IIT Placement Guidelines: Students told to remove JEE ranks, GATE scores from resumes

In a significant move, the All IITs Placement Committee (AIPC) has directed students from all 23 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) to remove their Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) ranks and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) scores and similar entrance test details from their resumes, TOI reported.

Earlier, Academia360 reported that the proposal to remove entrance test marks and ranks from students CVs was discussed at the last AIPC meeting and was awaiting approval.

The AIPC’s decision in the change in placement guidelines aims to ensure an unbiased recruitment process, as “sometimes companies infer whether a student belonged to the general or reserved category by comparing a candidate's rank with the opening and closing ranks of a particular IIT programme,” as per the report.

IIT Placements: Strict rules against job offer withdrawals

Moreover, the committee has also announced to take stricter action against companies that withdraw job offers after selection by restricting them for future engagement with IITs for up to two years if their reasons are found to be dissatisfying, it said.

“The measures reflect a growing concern within the IIT system that fairness in recruitment depends not only on how students are evaluated, but also on how they are treated once selected,” the report added.

John Jose, AIPC convenor, in the report, stated: "The distinction is an important one. An entrance examination captures a moment in time. A degree reflects years of work that follow. The objective is that students should be evaluated on their competence, skills and achievements at IIT. What will disappear is the score that opened the gate.”

Emphasising that a rank which was more important than a number for decades, the IITs said that those ranks should not accompany students into the job market, as per the report.

Students can share JEE ranks, GATE scores if requested: IITs Placement Cell

Notably, the revised rules for placement will allow students to highlight their Cumulative Performance Index (CPI), project, internships, research work and other achievements earned at IITs, Jose said in the report.

However, students are allowed to share their entrance exam scores only if a recruiter demands, the report said. The entrance exam scores and ranks will no longer be part of the standard resume sent to the recruiters, it added.

"Students who accept an offer are typically removed from the placement process, such reversals can leave them stranded after missing other opportunities. To discourage the practice, IITs have begun documenting instances of offer withdrawals and seeking explanations from recruiters,” Josa explained in the news report.

Additionally, he also mentioned that the companies found retracting their offers may face restrictions on participation for the next two years in IIT recruitment drives, the report added.

In another major change, the IITs will now report median salaries rather than highlighting only the highest salary packages, a move aimed to get better data of placement outcomes.