This paper presents the results of a study that attempted to link students’ placement prospects,

operationalised through student perceptions of recruiting organisations to certain academic

parameters such as performance in the entrance examination, group discussion, as well as
personal interview, grade point average, internship marks, and ratings on extra- curricular
activities. The study revealed that students having prior work experience got placement in
organisations which are perceived to be better. Also, students with work experience performed
better in the personal interview as compared to freshers. Further, students with work
experience were found to be comparable with freshers in respect of their performance in the
entrance examination, group discussion and internship.

1. With students having adequate experience, companies can usually bypass the need for
further formalized training, putting them on the job straight away.
2. Employers value both high grades and high involvement, such as participation in student
organisation and pre-professional activities, although the value placed on grades is
somewhat higher. Thus, it seems that students with higher GPAs as well as those with
higher involvement in extra-curricular activities enjoy better placement prospects.
3. During placement time, recruiters assess the communication skills of the students through
group discussions and interviews
4. Results of the study indicated the span or duration of work experience to have an impact
on the kind of placements that students get. In fact, it was found that students with 12 to
30 months’ work experience get into better organisations in comparison with those with
less than or more than this range of experience. This means that the relationship between
work experience and placement is not linear. Further analysis was done to see whether
students with or without experience differ in terms of their placements. Results clearly
showed that students with prior work experience are preferred by better-rated
organizations during campus placements. Interestingly, this finding also indicates a
conscious attempt on the part of companies to consider work experience as an important
parameter for campus recruitment. As pointed out by Ettore (1992), recruiters invariably
look at the value and appropriateness of a candidate’s work experience while selecting
MBA candidates.
5. Personal interview was also found to have a bearing on student placements. That means,
students obtaining more marks in the personal interview at the time of admission to the
programme got into better-rated organisations, and vice versa.
6. Moreover, participation in extra-curricular activities was found to be related to student
placement. Students who had been actively involved in extracurricular activities during
the course of their programme got into better organisations and vice versa.
7. While communication skills are considered by researchers (e.g. Edge, 1985; Porter and
McKibbin, 1988; Ralston, 1989) to be important for business graduates, performance in
group discussion is not positively related to placement prospects.
8. It is possible that by virtue of their prior work experience, these students are
comparatively more practical, mature and confident enough to face the interview panel.
On the other hand, freshers are probably not able to relate to the practical problems of the
industry and lack the much needed self confidence required to do well at interviews.