In defense of Pcommers

In recent discussions across various social media, there has been am ongoing conversation concerning the ethical dilemmas and controversies surrounding placement coordinators at institutions nationwide. These issues gain prominence, especially during lackluster hiring seasons (such as the current one), when firms exhibit tepid enthusiasm towards expanding their workforce. Let me clarify beforehand that this post is not an attempt to draw comparisons between institutions; instead, it seeks to delve into the underlying causes of these predicaments and point to some of the key features of being a placement coordinator in 2024.

A fundamental paradox lies at the heart of placements in premier B-Schools and other eminent engineering and art institutions. 

Placement committee members, who are also students, bear the onerous responsibility of securing lucrative positions for their peers while concurrently fulfilling their academic and social obligations. The intrinsic unfairness of this scenario merits scrutiny—should the onus of a student's career prospects rest on the shoulders of their fellow students? 

Central to the operations of a placement committee is what we call an agency problem in economics. Let me explain. Placement coordinators serve as ‘agents’ who represent the needs of the students (aka the ‘Principal’) in the labor market.  I am not sure what Dr. Michael Spence would have thought about what we do these days (he may have gotten another Nobel, considering the richness of the placement context in terms of information asymmetry). Coming back. The Placecommers are intermediaries who connect students with prospective employers. Of course, there is a divergence here. The agent may go rogue and satisfy his/her self-interests rather than the interests of the principal. A quick analogy will help grasp this idea better. 

The shareholders of every firm (the principal) appoint a CEO (an agent) to take day to day decisions on their behalf. Now, the CEO can solve the firms problems quickly or can delay the solving of the problem to make himself or herself useful for longer and therefore get paid for a longer duration of time. To mitigate this ‘agency problem’, shareholders offer CEOs performance linked bonuses. Since the goals of both parties are aligned, it may be expected that the best for both parties occur. 

Now, let’s revisit the placement situation. There exists the agency problem, but there is no mechanism in place that aligns their interests to that of the principal (the students) except a strong moral compass. As we will all agree, that this compass is hard to find. But before we embark on that quest, I think there is a more fundamental question. Why should the task of securing employment be delegated? 

In numerous countries, students are tasked with navigating the job market independently, fostering a sense of self-reliance and accountability. If someone can’t manage a career for oneself, how is he or she expected to manage a business for someone else? Moreover, the ‘matches’ that Pcommers make during the campus recruitment are not exactly matches made in heaven. In fact, students pride themselves in stating how quickly they found another opportunity. If anything, the opportunity that placement coordinators work very hard to organize is simply a ‘foot in the door’ or a ‘step’ for people to launch themselves from. In essence, as far as the ‘batch’ is concerned, placement coordinators are simply individuals who help facilitate an initial entry point into the professional world, rather than guaranteeing a long-term career path. 

 The role of placement coordinators becomes even more complex and nuanced. They are not just facilitating job placements; they are setting the stage for students' future career trajectories, albeit in a very initial and sometimes temporary manner. The expectation, then, that these coordinators should perfectly align the interests and career aspirations of every student with the opportunities available is perhaps an unrealistic and unfair burden.

Furthermore, the pressure on placement coordinators is magnified by the sheer diversity of students' aspirations, skills, and potential career paths. Balancing this array of student expectations with the actual opportunities available requires a level of effort and dedication that goes beyond the call of duty. These coordinators, despite their own academic and personal commitments, work tirelessly to bridge the gap between students and potential employers, often sacrificing their own well-being in the process.

This dedication, unfortunately, is not always visible or appreciated. When placements are successful, the credit is often diffused or taken for granted; when they fall short, the blame is sharply focused on the coordinators. Yet, despite this thankless job profile, many coordinators find motivation in the success and happiness of their peers, a testament to their altruistic intentions.

Let’s take a moment to understand that placement coordinators frequently find themselves caught between the expectations of students and the demands of administration, striving to negotiate the best outcomes for their respective batches.  This necessitates an exceptional degree of selflessness and dedication, manifesting in sacrifices such as reduced sleep, lower academic performance, and foregone social engagements. Despite these substantial personal costs, most coordinators prioritize the collective well-being of their batch over individual gains. If anything, they all need to be honored every year, like the Padhma Bushans and Vibhushans of our country. But then, when isolated incidents of abuse of power by placement coordinators emerge, they are often magnified and misconstrued, overshadowing the commendable efforts of the majority. 

The placement committee that I head recently contemplated a hypothetical scenario: if fairness in opportunities is the epitome of fairness, should we not then offer identical positions to all? Yet, such an approach contradicts the innate desire for distinct, tailored opportunities that resonate with individual aspirations.

