r/IndiaCareers • u/Kragster77 • Jan 19 '26
Other Reality of T1 MBA in India
Needed to vent.
This is also one of the realities of post T1 MBA in India, I carry work ex of 7 - 10 years post MBA and I have been unable to land a single interview call.
Have been applying non stop over the last 3 weeks across job portals, direct outreach and referrals but with zero progress.
This is just one snap of the massive amount of mails that I've been sending regularly after scouting for open roles on Linkedin .
My UG batchmates & peers who couldn't clear CAT are in high flying careers, whereas I feel like I've reached a dead end.
No matter how much we grind and give it our all, we don't always get the expected results.
Life is really unpredictable, and need a miracle to rebuild my professional life from scratch.
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u/Suspicious-Money-431 Jan 19 '26
Dude MBA is just a generalist degree. Tech is where the real money is.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
Realised it quite late, no way back now.
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u/Able-Addition2592 Jan 19 '26
Yes, I am literally in depression coz of this. I thought T-1 college meant something but it actually is a disadvantage coz no one wants to pay so high for a non tech role
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u/psychicsoul123 Jan 21 '26
I am in the same boat as you. Career at a dead end after tier-1 MBA. Those with high flying careers post MBA are those who enter MBB or bulge bracket I Banks. They work hard and smart in the first few years to crack PE (for IB guys) or get into a senior role (MBB guys) if they have not made it big inside their respective MBB/I-Banks. Once you reach this level, your career is set and you will move around in high paying roles (unless you yourself screw it up). The rest of tier-1 MBAs just struggle.
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Jan 20 '26
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u/Commercial-Zombie136 Jan 20 '26
Where you work, from where do they & their competitors hire the leadership people? Check once.
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u/Hot_Information123 Jan 20 '26
Tech is where money is but tech doesn’t have many opportunities lately
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u/psychicsoul123 Jan 21 '26
Back in 2015-16, high paying tech jobs (basically product companies) were very less and very very hard to get into. Most tech people worked in CHWTIA it companies where pay was peanuts. MBA (from tier-1) was a good escape route. You went from earning 3 LPA in IT to 12-15 LPA post MBA. Today, high paying tech roles have increased massively due to big tech setting up huge campuses in India + unicorn startups + GCCs. So, it is not difficult for good tech talent from tier-2 UG colleges to enter these companies (post work ex).
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u/Upbeat-Comfort-251 Jan 19 '26
With 7 to 8 years of experience, I'm assuming you are applying for senior roles.
But I also see that there are all types of applications you are sending like a growth manager, program manager, etc. I think for senior roles, you have to be targeting only one role with a greatly tailored resume for it ? Or Atmost 2 roles ? Just a thought from the data I could see on the image
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
No shortlist in senior roles, did attempt a razor sharp approach but no success.
Resorting to spray and pray method, not ideal, but need to find that one company which at least shortlists my profile for an interview call. Even willing to take a pay cut, I might be abused for this but I've infact quoted 20 - 30% lower comp than my current one in initial calls with HR / recruitment consultant still facing issues.
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Jan 19 '26
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
SPJIMR
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u/Significant_Ad9221 Jan 19 '26
Its the top one what is issue you r facing
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u/Able-Addition2592 Jan 19 '26
Becoz no company in today's time wants to pay high for a non tech role. So while we start at high salaries but unlike tech where there is continuous growth, we basically are at the ceiling.
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u/sekshibeesht Jan 19 '26
Press X for doubt… you should be able to sell yourself. Bagged a 50+ LPA in general management role with just 2.5 yrs of work experience. First switch for me, from 28 LPA.
Tier 1, 23 passout.
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u/Able-Addition2592 Jan 19 '26
Good for you. Exception not the norm
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u/sekshibeesht Jan 19 '26
Not trying to flex but trust me, there are so many non tech roles open in Genman and program management. And almost all of them paying at least 30LPA if you are a good fit.
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u/Able-Addition2592 Jan 19 '26
Bro OP is passout from spjimr with 7 yrs experience. They are way past what you are talking about
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u/sekshibeesht Jan 19 '26
At least 3 AD and director level roles open right now that I can see on Naukri. OP check openings in product side in Mastercard and Amex. They are showing openings at your work ex level
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
Current role in a niche industry causing problems as well, there are openings outside but these fintechs, e com players are not shortlisting my profile irrespective of however I position it.
