The management programme is over and, by now, most students should ideally be getting ready to join the organisations they’ve been placed in. However, a recent, disturbing trend has come to the fore, where many students are starting to second guess their decisions of joining these campus placement jobs, wanting instead to explore other options.
The main reasons they’re having second thoughts are:
~ Getting an an offer before others : In their anxiety to land a job, many students apply to the first few companies that come to the campus. In several instances, they apply without thinking about the role or if they are interested in the profile being offered. The focus seems to be more on getting an offer letter at the earliest. This becomes a classic case of act in haste and repent in leisure.
As time goes by and other companies arrive, doubts start to cloud the mind. In many cases, if the subsequent companies offer better packages, the resulting comparisons lead to a high sense of dissatisfaction with the offer in hand. This is often compounded by the fact that most institutes do not allow students with an offer to take part in subsequent placement interviews.
~ Changes in joining date, location, or other details : I know of several students who were quite happy with their placement — till the company sent a letter with a deferred joining date. This is quite upsetting and there is no debate in this regard. However, this cannot become the main reason one seeks another placement.
I have written about such a scenario in an earlier article and it might be worthwhile do something productive instead of getting frustrated about the same.
A similar but completely unacceptable reaction is the desire to seek alternative options when the organisation changes the location of your workplace. Any such decision will only send out a wrong signal to a potential employer and will definitely not help the candidate in any way.
I recall an incident where a student refused to participate in the placement interviews, because he had no choice but to join his family business. This, despite him being interested in some of the roles being offered. While I respect his clarity, I do not condone his decision to pursue something because of pressure.
Respect the investment
Any campus offer reflects a lot of effort and time having gone behind it. The institute’s team has worked to get the company on board for campus placement. The company has invested its time, effort, and resources to conduct the interviews. And this needs to be respected by any management student.
Think a hundred times and evaluate campus jobs as much as possible. However, go for it only after you are completely sure about taking up offers. If and when you land an offer from any campus placement, you must take up that assignment without resorting to excuses.
The only caveat is if the company turns out to be financially unstable and there are news reports in this regard or there are other negative news reports which would affect anyone working in that organisation.
Barring these two scenarios, a person must take up the campus offer. There are no two ways about it, especially since they have gone through the placement process.