Disclaimer: The author of this article, who is a current student at a top IIM, has requested anonymity for reasons personal to her.
If you’re a B-school student, a convert or an aspirant, you would full well be acquainted with the clout of the Placement Committee members, popularly referred to as the “P.Commers”. They are not just among the most hardworking souls on campus but also the most revered and feared ones. One glance from them is potent enough to silence an entire hall of boisterous MBA students. They are the face of the institute and the batch to all recruiters. You know all this, right?
But, did you know that the people who hold these larger than life epithets have also won the sobriquet of being “the worst people to date on campus”? Well, you probably did not.
Let me tell you why:
Don’t Ever Have Time
Be it the wee hours of morning or the dark hours of midnight, the placement committee members are also caught up with some work or the other. Making calls to companies, updating company trackers, verifying CVs, handling the admin and other departments, arranging logistics for pre-placement talks, hosting company reps, and what not. Given the heaps of work they are goaded with, you are likely to figure nowhere in their priority list.
No Campus PDA
When one signs up for the placement committee, one also signs into a hoard of protocols. Most of these protocols call for the committee members to be socially cut-off from the batch. So much so, that you wouldn’t be able to make public appearances in campus with your P.Comm crush. While you witness the other couples planning dates, vacation and trips; you wouldn’t have slightest of idea whether or not you would even meet. Sad, isn’t it?
Adept At Lying
Of the many skills that a placement committee member possess, lying is definitely one of their most practised skills. While it’s usual for them to lie to companies, this often becomes a habit and translates into them lying to everyone in different contexts. Chances are that these mendacious men/women also lie to you. You can never be sure of what they promise is for real or just another piece of lie that they keep throwing at everyone with confidence.
Get A Lot Of Attention
If you’ve already made up your mind on dating a P.Commer, be prepared to be ignored one in the relationship, ‘cause your P.Comm date will steal all the attention. You will become a campus buzz-word and be referred to as “An XYZ P.Commer’s Girl-friend/Boy-Friend”. Are you ready to settle with that? Well no one would be.
Wouldn’t Be Able To Relate To Them
While the regular B-School populace are drenched in the nectar of an MBA life, the P.Commers out of the placement office. Their experiences and stories will most likely sound alien to you. While you would want to discuss campus gossip with them, they will want to very fervently narrate the tales of how they cracked the Gordian knot by converting a certain company.
That said, the P.Commers still end up getting a lot of eye-balls from the batch.
To quote Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act 1, Scene-5):
P.Commers “Look like the innocent flower” but are actually “a serpent under it”.
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A Letter From A Placecommer, With Love
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