Ranchi, Nov. 30: At a time when the global slump has cost the jobs of many and brought on a pay cut for several, the Ranchi colleges do not seem to be feeling the blues.

Not only jobs are raining on the undergraduate and postgraduate students, the institutes are having their first brush with many big companies this placement season.

The final-year students of these colleges could not have asked for more, as the headhunters include leading global consulting firms, investment banks and marketing companies and the pay packets on offer are equally attractive.

“The much-talked economic slump has not affected the annual placements of our students. In fact, more companies, many of them quite eminent, made a beeline at our college this year. It is the first time that a multinational company like WNS Global Services came here to hire the students. It selected 20 students, out getting the appointment letter on the spot itself. Reputable concerns such as IBM and Wipro are scheduled to come in December,” said Iksha Purak, the placement officer of Ranchi Women’s College.

Placements peaked in the past 15 days in all colleges of the capital. If Calcutta-based ICICI Prudential Life Insurance hired 11 of the 47 candidates, who appeared for the posts of executive trainees and unit managers, from the MBA department of the university, Voices, a multinational company took three students from Ranchi College. One student was handed over the job offer letter immediately. WNS Global Services picked up around 15 students from Marwari College and 11 from the postgraduate department of commerce to serve as customer support executives and process associates.

“Every organisation requires young hands. The need is year-around and hence, we conduct campus interviews on a regular basis. Our only criterion is that the candidates must be convent-educated and equipped with excellent communication skills. And, students here are quite promising as future professionals,” said Kamal Arora, a representative of ICICI Prudential.

Most companies follow a three-stage selection process that begins with a personality test, followed by a written exam and wrapped up with an interview. Candidates are tested on their English proficiency through comprehension and vocabulary exercises.

The excitement of students knew no bounds. While some are ecstatic to have bagged their first job in eminent firms, others took note of the long-term significance. “I am elated to be the only student to get an offer letter on the spot. The idea of nightshifts excites me,” was the response from Sunita Nautiyal, a final-year BSc student of Ranchi Women’s College.

Avik Sinha of Marwari College, who will attend a month-long training programme in Gurgaon, said: “I am extremely happy as the job experience will boost my resume.”