From the Editor

In the last couple of months, some two lakh Indians have entered the job market for the first time in their lives. This premise is based on a conservative estimate of 1,000 business schools and engineering colleges, each having placed an average of 100 students with different companies in the placement season that's just ended.

For a job fest of this magnitude, the annual campus recruitment has been a surprisingly understudied phenomenon. Of course, random news items of a company offering a record salary or an institute finishing placements in a record time do appear during the months of March and April. But a thorough and organised review of recruitments-both from the perspective of jobseekers and job providers-has been lacking.

This is what we set out to do, rather ambitiously some would say, three months ago. The exercise saw several ups and downs-for us and for our two knowledge partners MBA Universe and Synovate. The final result, however, is a significant step forward in capturing this single most important phenomenon in the Indian job market. Apart from always interesting facts and figures on salary and hiring, the package also highlights the evolving trends for all three stakeholders-the colleges, the students and the companies.

Sample this quote from a B-school grad that reflects the maturity that has dawned on the college campuses following the wrenching experiences of 2009: "If you have a sound career trajectory in place, compensation will follow" - implying that a majority of passouts this year is weighing job profile and employer background higher than the starting salary.

This patience over pelf is a watershed realisation-for jobseekers and for jobgivers. More such analyses await you in our cover package. An important caveat before you proceed: Our methodology is still a work in progress; so please read carefully the footnotes of the tables and other explanations on the methodology in the cover package. We will return with an even more comprehensive study next year.

Patience isn't a virtue only on campuses. We tell you why and how Daimler, the world leader in trucks, is spending a full six years in India before launching its first 'made for India, made in India' truck. Our HBR exclusive explains why building a patient partnership with the business you have acquired is better than trying to integrate it into your existing business. Was it patience-mixed with luck-that helped PNB almost unseat ICICI as the #2 bank in India? Find out.