While placement committees assume the mantle of facilitating job opportunities, it is a shared responsibility wherein students must proactively engage in their personal and academic growth. However, free riding is in our DNA and we often forget that we cannot as individuals outsource the responsibility to another body and expect them to perform as per our expectations. This is the very reason there is conscription in many countries. But unlike the jawans guarding the nation's borders, the Placecommers get salutes or medals. Only jeers, cusses, and negative comments. 

So the next time you listen to a Placecommer shout on leaked audio on Instagram, remember that person chose to help the batch and shouting in frustration. Not because he’s unable to bring companies or for some sort of sadistic pleasure, but because people won’t shave their beards, come to a presentation on time, or come underprepared for an interview. I think it is unfair to describe a toxic work environment as a ‘petty issue’ and brush it aside. If Pcommers had ‘absolute power’, issues such as non-serious batch mates would not occur, would it? As I told you in the last Gritty graphs- for every story that is said, there is another that is hidden from you. You will need to enquire and ask instead of simply like and share posts booing at people. In we don’t do that, we are no different from the people who watch as a crime occurs on the streets and turn a blind eye to it. 

Let’s say a video of a mother scolding her teenage son is ‘leaked’, would we like and share that on social media, too? At least there are temples for mothers, but where is the temple for any Placecommer? Like they tell in B School circles, being a placement coordinator is a ‘thankless’ job. But in recent years, it has also transformed into a ridiculed job. If we continue to crib about some ‘petty’ mishaps in some odd places, then we should also celebrate the good things that pcom does (which we do at IIM Sirmaur, btw). 

As responsible citizens, we must ask the right questions to stay informed! My friends, knowledge is the only way to empower people; we should seek it like a thirsty man seeks water in the middle of the Sahara. 

Now, that brings us to the fag end of this blog post.  

So, let me close with another critical question- what should one do to acquire and maintain such a placement committee? 

Here is a list of ideas that we used to transform placements at IIM Sirmaur: 

1. Open doors policy - towards transparency
   1. When someone gets placed, we don’t just ask someone to sign in a register. We email the whole batch that someone is placed, congratulate them, and celebrate them!
   2. Just like how papers get written based on newly published economic data, other students constantly analyze and report to us useful findings completely pro bono - to help the batch. 
   3. We have batch meets every other week to discuss the Status of the Placement Season (much like the State of the Union Address). Here we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly with everyone. 
2. Work with internal and external partners
   1. We acknowledge the fact that placements is a facilitative process. The process of actually placing the whole batch rests on the batch. Therefore, key committees such as the Training and Development Committee, the Industry Relations Committee, the Alumni Cell, and the Entrepreneurship Committee work shoulder to shoulder. At IIM Sirmaur, the members of these committees also function as honorary placement coordinators. They are happy to lend a hand or sit through a Placecom meeting whenever needed. They had also contacted 20+ organizations this year and brought them over to IIM Sorganizationsinimal intervention from the placement committee. 
   2. We have also taken the assistance of external agencies to augment our placement preparedness. Agencies like KidEx (you should meet Mr. Kapish Saraf, the top guy there) have been pivotal in providing training and development services with a proprietary technological solution. This has helped improve and streamline the recruitment process substantially, allowing us to go confidently to firms and have a conversation. 
3. Close the feedback look with the programmes and other departments. 
   1. The placement committee has a lot of learning that needs to be transferred to the programmes department. This is the only way (other than exams) through which the teaching core of any institute gets feedback. 
   2. While a lot of stories from the placement committee get highlights (due to the sheer number of eyes that look at us), at IIM Sirmaur, there have also been radical changes in the programme level that have ensured that we adapt to changing times and provide our students the best possible learning outcomes. Much of what we have accomplished would not have been possible without the support and buy in of our PGP Chair, Dr. Ajay Singal.  
   3. Similarly, we also have an ongoing conversation with the Admissions department to give them actionable insights from the placements committee. 

We cannot make perfection the enemy of progress. This way, we’ll have a placement committee that experiments and adapts to changing market realities. A placement committee that is willing to open up to the world and have the strength to ask for help. A placement committee that is willing to use technology and modern management tools to augment it’s capabilities. A placement committee that cares. 

Would you prefer it that placement committee members be ‘perfect’ and stick to the guidelines and never experiment to find new avenues for the batch? Or would you want to have a placement committee that does more right things than wrong? Whatever we choose, we must remember that getting a good 70-80% of the objectives met through a transparent and inclusive process is better than acquiring picture-perfect results. 

Having said that, if given a chance to be a Placecommer again. I would happily take it. Because Placecom is,

“The hero [every B School] deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt [them]. Because [they] can take it. Because [they are] not our hero. [They are] a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A [pcommer].” (Jonathan Nolan, 2008).

At IIM Sirmaur, it’s not just the placement committee working in the Job market, but much like in a classic Spiderman comic, filled with other superheroes, our partners in good, who also work with us and for us.