The InsideIIM Recruitment Survey series takes a look at the most desirable recruiters across various industries and hiring for various roles, the career expectations and preferences of current MBA students and post-MBA professionals, and the thought process of MBA aspirants around B-school selection and what drives them to pursue an MBA.  Ever since the inception of the InsideIIM Recruitment Survey, Unilever and P&G have dominated the rankings for the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters, as well as the most desirable FMCG companies to work with. Unilever, in specific, has shown tremendous consistency by remaining at the No.1 position for over half a decade. But will preferences change this year? Will FMCG giants remain the most popular recruiters, or are telecom and technology companies going to overshadow them? The InsideIIM Recruitment survey intends to answer these questions in detail, based on the responses of the MBA community. The survey's findings will be divided under two major headings - Sales & Marketing (that includes Technology, E-commerce, Telecommunications, and FMCG companies), and Fast Moving Consumer Goods companies (FMCG).

Sales & Marketing

Current MBA Students

Google and Unilever (HUL) are the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters on B-school campuses. Unilever has been the most desirable company to work with for B-school students ever since the inception of the Recruitment Survey series, demonstrating the remarkable consistency of the brand as a prospective employer. Google has been catching up with the FMCG behemoths P&G and HUL and has finally become the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiter for MBA students. One of the biggest gainers in 2018 has been Amazon, which recruits in large numbers from B-school campuses (and is also one of the Top-5 most desirable Technology recruiters at B-school campuses, according to the InsideIIM Recruitment Survey). After Amazon invested Rs. 2700 crores ($386 million) in its India business, MBA students stood up and took notice of the company which clearly aims to monopolize online shopping and cloud computing services in the sub-continent, giving tough competition to Flipkart-Walmart and other E-commerce players. It must also be mentioned that ITC Limited is the only Indian company to feature in the Top-10 for MBA students, and also in the overall scheme of things. You may also be interested in reading - The Most Desirable General Management Recruiters

MBA Alumni

Google & Unilever are the most desirable Sales & Marketing companies for post-MBA professionals. This year as well, the FMCG giant has missed out on the top spot by the smallest of fractions. Google has been one of the most dominant brands in the entire Recruitment Survey of 2018/19. The search engine giant is India's Dream company, the most desirable Technology recruiter, and now, the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiter for all three segments of respondents, i.e., MBA aspirants, students and alumni. Although the company has never been peripheral, it has only recently risen to the absolute zenith in the Recruitment Survey series. One of the biggest gainers in these rankings is Nestlé, jumping up to the 4th position in the Top-5. Clearly, Nestlé has once again become the Sales & Marketing company of choice for post-MBA professionals. Procter & Gamble has marginally dipped from its position in the previous year and is one of the Top-3 most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters. As a Technology recruiter Amazon checks all the boxes for MBA alumni as a recruiter. However, for Sales roles, Amazon is not the top seed and is the company that has seen the biggest fall in rankings this year (From the 3rd in 2017 to 8th in 2018). Clearly, MBA students and their seniors do not share the same perspective of the E-commerce giant. Also read - The Most Desirable Banking & Finance Companies To Work With

MBA Aspirants

Cola companies that had slipped out in the rankings for MBA aspirants in 2017 have made an emphatic comeback this year as 2 of the Top-3 most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters. Google remains the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiter, as well as the most desirable Technology & E-commerce recruiter, establishing itself as one of the strongest brands in the minds of future MBA students, even before they have entered a business school. 3 FMCG companies - ITC Limited, Unilever and Nestlé, share the 4th position. Hindustan Unilever, which has never budged from the No.1 position as a Sales & Marketing recruiter has now moved down marginally to the 4th position in 2018. P&G, another regular feature in the Top-3 has been nudged out of the Top-5 by fine margins; courtesy - Amazon. The E-commerce giant has featured in the Top-5 for the most desired technology & E-commerce recruiters and also features in the same spot as a Marketing recruiter. The world's largest FMCG company, Nestlé, has risen up the ranks and has become one of the most desirable companies to work with for Aspirants. ITC Limited is one of the biggest gainers in 2018 and has jumped from the Top-5 from the 10th position when compared with the previous year. Amul is a debutant to this list of the Top-10 most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters. The Amul Girl is one of India's most popular ad icons, and the brand has stayed relevant via that particular campaign; not to mention the huge market share it enjoys in India. Facebook, which has been one of the most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters for MBA aspirants since 2012, has slipped out of the Top-10, but still features in the Top-20. The rankings for MBA aspirants shows how strong the brand value and perception is of a Consumer Goods or Technology company. The rankings here are likely to be completely driven by brand equity, and perhaps has more to do with the perception of the brand as a consumer than as a prospective management employee. You may also like to read - 'Why MBA' & Factors Important To MBA Aspirants While Selecting A B-school

Overall Rankings

The overall rankings are an average of the desirability scores across all three segments of respondents to give an overview of which companies make up the MBA community’s list of the Top-10 most desirable Sales & Marketing recruiters. Also read our report on - The Minimum Post-MBA Salary Expectations, & Preferred Work Destinations

Most Desirable Sales & Marketing Recruiters - Overall Rankings
Rank	Companies	Desirability Score
1	Google	9.25
2	Unilever	9.17
3	Procter & Gamble	9.01
4	Nestle	8.87
5	Amazon	8.76
6	Coca-Cola Company	8.69
7	PepsiCo	8.61
8	Reckitt Benckiser	8.59
9	ITC	8.58
10	Facebook	8.55

