Mumbai: Call it the meltdown effect. In a reshuffle of preferences, the fast-moving consumer goods sector (FMCG) has emerged as the most popular industry of choice for the 2009 batch of management graduates. Other industries which form the top five more popular sectors for students include, management consulting (35%), software/IT consulting (23%), foreign banks (22%) and retailing (22%). These are the results of the latest Nielsen Campus Track B School Survey.

‘‘Preferences seem to have shifted in favour of large business conglomerates and the IT sector as a consequence of the current global financial turmoil. In particular, students are opting for FMCG companies over the financial sector,” said Vatsala Pant, associate director, The Nielsen Company.

Indeed, considering the current financial job market, the security offered by the FMCG industry has become a major attraction for graduates.
However, the sector which has shown greatest promise for the future in the survey is retailing. Others include management consultancies (27%), entertainment & media (25%), FMCG (21%) and investment banking (19%).

‘‘We’ve clawed back to where we were earlier positioned,” said Leena Nair, executive director (HR), HUL. In its ninth year, the Nielsen Campus Track B-School Survey gauged students perceptions of companies and their considerations as they evaluate prospective employers. Over 1,300 soon-to-be graduates from the top 40 management institutes were interviewed.

According to the Nielsen survey, the ‘Dream Company’ for students includes the likes of McKinsey & Co, Google, Hindustan Unilever, Accenture and Procter & Gamble, while their most admired role model was Ratan Tata — more than one in four (27%) students surveyed voted for him. According to Nielsen, the retail industry has been growing in popularity with graduates over the past few years. ‘‘Changing government policies and the influx of foreign banners in the sector, along with the entry of big Indian banners, etc. have combined to form a strong pull for the industry,” said Pant.

Among the various factors considered by students before joining a company, personal growth and independence in decision-making topped the list. As for average salary expectations, more than half the respondents have scaled back their expectations because of the market environment, particularly those specialising in finance. According to the Nielsen survey, graduates tend to stay in their first job for two to three years and expect to move on in search of better career options (65%), better salary/ better designation (40%).

(Source- The Times of India)