2. Context
S Students vouching for higher education from premier institutes, ones
who have a strong industry background prior to getting back into the
education stream. But what truly drives them to take that plunge into
the education arena and what typical challenges do they stumble
upon their rebound to professional life again. Does being from a
premier institute change the game? If yes, how does the equation
change.
S Consequently, perspective of a recruiter, hiring a lateral from an
academic institute is a different ball game. What do recruiters do
differently when hiring such individuals with exceptional track record,
prior experience & what challenges they run in during/post
recruitment.
3. Target Audience Interviewed
S Two soon-to-graduate student from a premier B-school in India,
PGPEX program with avg. salary package of INR 18L+
S Recruiter from a top tier-1 consulting firm, globally
4. FGD Themes (Student)
S Need & Expectations prior to getting back to the education
stream
S Reality check & how perspectives change once they enter into
the education system back again
S What new hurdles do they say when transitioning to
professional life back again & how’s it different from prior
experiences
Note: Aforementioned questions were framed indirectly to touch upon Think, Say,
Do & Feel aspects during the discussion.
Focused Group Discussions were done and questions/areas of discussions were shared prior
to the call so that the attendee could assimilate thought appropriately…..
5. FGD Themes (Recruiter)
S Need & Expectations when hiring laterals from a premier B-
schools. Why premier? Why not fresher?
S Do these individuals live upto what recruiters expect? Does it
justify the premium organizations pay to get them onboarded?
S What challenges does a recruiter see in hiring and acclimatizing
an individual in professional workstream? How different is it
from usual hiring of freshers or off-campus recruits?
Note: Aforementioned questions were framed indirectly to touch upon Think, Say,
Do & Feel aspects during the discussion.
Focused Group Discussions were done and questions/areas of discussions were shared prior to the
call but still the audience didn’t have time to go through these & hence spontaneous responses.
6. Say Interview Excerpts (Student)
S “I joined XXX because my previous role and domain restricted my perspective, cocooned me & I wanted to explore more beyond
my shell”
S “Salary was a big motivation and getting into the corporate ladder. Higher salary glass-roof. Growing beyond an individual
contributor…”
S “Get perspectives of students from diverse industries, international exchange programs, exposure…”
S “Consulting, consulting, consulting…. Rat race… Mckinsey, BCG, Bain, Booz are trending buzzwords when you enter…”
S “Perspectives shared with academia for “Why the Plunge” way different from what we land up doing…”
S “Too much competition, competing with best of the breed…”
S “Work diligently to build upon our resume…. Adding the missing element…”
S “Alum connect session are eye openers… reality check…”
S “Lacks industry connect, not sure of what industry truly wants until the interview day….”
S “Especially when competing with smarter peers, only differentiator mostly apart from prior experience is CGPA…”
7. S “Lack of clarity on which stream to pick is a challenge… too many options ranging from marketing , finance, IT,
ops consulting et al….”
S “Participate in case competitions… helps in putting learning's into practicality….Resume bullet…”
S “Develop network with folks around… industry switch later… peer help… also with alums and industry visitors…
gives initial traction to start a conversation…”
S “One time game.. Cracking interview and getting in…multiple touch points for evaluation…”
S “No stringent background checks on what peers write in a resume…. Smartness to pull of during interview….”
S “Economic downturn effecting salary packages….”
S “Lack of clarity on which companies to come to campus, what roles… through past references… alum
connects….”
S “Premier education is overrated…… needs more structure and though both from industry/academia side…”
S “Interview questions way different from what’s taught class….”
Say Interview Excerpts (Student)
8. S “Need folks for leadership positions… cannot hire freshers… need prior industry experience and talent is non-
negotiable….”
S “Definitely get the talent…Exposure is missing….”
S “Ready to pay the premium till the time talent requirement is met…”
S “Shortage of right talent… demand is more…. Economic volatility nothing to do much if you have what industry
seeks….”
S “Definitely look for spikes in resumes….prior experience is definitely a priority… but sheer vibrancy and smartness
triumphs sometimes… rarity…”
S “Interviews suffice and justify recruitment….more avenues to be explored to know candidates better….”
S “Very high attrition during first yr of joining itself….Job description to role on the ground mismatch…higher
salary expectations…were we a backup…”
S “Attitude in handling others on the floor…sense of superiority….”
Say Interview Excerpts (Recruiter)
9. S “Culture fitment is a must during evaluation…. Probing on past experience…. Real-life scenarios discussed…”
S “Excessive trainings to acclimatize….”