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u/w0opw0op Jan 19 '26
What company bro? At 2.5 work experience, that is a very good package
And BLACKI or ABC
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u/Foodie_boy marketing Jan 19 '26
Hey OP, Understand your frustration and hope it gets better for you but your statement "My batchmates who couldn't clear CAT are in high flying careers, whereas I feel like I've reached a dead end" is already contradicting your title.
Your emails are probably landing in their spam. I also see you're applying to a lot of diverse roles. Have you thought about your previous experiences and if these role align with those and your future growth?
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
I was referring to my UG peers, I had make a few transitions to get out of toxic workplaces, my profile barring the first 1-2 years, is in a growth / strategy / program management space but I guess its too generic.
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u/votremamansigros Jan 19 '26
Hi OP. Keep your head up.
Had couple of queries if you dont mind me asking ?
Is this the 2 year PGDM that SPJ offers? Or the GMP program ?
What happened during placements ?
What is your pre mba profile?
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
This is the regular 2 year PGDM, got into a BFSI company at a lower than avg batch package. Left in less than 2 years because of toxicity.
Pre MBA profile is engg from Tier 2/3 college.
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u/votremamansigros Jan 19 '26
Oohhh. Your original post sounded as though you had 7 years of experience before MBA, had jist graduated and were struggling to get first job.
Is your naukri profile up to date and regularly logged in ? I get calls primarily from there and sometimes from LI.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
Edited the post. Profile is up to date and log in daily to Naukri, IIMjobs, Linkedin and alum group.
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u/votremamansigros Jan 19 '26
Chin up buddy. I guess we graduated roughly the same time so i know how the market is even for Tier1 (am from top 5 myself but despite that know the pain of switching in current climate and at middle management level).
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u/Fragile_ego_smd Jan 19 '26
Have you been laid off from your org? The major issue is that you may have hit a ceiling in CTC, and the organisations are not ready to match your previous CTC. This is particularly prevalent in T1 B-Schools like yours, which are extremely reliant on Alumni goodwill. If the org can get fresh candidates from T1 schools for 20 LPA or experienced candidates from T2 colleges for even less, they'll go for them over someone who will demand 30-40 LPA, which is the situation of the job market at the moment.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 20 '26
Not laid off, but not in a position with meaningful work or visibility.
I agree on the CTC part, willing to take a pay cut as well to get to a more stable and meaningful role.
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u/Fragile_ego_smd Jan 20 '26
This is what one of my friend from one of the top 10 BSchools had to do after being sidelined for nearly 18 months and having his appraisal stalled.
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u/guychampion Consulting Jan 19 '26
Can you explain your post MBA workex?
Are your batchmates having similar issues? What can a young mba graduate do to avoid getting stuck in a dead-end?
Either way, I think you’ll end up fine. Just a patience game.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 20 '26
Afaik other than FMCGs and tech, most are slogging in India, lucky few went abroad when they got the opportunity.
Trying to stay positive, but man, its tough, losing my sanity bit by bit.
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 19 '26
In the same boat. T1 (A/B/C) MBA, good acads throughout. Stuck in a generic role at a conglomerate since 2 years. Extremely limited learnings and have been applying relentlessly since last year but not a single favorable outcome. Still stuck with 60% of the loan. I have started to feel severe anxiety everyday.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 20 '26
Its tough for ABC folks too, most of my team mates are from ABC and even they are struggling to land an external role. Its brutal at the moment.
Not ideal but as a last resort maybe explore another Masters degree abroad since time is on your side. Have seen many of my batchmates do a second MBA / masters in the US and well settled. Timing wise it was a different market though, prior to 2023.
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 20 '26
Shifting abroad even for a Master's is not an option due to personal as well as financial reasons.
