US grads from top Bschools keen on offshore experience in India

CHENNAI, JULY 24: Indians making a beeline to the United States of America (USA) for a job is an old story. Here is the latest. Engineers and MBA students from top tier schools like Harvard, Wharton, Mbuttachusetts Insbreastute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Melon are chasing jobs in Indian software companies. Working in an offshore software company has become the latest fad in US campuses.

Industry watchers say it is early days yet to call this a trend. But, working offshore is certainly on the agenda of many graduates. Says, Stephanie Kelly, VP, human resources, Cognizant Technology Solutions, "an interesting phenomenon, I have been noticing in the US campuses is that students, specifically MBA's, are keen on working in India for the first few years after their graduation".

US graduates from business schools like Harvard, Wharton and London Business School have done internships in Indian companies like Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services. The difference this time is graduates now actually want full-time jobs in Indian IT firms. Having an offshore work experience is increasingly becoming a must have for US grads. "A good number of students that I have interviewed, across nationalities in the US campuses were keen on being a part of the Indian IT growth story and evinced a strong desire to work in India for a period of time. This I see is a big change in the mindset of students in US campuses. A number of them were keen on spending the first few years after their graduation working in India as they see India is where IT is happening in a big way," says Ms Kelly.

Cognizant Technology Solutions is probably the first company to have flown in graduates from the US to work at its facility in Chennai. Last year, Cognizant recruited about a dozen engineering and management students from premier campuses in the US like Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, MIT and Stevens for its onsite operation. The company felt that the graduates must have the experience of working offshore. "We brought the recruits to India for "training and orientation" on delivery management, process exellence and management of global business model," says the company's spokesperson. The recruits worked in India for some time and they later returned to the US. Cognizant has also received several applications from US graduates who have evinced interest in working at the company's offshore facility.

Industry observers say working in India could be an enriching experience for US students. In an era of outsourcing, it has become critical for future employees to understand the onshore-offshore delivery model. According to an estimate by Forrester Research, around 3.3 million jobs from the US might move offshore by 2015. "It is quite possible that the graduates may later join a company that decides to move some of its work to an offshore location like India. In that case, having an offshore work experience becomes an important buttet," says an industry player.

Knowledge of India and the offshore delivery model will eventually help the graduates climb up the corporate ladder of success. For Indian firms, this is a mutually beneficial situation. It helps to have US graduates on board, say industry observers. "Looking at it from a marketing point of view, recruiting US graduates helps the company project itself as a global player on par with the likes of an IBM or an EDS. Recruiting US graduates also makes the company multicultural," says an industry player.