Acknowledgement

“
Many core memories are born in a hostel room. Few take flight
outside of it, like Unstop. From a blog to a website to a
community of 9 million students and 20,000 colleges backed
by 800+ brands, this has been an unstoppable journey.

This report is a dedication to all of them who have supported

Unstop over the years and continue to do so. We hear you
every day. We exist to serve you.”
CONTENTS

Unstop Unplugged 01

Participant Profile & Methodology 02

Top Talent Trends 2024 05

Through The Looking Glass Of Talent 07

Engaging Minds, Winning Hearts 14

Assessment: Fixing The Missing Puzzle 19

The Next Edition Of Talent 24

Summary 35

Unstop Employer Brand Track 2024 36

Unstop began as Dare2Compete, a blog addressing a common problem - the lack of
information about student competitions and opportunities. Today, it is a talent discovery,
engagement, and hiring platform with 9 million+ students and 20,000+ colleges, backed
by 800+ brands. We have expanded our offerings to help young talent unlock their
careers through continuous learning, upskilling, mentorship, and by connecting them
with the right opportunities.

We partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recently to prepare upcoming talent for the
future of work.

5,000 companies that visit campuses still struggle to find the right candidates from a
talent pool of 40 million undergraduates and postgraduates in India. To bridge this gap,
students, HR leaders and University Partners (Talent and Placement Officers) must
engage in meaningful dialogues. Unstop Talent Report 2024, which has seen ~40,000
nominations and ~80,000 votes this year, has always facilitated these conversations.

The report further took a step in this direction, amassing 11,000+ responses from all
three stakeholders - Students, Colleges and Recruiters. Additionally, in our ‘talent talks’,
HR leaders divulged their views on employee desires, the role of mentorship,
competitions, and more.

The report reveals a stakeholder disconnect. 70% of HRs prioritize talent attraction in
2024. However, while students prefer competitions, HRs focus on social media for brand
visibility. The gender pay gap still exists. At INR 2-5 LPA, the most common offer for
women in Arts, Science & Commerce was half of the most common offer for men. Most
men in this domain received an offer of INR 6-10 LPA. The report provides plenty of such
insights to address such gaps.

It’s time to unlock a more cohesive, engaging, and collaborative approach to hiring.

Let’s dive in.

Ankit Aggarwal
Founder & CEO, Unstop

01
 Participant Profile
Responses were gathered from 11,000+ Students, University Partners, and Human
Resource Practitioners.

Students: Breakdown by Gender, Work Experience & Age

Gender

60% MEN 40% WOMEN

Age
Postgraduates (B-School)

60% 36% 4%
AGED 21-24 YEARS AGED 25-28 YEARS AGED 29 YEARS

Undergraduates (E-School, Arts, Science & Commerce)

10% 16-19
YEARS

76% 19-22
YEARS

14% 22 OR
ABOVE

Work Experience (only Postgraduates)

47% 12% 41%

FRESHERS WITH WITH
WITH NO 1 YEAR 1 YEAR
EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE

02
HRs: Breakdown by Industry & Company Size

Industry

44%

14%
10%
9%
8% 8%
7%

TECHNOLOGY E-COMMERCE FMCG/FMCD BFSI/FINTECH MANUFACTURING HEALTHCARE OTHERS

& STARTUPS (Conglomerates,
Consulting, Mobility,
Retail, Media, etc.)

Company Size (No. of Employees)

39%
35%
26%

< 1,000 1,000-5,000 > 5,000

03
 University Partners: Breakdown by Courses & College Size

Courses Offered by Colleges

A single college may offer multiple courses, and fall under more than one domain:

70%
46% Engineering

MBA
38%
Arts, Science and Commerce

College Size (No. of Students)

>3,000
25%
1,000-3,000
26%
< 1,000
49%

04
 TO P TA L ENT
T RE ND S 2024

HRs & STUDENTS ARE DISCONNECTED IS ANYONE HIRING RIGHT NOW?

