Campus placements are happening in our college, the famed NITK. A time for tension and sleepless nights for many. But since my placement ended even before it started (refer prev. blog), life for me is now far more sedate. So I spent some time attending the Pre Placement Talks of some big wigs just to get an idea of what makes them tick and stand apart from the rest.
While the PPTs do not really provide a good insight into the work and job pprofile in the company, what I really admire is the way they market their respective companies. All these companies for starters don't need any introduction whatsoever since they have such an established brand name. Companies like Google, Yahoo, Texas Instruments, Microsoft and so on.
The first thing you notice is that these companies generally come with a dedicated HR 'suede' member who is good at engaging the crowd. Yahoo Inc. came to campus with their engineering services division as opposed to the R&D division we were looking out for. The pay is great and so is the company, but ultimately the job sucks. But the HR guy from yahoo has you so hooked onto the PPT about life at Yahoo that most people fall into the trap. They show a video who feature a Yahoo employee-guy with a guitar on his shoulders. He goes everywhere with it , office, bike, streets and so on. Give us a break Yahoo. Life at Yahoo is not so rosy. Maybe we are clever enough to understand that. But the common man will get bowled over when he sees a Ad like that. TI also came with a stylish HR guy who made it seem like playing Pool and Tennis was all you had to do at TI and get paid on it. They didn't even tell us what field they were recruiting in and no one was much bothered. Its TI man, declare the awe-struck but not-so-clever toppers of our class.
The fact remains that ultimately as in all things, marketting is the most important division of any company. Whether you have the expertise is only secondary, whether people buy what you sell is primary. Any one disagrees?
Indian companies have a long way to go before they reach such technical standards of the US in the IT and Hi-tech industries, but the point is even if they do, are they up to the challenge of selling their companies to the people out there? Only time will tell. Even you can make a difference. So start now.
While the PPTs do not really provide a good insight into the work and job pprofile in the company, what I really admire is the way they market their respective companies. All these companies for starters don't need any introduction whatsoever since they have such an established brand name. Companies like Google, Yahoo, Texas Instruments, Microsoft and so on.
The first thing you notice is that these companies generally come with a dedicated HR 'suede' member who is good at engaging the crowd. Yahoo Inc. came to campus with their engineering services division as opposed to the R&D division we were looking out for. The pay is great and so is the company, but ultimately the job sucks. But the HR guy from yahoo has you so hooked onto the PPT about life at Yahoo that most people fall into the trap. They show a video who feature a Yahoo employee-guy with a guitar on his shoulders. He goes everywhere with it , office, bike, streets and so on. Give us a break Yahoo. Life at Yahoo is not so rosy. Maybe we are clever enough to understand that. But the common man will get bowled over when he sees a Ad like that. TI also came with a stylish HR guy who made it seem like playing Pool and Tennis was all you had to do at TI and get paid on it. They didn't even tell us what field they were recruiting in and no one was much bothered. Its TI man, declare the awe-struck but not-so-clever toppers of our class.
The fact remains that ultimately as in all things, marketting is the most important division of any company. Whether you have the expertise is only secondary, whether people buy what you sell is primary. Any one disagrees?
Indian companies have a long way to go before they reach such technical standards of the US in the IT and Hi-tech industries, but the point is even if they do, are they up to the challenge of selling their companies to the people out there? Only time will tell. Even you can make a difference. So start now.
