IT companies to hire only in final semester of college

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IT companies to hire only in final semester of college
Bangalore: The IT industry, which recruits students from several colleges, has decided to visit campuses for the recruiting process only in the final year. "All our member companies have unanimously taken this decision. The change is not only for this year, it is permanent," said Som Mittal, President of software industry body NASSCOM. As reported by the Economic Times, NASSCOM has sent a communication to industry associations, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which have in turn circulated it among their members. Prior to this decision, most IT companies have so far been making offers at least a year or so before graduation. The IT industry hired 2,26,614 people in 2008-09, and an even bigger number 3,89,000 in the previous year. In the last few quarters of 2008-09 and in the current year, the slowdown has caused the industry to recruit less and also extend joining dates for freshers. The uncertainity in demand has made it hard for IT firms to forecast how many employees they would need to meet their future requirements. However, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which interacts annually with the heads of some of the top management and engineering colleges, said the colleges have agreed to the new recruiting process. "We felt it would be better if we go to campuses in the eighth semester when we would be in a better position to understand what the demand would be," said Ajoy Mukherjee, Global Head - Human Resources, TCS. Having similar views, Mohandas Pai, Infosys' Board Member and Director - Human Resources, said, "It is better for the companies and for the students. I cannot comment on how many colleges we will exactly visit. All I can say is that the colleges are happy." He added that Infosys had communicated its decision to all the 500-600 colleges it recruits from.