The enduring pay gap Yes! 81% of HRs across industries are
hiring. Get those resumes ready!
HRs regularly state there is no discrimination in
pay gaps between men and women. And yet, in
Arts, Science & Commerce, the most common
offer for men was INR 6-10 LPA. The most ONE TREND TO RULE THEM ALL:
common offer for women was INR 2-5 LPA. THE RIGHT SKILL SET
Over 88% of HRs prefer skills over
Women
experience, academics, or references.
Men Students echo the sentiment.
1 LPA 2 LPA 3 LPA 4 LPA 5 LPA 6 LPA 7 LPA 8 LPA 9 LPA 10 LPA

Experience

What’s the real skill gap? Skills

66% of HRs feel college curricula need Academics

changes to make students more employable.
However, 91% of students feel their References
coursework is adequate.

Engaging with young talent DREAM JOB - AN IMPOSSIBLE

38% of HRs chose social media campaigns for DREAM?
brand awareness while 77% of students prefer Over 50% of students believe they will not
engaging via competitions. find a job in their preferred field.

77% 38%
‘SHOW ME THE MONEY JOB
SECURITY’
Students prefer HRs chose Social
competitions Media Campaigns 3 out of 5 students choose job security
over pay hikes.
THE BROKEN PLACEMENT RECORD
Job security
Only 7% of Indian campuses achieved
100% placement. Pay hikes
05
 TA L E N T
Talks

HRs are doing

this WRONG
“
Indians like breadth
Shiv Shivakumar in their job, not depth in
their job
Operating Partner
Advent International

Catch the
full episode
here

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Blogs

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06
Through The

Looking Glass Of Talent

Who Is Hiring? Almost everyone!

Far too often, the lament, ‘no one is hiring right now’ can be heard across campus
grounds, on job boards, and in social media groups. Is that the ground reality?
The survey indicates otherwise.

Only 19% of HRs are not hiring currently. Among these, 11% face a hiring freeze,
while the rest have no open positions (8%).

75% of HRs saw hiring volume remain the same or increase.

81%
ARE HIRING
19%
NOT HIRING

07
 Where Is The Hiring Taking Place?

Most students see at most 50 companies overall on campus for recruitment. Is that
number enough? With competition being high, students certainly don’t think so!

79% of students feel going off-campus will get

them better jobs.

How many students believe they can score better

opportunities off-campus?

100
88% 88%
80
67%
60

40

20

E-SCHOOL B-SCHOOL ARTS, SCIENCE &

COMMERCE

7% of campuses achieved a 100% placement

record this season.

08
Despite campus hiring drives, neither recruiters nor students get the desired
results. Both ranked hiring platforms like Unstop over college placement services.

89%
of University Partners claim students
can get placed through competition-led
& on-campus opportunities.

As per the survey results, the tech sector dominates hiring across domains.

62%

25% 26%
25% of E-School,
62% of B-School, and
26% of Arts, Science & Commerce
students have already received a
job or internship offer

35%
of these received
an offer from the
Technology sector.

E-SCHOOL B-SCHOOL ARTS, SCIENCE

& COMMERCE

09
 Average Salary & Stipend Offered

The average salary for B-Schoolers, at INR 20 LPA, was far ahead of the average
salary drawn by E-Schoolers (which fell between INR 6-10 LPA).

Salary Offered

Postgraduate (B-School)

46% 9% 9% 8% 8% 20%
OFFER NOT RECEIVED

INR 16-20 LPA

INR 11-15 LPA
INR 6-10 LPA

INR 20+ LPA

< INR 6 LPA

Undergraduate (E-School, A & S)

48% 12% 19% 10% 3% 8%

OFFER NOT RECEIVED

INR 16-18 LPA

INR 11-15 LPA
INR 6-10 LPA

> INR 18 LPA

INR 2-5 LPA

10
Stipend Offered

Postgraduate (B-School)

33%
7%
14%
5%
31% 10%
> INR INR INR < INR 10,000 NO NO
50,000 30,000-50,000 10,000-30,000 OFFER STIPEND

Undergraduate (E-School, A & S)

13%
12%
22%
8%
33% 12%
> INR INR INR < INR 10,000 NO NO
50,000 30,000-50,000 10,000-30,000 OFFER STIPEND

11
 Is The Gender Pay Gap Here To Stay?

The conversations on solving the gender pay gap are at an all-time high. But are
these conversations translating into actionable steps?