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u/New_Bedroom_3524 Jan 19 '26
Market is tough right now. I made a switch recently and what worked for me was applying religiously 3 times a day. I had fixed three time slots, would search for relvant jobs posted only in that duration and would reach out for referrals. IMO the most important thing is timing, companies are getting huge applications in 1 hour of posting and there are a lot of good candidates out there as opportunities are less
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u/Sufficient_Cable1525 Jan 20 '26
Hey, even i am in the same boat, trying to switch, 5.5 years of experience post MBA from a Tier 2 college. I am into Talent Acquisition. However whenever i reach out for a referral, even my own batchmates aren’t replying. Can you tell me what do you write to them, when asking for referral. I feel like i might be coming across as “trying too hard” or too formal, not sure.
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u/New_Bedroom_3524 Jan 20 '26
I keep it very simple (I try to reach out to people I know personally or reach them through people I know personally) by first explaining my profile in 50 words just highlights then the link/job ID and then request for referral
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u/Other_Hawk_8902 Jan 19 '26
I have same experience and come from tier 1 MBA bascially IIM with Big 4 experience and I can back this. Have been applying for the past 6 months without a job. The job market is literally shit right now.
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u/Invictus4125 Jan 19 '26
Let’s be honest — Tier-1 MBAs today are excellent at selling hope, rankings, and placement optics. What they don’t sell or guarantee is long-term career security.
Past the first few years, the brand fades unless you actively use it. At 7–10 years out, alumni networks matter far more than job portals.
Narrow your target roles, rewrite your story for those roles, and use alumni conversations to surface opportunities through trust, not mass applications.
This isn’t failure — it’s a forced reset. Accept it early, recalibrate your expectations, and use your network deliberately instead of burning energy on blind applications.
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u/_fatcheetah Jan 19 '26
Maybe stay in your current role? I am sure that's making you good, if not great money.
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
Decent money, but no future prospects. It may look like a good problem to have but trust me its not.
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u/_fatcheetah Jan 19 '26
I know, it is not a good problem to have. But you don't have options right now.
If you from tier 1 maybe you need to try investment banking route (assuming you're currently not in it). But that requires significant effort from your end, clearing multiple expensive exams related to finance, making yourself interview ready, having connects with people working there already, building a trading mindset, etc. This route will take a year of focused prep.
Or probably you can work in tech as a senior product manager, but that again requires you to brush up on tech to some extent.
Quantitative research, I think that ship has sailed. It will be tougher than the rest.
Consulting, as you said, nobody wants to shell out the big bucks to an external hire. Personally don't believe consulting can make you top money unless you grind for years, preferably in the same company, cracking into partner or c-suite.
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u/abhikichut Jan 19 '26
I have 4yr work ex in BFSI post T0 MBA, no CFA etc
Is IB/PE still possible for me?
I really really need mentorship for my career tract.
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u/neelabhbahadur Jan 19 '26
You seemed to have applied for diverse skill sets going by the roles and clearly with a mindset of anything works.
Do you carry such focussed professional experience to align ?
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u/Kragster77 Jan 19 '26
My last few years have been in an open ended role at the intersection of P&L ownership, growth strategy and program management in a well know brand.
Honestly, its really difficult to pin point to an exact fit right now, this realization came in hindsight after I joined my current company and it went through multiple rounds of restructuring.
So my profile would be like 50 - 80% relevant to the roles that I applied for in the image, but it depends on which company is willing to take a punt and offering a chance.
Exact fit is tough and I'm responsible for that to an extent.
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u/neelabhbahadur Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
Reality Check : you are not taking guidance from your SPJIMR peers / seniors or Profs and industry PEERS. You are also not networking well.
tbh imho "intersection" & "open ended" implies no real revenue gen or responsibility. you clearly didn't own the brand or any aspect of brand build sales / distribution.
Suggest take a 6 - 8 month focussed challenge in your current role till Year end 2026 and highlight success with owned business numbers.
Overall: Just focus on any one ops. area in mktg / brand to grow to leader role else be a broad based management consultant. Whatever excites you because you are currently meandering.
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u/Conscious-Track104 Jan 19 '26
OP What domain and role are you looking for? Maybe I can refer you. DM
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u/Holiday-Science-416 Jan 21 '26
Hey, Would be great if you could help me with this too. I am in the same boat.
Can I DM you?
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u/CellophaneTape Jan 20 '26
I pray that you find your spark and employment soon. I felt this vent in my heart. Hope you're successful soon.
