I like being woo-ed! Select companies are wooing students to apply and join them...and why not? The market is hot for management professionals, and it's the companies fighting for the best talent. However, it's surprising that the stuck-up IT companies still think they can get away without any selling... instead if they hopped on to the 'woo-ing' bandwagon, applications and acceptances would increase multi-fold... important lesson here for the 'underdog' on top b-school campuses...salaries notwithstanding, we want more responsibility and more growth opportunities.
Placement-prez month is seeing some good companies, and promise of great growth in the next couple of years at least... but the most important lesson learnt - join a company that recognizes the value of an MBA and fosters its b-school recruits... there's nothing worse than joining a company only to have your identity as a top b-school grad erased from corporate memory. Another key lesson - companies founded by non-MBAs seem to perform disastrously on the treatment and development of MBA recruits.... go figure!
3rd lesson - leadership development programs are an effective way of creating 'lock-in' for b-school recruits. Firstly, you are stamped with a certification (hopefully) leading to more recognition within the company (and hopefully that translates to better roles and responsibilities). Secondly, with 1.5 years of wandering around different departments within the company, you get a holistic understanding of the company's various departments.... Now, the 'lock-in' basically ensures that in the 1.5 years of the program, you do not gain any track-record that you can carry with you in case you want to switch jobs - all you have done is wander around the company!!! Smart way of locking in b-school grads who then need to stay with you for another 2 years at least to build a track-record! Effectively, you have a lock-in for 3-4 years - enough time for the company to recover their investment! :)