In E-School, the average salary offered was nearly the same for men and women.
In B-School, 55% of men received an offer of over INR 16 LPA, but only 45% of
women received an offer above INR 16 LPA.

However, within Arts, Science and Commerce, there is a significant difference in

the most common offer. Here most men, i.e. 36%, received an offer between
INR 6-10 LPA. But only 19% of women received an offer of INR 6-10 LPA.

INR
6-10 LPA
INR
2-5 LPA

The most common offer for females in the Arts, Science & Commerce domain
was actually INR 2-5 LPA - half of what the men received. 39% of women
received this offer.

It’s high time that companies, across industries, equally value the contributions of
men and women. A salary package should not be determined by gender but by
skill set.

12
 TA L E N T
Talks

Engaging Path To
“
TALENT DISCOVERY
We also do off-campus
hiring through GRiD,
Sumit Chandra because of its ability to
Director- Leadership Hiring and engage with students
University Relations, Flipkart

We chose engagements to hire candidates because of 3 reasons:

• Engaging with a large number of students at once

• Solving real-life problem statements is exciting for students
• Democratizing hiring allows talent to experiment, learn, and
unlearn

Catch the
full episode
The fresher community of India is rich & through these here
engagements, we need to give them the right path.

Flipkart engaged with Subscribe Like

10,00,000 students across disciplines Blogs

Scan to watch

13
 Engaging Minds, Winning Hearts

Switch To The Right Engagement

What pushes a student to engage with a company online? The simple answer is
jobs! Students chose regular job and internship openings as the primary reason
for engaging with companies online.

But when the onus is on companies, 38% of HRs choose social media campaigns
as the most preferred way of promoting their brand awareness, followed by
placement talks.

While competitions are the top-most choice for 77% of students, they ranked
third for HRs, showcasing a need for introspection for HR leaders.

77%
38%
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPETITIONS*

STUDENTS
CAMPAIGNS

HRs

*Competitions include case studies, quizzes, hackathons, simulations, etc.

14
Gen Z may be living on the gram, but social media takes a back seat when
connecting with their dream companies. Social media campaigns ranked fourth
for E-School students and last for B-School students as a preferred way of
connecting with companies.

Companies must recognize and invest in the right communication channel to

attract and engage with top talent - which, by a clear majority, is competition.
In most colleges, more than half of the student population actively participates in
competition-based hiring.

How Students Like To Engage With Companies?

B-School E-School Arts, Science & Commerce

Competitions* Competitions* Competitions*

Placement Talks Placement Talks Placement Talks

Leadership Lectures Workshops Social Media Campaigns

*Competitions include case studies, quizzes, hackathons, simulations, etc.

Last year, 65% of undergraduates ranked competitions on top of

all activities companies use to engage with students. The number
rose to 77% this year.

15
 Nothing Works Like Competitions

The intrinsic value of competitions in building the skill set (a requisite for recruiters)
and securing a job (the end goal for most graduates) is not lost on anybody - not
even University Partners, 26% of whom admitted that competitions can help
students fetch a better CTC.

Motivations for Participating in Competitions

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

PPOs & Prize Money Gratification International

PPIs Trip

Companies can leverage PPIs as rewards in competitions to reach a greater

majority of the student population, as well as attract better talent. Flipkart GRiD
5.0 offered PPIs for SDE roles with an expected compensation of INR 32 LPA (for
full-time roles) and INR 1 LPA (for internships).

With
registrations, Flipkart saw a 70X jump

4,70,000 over season 1. It was 2x the number of

students who took the 2022 CAT exam.

16
Role Of Competitions Beyond Rewards

Students also hold competitions in high regard for honing their skills, giving a
platform to showcase their talent, and improving resumes.