S “Informal outings an connects/introductions…resumes sell faster with clients if candidate’s brand is strong…”
S “Tier-1 churn is high… folks can easily demand premium…get what they want.. Strong connects as part of
consulting makes hops easier….”
S “Inability to put them into challenging projects… with such high exposure to business side of things in
classrooms…already feel like ceo’s.. Current job seems menial.. Hungry for growth…”
S “Case-based learnings to help….ready to support in curriculum…research/publications…industry visits”
S “Time-to-productivity is low….good managers/leaders… still need to understand industry dynamics…”
S “Industry intership model is a must….lacks in 1-yr PGP Ex Program…”
Say Interview Excerpts (Recruiter)
10. Think
S Need exposure to varied domains
S Get into corporate ladder
S Consulting is a Buzz, hard to get through
S 75% resume already scripted, 25% to work
upon
S Competition is tuff
S Lack industry exposure, reality check points
S Industry switch hard, 10x better resume
already sitting
S Rat race, mostly folks lack clarity
S Deserve premium
S Talent Gap, definitely get the
right talent but supply vs
demand issue
S Leadership position or crucial
role – need experienced folks +
bright talent
S Attitudinal issues
S Cultural fitment crucial
Student perspective Recruitment perspective
11. Do
S Network with other folks on campus,
understand domains
S Connect with alums and industry
speakers
S Work on CGPA, case competitions, any
possible avenue to bring out that edge
S Participate in international exchange
programs
S Work on resume to add points for
industry switch
S Industry visits
S Reaching out to last org as backup option
S Informal connects
S Academia Visits
S Buddy program, to assign alum
mentors
S Workshops/seminars & events
S Case competitions
S Excessive training sessions while
onboarding
S Hire in good nos. if appropriate
talent found
Student perspective Recruitment perspective
12. Feel
S Connect with alums and
industry speakers
S Work on CGPA, case
competitions, any possible
avenue to bring out that edge
S Participate in international
exchange programs
S Work on resume to add points
for industry switch
S Industry visits
S Deserve high premium
S Lack industry exposure, more industry
academia connects
S Prior industry experience is preferable not
mandatory, resume spikes can do
S Multiple touchpoints for connect with
students
S Job description + role mismatch key to
attrition, expectations too high
S Time-to-productivity is low for
experienced folks
S Internship model crucial, even for 1yr
programs
Student perspective Recruitment perspective
13. Problem Statement
S How can the burgeoning gap between student skill set/
expectation and industry requirement can be more
streamlined for larger good of industry, academia and
students, keeping into account various perspectives of
different stakeholders?
14. Insights
S Industry-Academia chair or Advisory council to be formulated consisting of
industry, academia and student representation to ensure that all are at an
equipotential in terms of what they seek and address challenges cohesively.
S Industry to show more pro-activeness via exploring multiple touchpoints to
help academia in curriculum building, content creation, research &
publication which finds applicability to both academia (research aspect) and
industry( mindshare through thought leadership). Representation from
varied academic and industry institutions may address the challenges at a
global level rather than being localized.
S Programs like “Shadow a CEO” or even shadowing individuals with your
industry/domain/functional role can be crucial in truly understanding the
job role to avoid mismatch.
S Internship model definitely needs to get a push when it comes to PGP-Ex
programs
15. Insights
S Industry visits need not be restricted for students to a given set of localized geos but even abroad given
S Courses like Work & Ethics, Power & Politics should be mandated but not optional given culture
mismatch is a reason highlighted by the recruiting body
S Consulting rat race can be averted well if we have successful orators and key position holders coming
to campuses and adding the ‘wow’ factor. Showcasing what lies beyond consulting.
S Academic institutions, especially tier-1, abstain from advertising, alluding to the fact of brand dilution
and hinting towards a sense of desperation. Healthy advertising may help in garnering more
companies to campus, beyond consulting, and varied options for folks to get placed in roles where
they see a fitment. Plus, internal club activities need to be more streamlined to attract more
companies, leveraging the diversity fact and other differentiators.
S Entrepreneurial options should be given more attention given most students look forward to broad-
based roles, entailing multiple facets within a business. Startup weekend events can be good start in
that direction. Courses like, planning an entrepreneurial venture, might kindle that entrepreurial spirit
lying dormant within many.
S Tier-1 academic postioning needs to be thought over again and industry connects from existing alum
base can be a good consulting platform to bounce of ideas, and eventually defining a niche for self.