FMCG

Current MBA Students

Unilever is, yet again, the FMCG company of choice for B-school students. The industry giant has undoubtedly and consistently established a stronghold as a brand on B-school campuses via campus engagement activities and competitions such as HUL Lime, and by hiring from top B-schools for the coveted Unilever Future Leaders Programme and the Unilever Leadership Internships Programme. The top-2 spots have traditionally been dominated by Unilever and P&G, and the 2018 edition of this report is no exception to this. Procter & Gamble is one of the biggest Consumer Goods company in the world and has marginally missed out on the top spot this season. Nestlé, the world's largest FMCG company, features in the Top-3 most desirable FMCG companies to work with for MBA students. Nestle's management trainee programme is considered to be an excellent launchpad for B-school students to begin their corporate careers. There has been no change in the Top-5 from last year's Recruitment Survey on the most desirable FMCG recruiters, with only PepsiCo. moving up from the 8th position to join its fellow Cola company, Coca-Cola, at the 5th position. With the exception of 3 companies that have entered/exited the Top-10, i.e., J&J (exited), Britannia (entered) and L'Oréal (entered), the rankings are similar to the previous year. Next up is the opinion most important to MBA students - which companies do MBA alumni venerate, and how different are their preferences from those of their juniors? Also read our report on - How Can Campus Recruiters Improve The Hiring Process At B-Schools?

MBA Alumni

When it comes to the Top-3 most desirable FMCG companies, the preferences of MBA students and their seniors is identical, with Unilever as the most desirable FMCG company to work with for MBA alumni as well. Clearly, not only does Unilever have a commanding presence on B-school campuses but it is also a leader as a desirable employer for MBA graduates. According to Fortune magazine, Unilever is "considered a place of purpose" by employees, and the organisation has very clear vision and mission statements that employees take pride in. Featuring in the top-5, and one of the biggest gainers in these rankings is Mondelēz International, edging out Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive. A deserved shoutout has been earned by ITC Limited, the only Indian company to feature as one of the Top-10 Consumer Goods companies for both MBA alumni, MBA students and MBA aspirants as well! Another homegrown company, Asian Paints, features in the Top-10 for MBA alumni. You may also be interested in reading - The Most Desirable Consulting Recruiters

MBA Aspirants

When it comes to MBA aspirants, one striking observation is the strong affinity towards Cola companies, with both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola featuring in the top 2 positions respectively. Even though it has missed out on the top spot, Unilever is only fractionally behind the Top-2 in the 3rd position that it shares with Nestlé and ITC. As mentioned in the Sales & Marketing section of this report, MBA aspirants are more likely to be driven by brand equity than the offerings of an organisation as an employer. For instance, Amul, India's largest dairy company, does not feature in the Top-10 for both MBA students and alumni but makes the cut for MBA aspirants who perhaps view the organisation from the lens of a consumer. However, in its own way, these rankings by MBA aspirants provide a strong basis to assess the brand perception and recall of industry giants. Ultimately, the top-10% of the aspirant talent pool are the ones who will perhaps end up joining these companies, and it is important for recruiters to understand what impact their brands have on potential B-school students and future managers. You may also like to read - How Happy Are MBA Alumni With Their Post-MBA Jobs?

Most Desirable FMCG Companies For MBA Students, MBA Alumni & MBA Aspirants
Current Students			MBA Alumni			MBA Aspirants
Rank	Company	Desirability Score	Rank	Company	Desirability Score	Rank	Company	Desirability Score
1	Unilever	9.336	1	Unilever	8.775	1	PepsiCo	9.09
2	Procter & Gamble	9.178	2	Procter & Gamble	8.625	2	Coca-Cola Company	9.05
3	Nestle	8.918	3	Nestle	8.6	3	ITC ; Unilever ; Nestle	8.95
4	Reckitt Benckiser	8.863	4	Mondelez	8.025	4	Procter & Gamble	8.81
5	PepsiCo ; Coca-Cola Company	8.822	5	Reckitt Benckiser	7.975	5	Britannia	8.65
6	ITC	8.808	6	Coca-Cola Company	7.825	6	Kellogg	8.51
7	Colgate Palmolive	8.781	7	L'oreal	7.7	7	Amul	8.49
8	L'oreal	8.692	8	Colgate Palmolive	7.625	8	L'oreal	8.44
9	Mondelez	8.507	9	Johnson & Johnson ; Asian Paints	7.375	9	Reckitt Benckiser	8.26
10	Britannia	8.418	10	ITC	7.35	10	Colgate Palmolive	8.14

Overall Rankings

The overall rankings are an average of the desirability scores across all three segments of respondents to give an overview of which companies make up the MBA community’s list of the Top-10 most desirable FMCG companies. Please feel free to let us know your views, queries and suggestions around this report in the comments below.  You may also be interested in reading the InsideIIM Alumni Report 2018 – Consumer Goods which gives an in-depth idea of which FMCG companies the Alumni of top Indian business schools have been working in (As of June 2018).

Most Desirable FMCG Companies - Overall Rankings
Rank	Companies	Desirability Score
1	Unilever	9.17
2	Procter & Gamble	9.01
3	Nestle	8.87
4	Coca-Cola Company	8.69
5	PepsiCo	8.61
6	Reckitt Benckiser	8.59
7	ITC	8.58
8	L'oreal	8.47
9	Colgate Palmolive	8.46
10	Mondelez	8.31