For 78% of B-School and 79% of Arts, Science & Commerce students, the biggest
takeaway of participating in a competition was the chance to hone their skills. For
E-School students though, it was all about the flex.

72% of E-School students believed competitions gave them a chance to showcase

their talents - but the chance to hone their skills was at a close second.

Takeaways from Competitions for Students

Key Takeaways for Key Takeaways for Key Takeaways for

B-School E-School Arts, Science & Commerce

Hone your skills Showcase your talent Hone your skills

Showcase your talent Hone your skills Showcase your talent

Build a better resume Build a better resume Build a better resume

17
 TA L E N T
Talks

Hit PAUSE on
Your CAREER!
“
Enough investment
is not being made
Santosh TK in terms of how resilient,
adaptable, and flexible
Director, Talent Acquisition students can be
Dell Technologies

Students enter organizations with

domain knowledge but it is more
important to have the right attitude.

Skills can be taught through certifications

and training. But students should have an Catch the
open mind when they walk into the office. full episode
here

The first step to failure begins when students

enter the workspace with an “I know it all” attitude.
Instead, the mindset should be that they have a
repository of skills but there is more that they can
learn through their career journey.

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18
Assessment: Fixing The
Missing Puzzle

The Recruiter’s Lookout List

In the current economy, there is a growing demand for skill sets. 88% of HRs
consider skill set to be the most important element in a resume, ranking it above
academics and past experience.

For 70% of HRs, an increased focus on skills-based hiring also improved results.

Top Changes That Positively Impacted Hiring

Skill-Based Hiring

Employer Branding

Diversity Hiring

The writing on the wall is clear - recruiters are not looking at where
you get the skills from, but at the skills you possess.

19
 There is a significant change in the recruitment process - one where a candidate
can surpass even experienced competitors by adopting the right skills, be it
through workshops, online courses, or competitions. 68% of HRs use a combination
of resume screening and skill assessments to initially shortlist candidates.

Students also want to be chosen for a role based on their skill sets. But
what are the skills that recruiters value?

Most Valued Skills by Recruiters

Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking

Communication & interpersonal skill

Adaptability & flexibility

Domain-specific competence

Creativity & innovation

Cognitive skills rank above technical knowledge or domain competence, indicating

the growing need for individuals with the right knowledge and attitude for work.

And what about the digital future? In the age of digitalization, recruiters value
individuals with contemporary skills required in the modern workplace. Being
tech-savvy is no longer a trend, but a necessity.

The top three future skills that HRs think students should focus on are Cross
Collaboration, Data Literacy, and Digital Communication skills.

20
TA L E N T
Talks
Can you
Risk a CAREER
“
SWITCH?
The good thing we see today is
that there are so many options
for students. They should
Roshni Wadhwa take advantage of the openness
provided by employers to explore
HR Transformation Director
L’Oréal

Back in the day

, there were lim
options and we ited
were not
encouraged to
take any risk an
had one chance d
to win.
Today people sh
ould take the
opportunity to
do an internship Catch the
And they should . full episode
engage a lot in
that phase. here

This is another
chance for
students to und
erstand that it
isn’t just the org
anization testin
the interns. g

It is also the inte

rns evaluating th
role, their know e
ledge and the Subscribe Like

environment of
the company. Blogs

Scan to watch

21
 Solving The Talent-Role Mismatch

When both students and HRs consider skill set as the key consideration to getting
a job, why is the right talent not finding the right role? The gap is in how students
and HRs view the effectiveness of college curricula.

91% of students believe their college curricula offer an

adequate level of preparedness for a job.

But for
JOB
But for

66%
of recruiters
and 42% of
University Partners
skill gap & lack of
preparation, respectively,
are major challenges
in campus recruitment.

According to the majority of HRs, the three key changes in college curriculum
that can help make students more employable are:

• Greater exposure to real-world projects

• Increased practical application
• Enhanced focus on problem-solving skills

Students echo the sentiment. It’s noteworthy that a competition is the only
platform to provide access to all of the three facets of improving a student’s
employability. Simply put, greater participation in competitions can boost CV
points, provide practical exposure, and enhance an applicant’s employability.

