FMCG sector most preferred by B-school students: Nielsen survey

The 2012 'Campus Track' survey results by Nielsen suggests that majority of MBAs preferred to work with FMCG firms, followed by consulting and banking firms in that order.

The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector has been voted as the most coveted sector for employment by B-school students of the class of 2012, according to a latest Nielsen survey.

The 'Campus Track' survey by Nielsen suggests that 36 percent of business school graduates prefer to work with FMCG firms, followed by companies in areas of management consulting (29 per cent), IT consultancy or services (20 per cent) and investment banking (20 per cent).

"With the FMCG growth in the country being driven by consumption, the sector continues to find favour with students who see it as a sector with huge growth potential," Nielsen Executive Director Dinesh Kapoor said in a statement.

The IT sector, especially IT services and IT products made a comeback on the list of most preferred sectors for employment, he said.

Other preferred places of work include Indian banks, financial institutions, credit rating agencies, retailing and

business conglomerates.

Based on the CRI (Campus Recruiter Index) developed by Nielsen, Hindustan Unilever tops the list of most preferred recruiter, followed Google, Aditya Birla Group, Accenture and McKinsey & Co.

Other names that figure in the list of preferred recruiters are Infosys, Procter & Gamble, Boston Consulting Group. Citi Group, Microsoft, Tata Administrative Services and Axis Bank.

In terms of financial package, the average salary expectations from a 'Dream Company' amongst the class of 2012 remained steady as compared to the last year at Rs 16 lakhs per annum.

The salary expectations from a foreign company continues to remain almost double than that from an Indian company, the survey said.

Campus Track B-schools is a nationwide study conducted by Nielsen between October-November 2011. The study is in its12th year and represents the views of around 1,100 B-school students from the batch that will graduate in 2012 from the top 35 B-schools in the country.

The survey states that the top five dimensions students consider when it comes to seeking employment are namely -- high degree of independence at work, salary package, learning on the job, growth prospects and standing of the company in the market, respectively.