IITs bring in phone a friend to help students during placements

This time, these elite colleges are engaging students who found work through campus placements as well as their alumni networks to support their less fortunate brethren.

“Imagine having someone to turn to who understands the pressure and can offer insightful guidance, strategies for navigating interviews, and a listening ear when stress mounts,” stated an email from the student council of IIT Delhi in December. “The journey to placements can be both thrilling and challenging. To support you through this period, we are launching the Call a Friend programme, a peer-to-peer initiative that connects final-year students appearing for placements with those who have already secured positions.”

IITs are keen to ensure that the batch of 2025 does not suffer the fate of many of their immediate seniors who could not find jobs even after the end of their studies. That was in stark contrast to 2022 and 2023, when a global race for digitalization sparked a scramble for top engineering talent. However, this year’s recruitments come under the shadow of a slump in the global economy, with business schools and engineering colleges facing the brunt.

Also read | PSUs lock horns with private firms to hire from IITs

IIT Guwahati’s Centre for Career Development is conducting “knowledge and experience sharing sessions from students who have received job offers,” a spokesperson said. This is being done through various platforms, including a dedicated web portal accessible to the entire student community seeking job opportunities. “The portal serves as a repository of valuable insights and guidance, helping students prepare more effectively for upcoming interviews,” the spokesperson added.

In the first round of placements, algo trading firms, consulting majors, startups, public sector firms and banks swooped down with offers ranging from ₹15 lakh to a few crores. However, the second phase starting in the second half of January may be a different story, requiring all hands on deck.

“This year, we have roped in professionals who have prepared our students for mock interviews, group discussions etc. All these years, we had seniors preparing the juniors, but we decided to recruit a professional services firm this time,” Sathyan Subbiah, chairperson, Career Pathway Centre, IIT Madras said. The team of professionals preparing the students also include some IIT alumni.

Bringing in professionals is in addition to getting students from across batches to volunteer for placement teams beginning their second year. “Calling companies, negotiating with them and convincing them to come help improve their soft skills and also adds to their resume,” the chairperson added.

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A student from IIT Delhi’s 2025 batch said hundreds of students remain to be placed. With the top recruiters already picking the best, those offering lower pay in the ₹10-15 lakh range are now visiting, seeking out students who made it to IITs after one of the toughest exams in the country. According to IIT Delhi’s 23 December statement, its students have secured over 1,200 job offers, including more than 50 international offers.

IIT Delhi did not respond to Mint’s queries sent on Thursday.

“We are more approachable for the students and can be reached out in hostels and other common areas,” said a student council member from IIT Delhi, adding within a few days of launching the Call A Friend programme, more than 50 students signed up, and over 80 students who found placements are acting as mentors.

Of the 23 IITs, the first-generation institutes including IIT Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Kanpur start placements in December. The second- and third-generation IITs begin in August-September to get a headstart.

Each of the old IITs has 1,500-2,000 students to place every year, while the new IITs have fewer students. The pressure will be higher in the second phase of placements, because top recruiters have already taken their picks.

Also read | AI, algo trading companies set to steal the show at IIT placements

“Some of the companies are offering ₹5 lakh, and they too are allowed because now it is up to the student to accept an offer or not,” said a student from one of the older IITs who has decided to opt for placements outside the regular recruitment route. Students have the option to sit for campus placements or even reach out to firms on their own.

An IIT Kanpur student from the batch of 2025 said that since August-September, the college’s career and counselling team has trained students in mock interviews. “We took mock tests on sites like GeeksforGeeks (a platform that has tests, coding programs and tutorials that can be accessed by all). There are about 1,500 students in the batch and 1,000-plus have been placed. The road will now get rough for the remaining students, and everyone is expecting the flurry of offers that batches of 2022 and 2023 received,” the student said. The institute did not respond to emailed queries.

In the first round of IIT placements, IIT Kharagpur received over 800 job offers, with 13 international offers and nine students securing packages exceeding ₹1 crore, the institute said on 2 December.

And read | IITs chase recruiters to avoid a repeat of last year’s scramble