22
 Apart from competitions, students are also choosing to upskill through other means,
from online courses to live projects, guest lectures, and of course, internships.

Top 3 Ways In Which Students Upskill

ONLINE ONLINE
COURSES COURSES

INTERNSHIPS
67% INTERNSHIPS
77%
63% 74%

60% B-School 65% E-School

LIVE PROJECTS LIVE PROJECTS

ONLINE
INTERNSHIPS 76% COURSES

75%

CERTIFICATIONS
66% Arts, Science &
Commerce

Participants ranked their preferences. While the percentages do not perfectly add up
to 100%, the ranking order and relative popularity of each option remain accurate.

42% of University Partners believe that a lack of preparation is why

students are not getting placed, irrespective of good companies
coming to campus.

23
 The Next Edition Of Talent

For HRs, the top challenges in campus recruitment are the skill gap and the
inability to discover the right talent. Thus, for most recruiters, the future of talent
acquisition in 2024 is about finding the best way to discover, engage, and
assess top talent.

Talent Acquisition Priorities for 2024

Priority
for 2024

1 Attract & engage best talent

2 Discover right talent

3 Shorten hiring time cycle

4 Prioritize upskilling & reskilling

5 Skill-based hiring

Apart from these top five priorities, an increased focus on diversity hiring
positively impacted recruitment for 48% of HRs.

Thus, there’s a strategic focus on making the hiring more diverse and inclusive in
2024. 86% of HRs feel that providing equal opportunities for applicants across
genders helps in making hiring more diverse and inclusive.

24
Chasing An Impossible Dream: The Dream Job

For students, there is a growing concern about the job market.

53%
of students admit that their biggest fear is
the inability to find a job in their
preferred field.

60%
prefer job security

40%
prefer pay hikes

B-Schoolers are also worried about balancing work and personal life. But for
E-school, Arts, Science & Commerce graduates, a lack of on-the-job training is
also a top concern.

25
 Performance Reviews At The Workplace

Undergraduates are not just scared about the lack of on-the-job training but are
also actively seeking feedback from managers at the workplace.

When asked about how often they would like to receive feedback, 51% of all
students selected monthly feedback.

For B-Schoolers, the second option was quarterly feedback. But for E-School,
Art, Science and Commerce students, it was feedback on a project completion
basis.

Frequency of Monthly Feedback at the Workplace

51%
B-Schoolers want
monthly feedback

48%
Undergraduates
want monthly
feedback

11% of HRs conduct monthly performance reviews

Are companies prepared to offer regular feedback? Currently, only 11% of HRs
conduct monthly performance reviews for entry-level employees. In most
organizations, performance reviews are conducted at a quarterly frequency.

26
 TA L E N T
Talks

The right mentor

at the right time can
“
be LIFE CHANGING
Mentorship at any
stage in life is helpful.
And it does not have to
Suresh B R always be in a formal
Company Head setting of a job
HR, Bosch

Mentorship can be found in everyday life from

people who are experienced in different fields.

Because life offers us multiple mentors.

It could often be someone’s grandmother or aunt

who helps guide them through the ups and
downs of life, from their own experience. Catch the
full episode
here
Recognising the need within organizations to
create opportunities for employees to be
mentored is a responsibility we need to take up.

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27
 A Growing Need For Mentors

Is there a growing need for feedback and training at the workplace because
colleges are not able to provide adequate support to students?

Colleges usually conduct monthly workshops by industry leaders to keep

students informed about current company requirements and trending
technologies. A majority of the University Partners struggle with time constraints
and matching students' varied skill sets with the right mentors when organizing
these trainings.

only

28%
of colleges conduct monthly workshops by
industry leaders. 11% conduct them
just once a year.

Currently, on average Unstop organizes 100+ mentorship sessions every day.

Over the last few days, 7,000+ sessions and 30+ masterclasses have been
conducted with 2,000+ mentors. These sessions have helped thousands of
Unstop users get the right guidance on a gamut of areas, from Interview
Preparation, Honing SDE Skills, Cracking Consulting Roles and MBA Preparation
to Work-Life Balance and even Leave Travel Planning, etc.

