For B-school grads, FMCG, HUL top picks this season

The verdict is loud and clear. For aspiring B-school grads, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has emerged as the most preferred company to work with. And FMCG has won top honours as an industry that is full of promise in terms of growth potential.

These are some of the key takeaways of the Campus Track survey carried out by market intelligence provider Nielsen among 1,100 students spread over 35 management schools. A sizeable chunk — close to 36% of the students who are to graduate in 2012 — has cast its lot with FMCG as “the industry of the future” and would prefer working in the sector in days to come.   

The other favourites are consulting (29%), IT and investment banking (both 20%), which are not far behind in the sectoral sweepstakes. Big names like Google, the Aditya Birla Group, Accenture, Infosys, Proctor & Gamble also share the mindspace, which are playing catch-up with HUL as the most preferred employer.

Nielsen’s executive director Dinesh Kapoor feels that it’s the consumption-driven growth that makes FMCG so popular among students. Compensation — with average salary expectations hovering around Rs16 lakh per year — is only part of the story.

Factors like growth prospects, degree of independence at work, on-the-job learning and standing of the company in the market also go a long way while making that crucial career decision. This especially holds true for those who are spoilt for choice.

Experts nod in unison. Other elements like employee training, challenges and responsibilities offered to recruits and innovative projects regularly assigned by companies play a key role in shaping students’ perceptions, said Bhupesh Gupta, director at the Bangalore-based search firm, Krizalis Management Consulting.

Sapna Agarwal, head, Career Development Services at IIM Bangalore, thinks that the peers and alumni network does its bit by moulding the perceptions through its own experiences. “The standing and reputation of firms also matter a lot in making a choice,” said Madhukar Shukla, professor of organizational behaviour and strategic management at Xavier Labour Relations Institute at Jamshedpur. A company with a cleaner image scores more brownie points even if it pays less, he added, to buttress his point.

“Management graduates look at their prospects in a firm 3-4 years down the line and what kind of roles they might get and the reputation the firm has in grooming talent,” said Shukla.

Coming to pay package, more than half of those passing from top schools would look at offers in the range of at least Rs10-15 lakh, said Kavita Iyer, CEO of Minglebox, an educational portal.