This approach has benefits for both parties. With a well-designed challenge, organizations can help freshers get a real sense of the kind of work that happens in the company. The competition also outlines the skills needed in the organizations. For students, this becomes a fun, engaging, and practical way to showcase their skills, learn with peers, and to get access to internships or jobs, not to mention the prizes at the competition.

For example, Flipkart organizes GRiD 5.0, a competition for engineering college students. The winners can get a chance to attend pre-placement interviews (PPIs) and also get pre-placement offers (PPOs). The internship stipend through the event has gone up by 100% between 2021 and 2023 and the salary being offered has gone up by 20% according to Unstop data.

Companies conduct such events for non-engineering students also. The Tata group recently launched the Tata Imagination Challenge 2023 for students from all disciplines. It saw 2.6 lakh registrations. The Tata Crucible Campus Quiz 2023, which saw around 1.3 lakh registrations, is also a possible internship avenue into the group.

HCCB (Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages) conducted the Coca-Cola Disrupt Season 3, which saw 92,000 registrations. The top teams had a chance to bag PPIs and PPOs.

Flipkart conducted a challenge called Flipkart WiRed which received 60,000 registrations. Selected students received PPIs.

EY recently conducted Techathon 4.0, which gave students from all domains the chance to reimagine possibilities using generative AI. The opportunity saw a high level of interest: 1,25,000 students registered for it from all corners of the country. Winners got internship opportunities along with prizes worth Rs 5,00,000.

HUL, HDFC Bank, and others had competitions to select candidates from MBA, arts, and science streams for finance and sales roles. Amazon, Air India, Pidilite, Asian Paints, AB InBev, and Wipro also created challenges for MBA students. The focus of these were strategy and operations.
This trend might continue in the near term. While it is beneficial for both recruiters and students, recruiters must ensure the program’s objectives and outcomes are clear, especially the link with hiring.

What is important for students is to decide which of these platforms is best suited to showcase their skills, and has a higher chance of landing an internship or offer; otherwise they will just lose time and resources by participating in the wrong competitions.