28
VOICE OF
Students

“
Do not just look at our resumes.
Give us the actual problem and let us share a solution

Catch the
We believe hiring processes can be full episode
here
changed. To find the right talent.
Not just by our skill sets. But also by
checking the cultural fit.

We have realized how one company

can not be a dream company.

The dream is - Subscribe Like

the role, the package, Blogs

or the Brand. Scan to watch

29
 What After Graduation?
What do students want to do after graduation? A corporate role, a startup
adventure, or start their venture?

After Graduation Plans A Job

(Corporate or
Startup)

Work independently
(Freelancing or
81% 10% 9% Entrepreneurship)
B-School

Further Education
(In India, or Abroad)

75% 8% 17%
E-School

46% 12% 42%

Arts, Science
& Commerce

Everyone wants a corporate job, but the choice of company

differs. 45% of B-School students would prefer working with
an established or legacy firm, but 52% of E-School and 45% of Arts,
Science and Commerce students said they are open to working
with any company.

There has been a drop from 14% last year, to 10%, of students who want
to work specifically for a start-up. Start-ups with up to $10 Mn funding
and/or up to 3 years of establishment were the last choice for all students.

On average, campus recruits spend 2-3 years in an

organization. In Technology, BFSI/Fintech, E-commerce and
Startups sectors, students generally spend 1-2 years in a
company before switching.

30
Where Do Students Want To Work?

Consulting tops the tally of the most sought-after sector for B-School and other
UG students whereas Tech takes the first place for Engineers. However, among
B-Schoolers, FMCG held its spot from last year as the most preferred sector for
females.

Top 3 Sector Preferences of

Students

gy Techn
Technolo ology
MCD erce
FMCG/F E-Comm Educa
n s u lting tion Co
& Co Manu re
1)
(Tied at fac
& Eng turing
ineerin
g
&
Banking
l
Financia Techn Bankin
s / ology g
CD S e rv ic e Finan &
FMCG/FM Finte c h Servic
cial
ing
Consult es E-Com
Fintec / merce
h

L
B-SCHOO E-SCH
OOL

FOR WOMEN

FOR MEN
Consulting Education E-Commerce

E-Commerce Technology Consulting

ARTS, SCIENCE & COMMERCE

This year, Marketing is back on top as General Management slips to the second
spot in the most preferred domain that B-School students want to work in. The
top two domains Arts, Science & Commerce students want to work in are Finance
and Analytics. For E-Schoolers, IT and Analytics take the top spot.

31
 What Is The Deciding Factor?

Before deciding on a place to work, students want the insider’s track. B-School
students prefer to hear from college alumni working in the company. E-School,
Arts, Science & Commerce students prefer feedback from any current employee,
other than college alumni.

Most Valued Feedback

Current
employees
(excluding alumni) College Alumni
working in the
company

Online
Reviews

Beyond feedback, career advancement opportunities hold a greater influence

than a competitive salary and benefits for students. Interestingly, flexibility
to change your domain and a diverse and inclusive environment hold
the least importance for students.

For B-School and Arts, Science & Commerce students, competitive

salary and benefits are more important than the company’s
potential growth. But the reverse is true for E-school students.

32
How Do Students Want To Work?
Answering The 70-Hour Question

For a generation predominantly choosing the corporate life, is GenZ willing to put
in the working hours? Yes - but not just from the office!

Students would rather work in a hybrid model than from an office or a remote
setting. However, among undergraduates (E-School, Arts, Science and
Commerce students), women would rather work from the office instead of a
hybrid work model.

As far as the average work week is concerned, 67% of students prefer not to
work more than 40-50 hours per week. And what do the HRs believe? Most HRs
are already aligned with students’ expectations about the working style, offering
limited to negligible support for remote work or 70-hour work weeks.

Weekly Working Hours

65% of HRs said they expect
employees to work 40 to 45
hours per week.
Working Mode
54% of HRs said their
organization’s preferred
working mode is hybrid.