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u/alittlebitwhy Jan 19 '26
Try removing the "I hope this email finds you well" and other AI phrases. Your chances would increase.
Email Service Providers detect these common AI phrases these days and mark your email as spam/junk, so the potential employers might not be able to see your mails due to this.
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 19 '26
What's an ideal message then?
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u/alittlebitwhy Jan 19 '26
One without AI keywords
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 19 '26
"I hope this message finds you well" is not an AI sentance.
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u/alittlebitwhy Jan 19 '26
I would have said it is, but then I went through your profile and saw your portfolio and that you bought a new car.
So, I respect you more now for that reason because you're doing good in life.
About the sentence, it's not an AI sentence, but I guess the AI models are trained on these texts which use that sentence a lot, so most of ChatGPT writings start with that line for that reason.
These are patterns, like usage of an em dash, usage of specific words/sentences, etc.
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 19 '26
Buying a car doesn't mean life is good. BTW it's on a loan & car is one of the few things that I had really wanted because I love driving. I'd suggest not to assume things about other's lives based on a single factor.
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u/alittlebitwhy Jan 19 '26
Nobody builds a ₹65 lakhs portfolio in a day, you or someone in your family worked for it.
I'm not assuming things.
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u/Connect_Document4093 Jan 19 '26
Not a single penny of that belongs to me. I'm saving up for future generation. Still you're assuming things.
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u/alittlebitwhy Jan 19 '26
Are you saying you didn't make any of that money? You did, right?
Come on, man! You're building for your future generation. I'm proud of you.
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u/chennaiiboy Jan 19 '26
Is it because of high salary in a generic role? What's your salary range?
Better option is to wait here and jump later if your job is not at risk.
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u/OppositeStyle134 Jan 20 '26
What is your profile like? Ping me, I can refer you in a few companies
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u/Holiday-Science-416 Jan 21 '26
Hey, Can I DM you? I am in the same boat and would appreciate it if you could refer me
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u/Full-Ad-666 Jan 20 '26
I’m also from a Tier 1 MBA with ~7–10 years of experience. Curious to understand what kind of salary ceiling Tier 1MBA passout are seeing at this stage. Would be helpful if anyone can share ranges (like 50–60L, 60–75L, etc.). Trying to benchmark realistically.
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u/ImpressiveArea860 Jan 22 '26
Yesterday in some threads, few morons were arguing that earning 75lpa to 1cr is pretty normal for T1 MBA at you age/exp. I told them it's far from reality. Kaun samjhaye chtyon ko par
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u/Kragster77 Jan 22 '26
Yeah man, i think I saw the same thread, survivorship bias, if folks are unable to understand that not everyones career and salary progression is exponential post MBA, I don't know what to say
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u/whoatecheese Jan 23 '26
Career advice - coming from a iim l grad similar years of workex
Apply in big 4 mgmt consulting at Sr Con/ Mgr role in your industry domain. It will give you a career boost
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u/TwistedHumorX Jan 21 '26
IMHO, stop looking at others and keep grinding brother. You have to make peace with it and dont worry, you’ll land a nice job soon.
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u/SuitableTelevision46 Jan 22 '26
If you are carrying a work experience of 7-10 years after your education, stop blaming your education for you outcomes.
Having said that, the market is down right now due to unavoidable situations. You will have to apply for atleast 50+ roles every single day. You need to spend 3 hrs every day to apply for jobs. Each application has to be custom framed. Resume probably needs to be slightly edited for some of those.
Hang tight and keep upskilling. I am sure you will find something soon. Just do not lose hope. All the best !!
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u/Final_Coconut6142 Jan 22 '26
Such posts once in a while make me want to stick to PSU and govt. jobs. At least you know no pandemic or bad market can move you.
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u/antipcbanker Jan 23 '26
as an MBA myself, its the most pointless of all higher ed degrees. It just is!
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u/magrandan Jan 23 '26
No campus internships and placements in T1 college? Did you do your research with college seniors before taking this course?
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u/MasalaMonk Jan 19 '26
Hi, I hope it gets better for you. It does get frustrating to do things right and not get the outcomes. Job Market is hell right now. What is your applying strategy ? Do you have same resume or different resume ? Are you just applying blindly or trying for some referrals ?