T V Mohandas Pai, director, Human Resources and member of the Infosys board, is upfront and brutal -- whether it's taking potshots at hallowed institutions like the IITs or IIMs or rubbishing the unrealistic aspirations of today's generation. In an interview with Nandita Datta, he talks about changing trends in the career market and what that means for students searching for their dream job.

Is the IT services industry losing its shiny appeal as a career option?
IT services is still an attractive career option, but it's true that today, students have a wider choice. From 1995-96 until 2003-04, IT services was the top career option for everybody, because no other industry was growing as fast.

Since then, many other industries creating exciting job opportunities have come up. Today, a student does not have to restrict his career choice to IT services. And this is a good development. There must be a scenario where students have a variety of careers to choose from because it helps broad-base the job market.

But surely attracting top talent can't be easy with so many options around...
We now have to compete for the cream of talent, no question about it. Just because you're IT, talent won't flock to you anymore. You have to offer compelling reasons for people to come aboard. And, by this, I don't mean fat pay packets like the kind offered by investment banking firms until last year, but by creating an environment that offers opportunities for growth and learning.

Branding apart, what makes Infosys a good career choice?
We offer a truly global career. We equip people with skills that enable them to work in any part of the world. At Infosys, you're working with the best-in-class people and in the best-in-class company. Plus, as an organization we put a lot of emphasis on learning. In fact, the investments we make in our people are the highest compared to any company.

Have you noticed any change in the way students are short-listing companies for placement?
Over the last few years, the priority was all about salaries. Instead of taking a long-term view and opting for companies where they could make a career, students took a short-term opportunistic view and went for the best paymaster.

While this hasn't changed completely, we see some amount of realism coming in now. We are hearing students talk about sustainability of a career rather than going after a job because the money is great. I think students are beginning to realize that fat paycheques come with a certain amount of risk.