The Working
Style as per HRs

33
 Salary & Benefits

In-hand salary or the amount hitting the account remains the most valuable salary
component this year as well, with Perks and Benefits taking the second spot.

Top 5 Preferences In The Compensation Structure

In-Hand Salary

Perks & Benefits

Components

Performance Bonus

ESOPs

Variable Pay

Though the preferences in terms of compensation structure are aligned among

the three domains, there is a wide gap between the expected minimum monthly
in-hand salary.

B-Schoolers expect a minimum monthly in-hand salary between INR

1,00,000-1,50,000. For E-School students, it is between INR 60,000 to INR
1,00,000, and for Arts, Science & Commerce students, it is INR 30,000-60,000.

3 out of 5 HRs said the average percentage increase in salaries

of MBA/Engineering freshers is anywhere between 10%-20%.
Only 12% of HRs offer a hike of over 20%.

34
Summary

In the new age of talent acquisition, hiring is on the rise. The missing
conversations between the three primary stakeholders of the hiring circle, HRs,
University Partners, and Students, is a great opportunity.

When it comes to talent discovery and campus recruitment, college curricula

need an overhaul to make students more employable and skilled because
nothing gets the job done better than the right skill set.

At the same time, companies also need to find the right engagement medium to
connect with students. Competitions have consistently remained the preferred
engagement medium for students. It’s time companies tap into this channel and
connect with the top talent.

Students have also expressed interest in receiving guidance and training at the
workplace. In such a scenario, the role of mentorship becomes even more
crucial.

Lastly, students find the traditional hiring processes to be boring. Students, who
are actively upskilling through competitions, courses and internships, believe
companies need to focus on finding the right cultural fit.

It’s only by aligning the desires of all three stakeholders that hiring can become
more cohesive, engaging, and collaborative.

Ultimately, it is not just about finding the right talent but also attracting them. It
is not just about offering candidates the best offer on board but also about
giving them the right tools, mentors, and guidance to unlock their true potential.

35
 Unstop Employer Brand
Track 2024

Where does my employer brand rank? What are the students thinking about my
brand? The questions in every leader’s mind are the same.

Introducing the Unstop Employer Brand Track. A comprehensive, first-of-its-kind

brand track to measure and help understand the equity of your employer brand in
the minds of the potential talent pool. Based completely on the responses of the
students, this shall share authentic insights that were thus far non-existent about
the future of talent.

Dream Companies and Desirable Employers to

Work for 2024

Students cast their vote to pick their dream brand across industries and domains.
Here are the results for 2024:

1. Across all B-Schools, Google is at the top of the list of dream companies to
work for, followed by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), McKinsey and
Company, and Amazon, in that order.
2. Google also emerges as the dream company to work for across E-schools.
Microsoft ranks second, with Amazon coming third.
3. In the FMCG sector, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is the most desirable
company, with ITC Limited and Nestlé coming second and third, respectively.
4. JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs and HDFC Bank, in that order, are
the most desirable Banking and Finance companies.
5. Zomato is the most popular next-gen recruiter. Myntra, Nykaa, Swiggy and
Meesho, in that order, close the top 5 list.
6. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is the most popular consulting firm on the
list, followed by McKinsey and Company and Bain & Company, in that order.
7. For the General Management profile, students favoured Tata Administrative
Services (TAS). Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Aditya Birla Group,
Mahindra Group and Adani Group, in that order, are the top 5 choices.
8. For engineers, Google is the most attractive employer in the category of
Product-based companies and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) topped the
list in the category of Service-based companies.

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Unstop SuperBrand of 2024

There are brands. And then there is the SuperBrand. The

ones which stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Because they have earned the trust over years of
consistent efforts and brand building as employer brands.

A look at the companies that made it to the Unstop

SuperBrand 2024. These brands have established the
strongest connection with their audience, earning the
reputation of being the crème de la crème. And this kind
of connection is nothing short of a superpower.

SuperBrand
Dream Companies

Top 10 Top 10
All
Premier Premier
B-Schools
B-School B-School

All
E-Schools

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www.unstop.com