electric, HT Media, GSK, Reckitt Benckiser, JP Morgan, Miebach Consulting, Pepsi and Wipro Consulting.

“About 35% of the participants opted to intern at FMCG companies, followed by IT (15%) and banking (13%),” says Abbas Ali Gabula, Deputy Director, External Relations and Placement Co-ordinator at SPJIMR. “Consulting (9%) and Investment Banking (6%) were prominent choices. Compared to previous years, consulting has been growing considerably during summer internships. Earlier, consulting was more prevalent during final placements. That does not seem to be the case today,” adds Gabula.

For the first time, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has also seen consulting companies coming down to its campus from as far as Switzerland. At the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM-B), it is not only the current financial scenario but also the growing need for strategic planners and consultants that has led to the growth of the sector, says Sabita Mohanty, faculty coordinator, Placements. “This year at XIM-B, too, the consulting sector has seen an increased presence,” says Mohanty.

“However, pre-placement talks are still on. We will have a clearer picture once the talks are complete as to how much penetration has increased from the consulting sector.” B-schools, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Institute of Management Technology (IMT), will begin their summer placements later this month.

Source: Business Standard, November 3, 2011