How to improve your skills in 3rd and 4th year of engineering?

In India, millions of engineering graduates pass out every year from more than 3500+ colleges. The latest trends in the education sector suggest that the engineering colleges are burgeoning in every part of India with some astounding numbers in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

But according to a study by The Economic Times, more than 25% of the graduates passing out from engineering colleges are unemployed. In fact, the national employability report by a famous consulting agency has also stated that the entry-level salaries of these engineering freshers are deplorable and significantly lower than the graduates passing out from other streams.

During the course of the last few years, the number of jobs for engineering graduates has taken a serious hit. Even the opportunities in streams like IT, Computer Science, Electronics are dwindling at an exponential rate. Industry experts and HR managers have cited various reasons for this job crunch scenario in India. Some are of the belief that there is a shrinking demand for engineering graduates in the market which have caused this besmirching situation. Others believe that the scarcity of high-skilled graduates in the market is playing as a turn-off factor for most of the corporate companies and startups to go on a hiring spree for engineers.

A few months back, C.P.Gurnani of Tech Mahindra stated that 'Only 6% of the total engineering graduates are employable in India'.

The numbers clearly signify that a negligible percentage of engineering students are properly qualified for getting a job. Hence, it is advisable to upgrade your skills and knowledge while doing engineering at your college. Apart from the textbooks, you need to develop desired skills and expertise that will enable you to get a job at the end of your final year of engineering.

Here are some ways that will help you in boosting your chances of getting a job close to your dreams.

Improve your 'interview-giving' skills

When you are going to appear for a job-related interview, one question that you will face on the very first round of your selection is 'Tell us about yourself'. The lack of preparation to answer this question might reduce your chances of making the first-time impression in front of your employer. Prepare well in advance as to how to answer this question.

One of the most remarkable ways of answering this question is by highlighting your key traits and areas of strength in front of your employer. Don't brag about yourself or your academic achievements. Interviewers always want crisp and informative answers from the candidates. Try to deliver your answer well-decorated with the noteworthy mentions from your career. Mentioning your key skills and knowledge might put you ahead of your competitors.

Stay updated with current events and contemporary technologies

If you are appearing for campus placement programs or off-campus interviews, you might confront questions on modern technologies and current affairs. Your hiring manager might ask you to speak for 5 minutes on the latest implications of Government in the field of technology. What will you do then?

Hence, it is always advisable to keep a close watch on the newborn technologies that are making entry into the market. Try to extend your knowledge on the corporate world by reading more articles and blogs. Watch Business and Technology-related shows on reputed television channels like NDTV, Times Now. The Internet is another valuable source which will help your knowledge to evolve with time. There are specific blogs on engineers which will keep you updated with all the questions on latest events and technologies that are getting asked in the job interviews.

Involve yourself in steam-related projects

Academic projects give you the ideal opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge in the practical field. As most of the employers nowadays focus on your practical ability, you must try to brush up your domain knowledge by taking a few academic projects during your third or final year of engineering. Academic projects also enable you to sharpen your skills by paving the way for the application of your erudite knowledge in the technical field.

Suppose you are an Information Technology engineer and you have a strong command on a programming language like C. By taking up a project of building an application of C-language, you will be able to augment your domain knowledge on 'C' and most importantly, you will be able to convert your ideas into applications in a better way.

So, for the development of analytical and technical skills, projects related to your field of study is important.

Work as an 'Intern'

According to the recruiters, candidates with a prior experience in technical projects are given preferences at the time of campus placements. There are organizations which provide a direct opportunity to the engineering graduates to work with them before making a final entry into the corporate environment. Companies like Samsung, Amazon conduct workshops, and programs for engineers. Major Public Sector Units in India like ONGC, ERTL encourage the freshers to work on their specific projects for a fixed duration of time.

Working with them as an intern will develop your technical knowledge and make yourself better suited for the bigger challenge in the professional environment. You'll be able to acquire more knowledge on your domain by working with these industry majors. Before graduating as a competent engineer, you can develop practical skills through these initiatives. Some corporates even provide you with salaries during their working tenure with them while others offer you a certificate of your contribution and skill. You can showcase these certificates as your major achievements to your future employers at the time of recruitment drives.

Enhance your basic skills & knowledge

Before appearing for a job interview, it is mandatory to strengthen your basic knowledge of your engineering subjects. Recruiters always prioritize those candidates who have a stronghold on the fundamental concepts. If you are strong in the elementary concepts related to your specialization, then only you will be able to excel in the practical field. So, brushing up your basics before getting into a job will help you excel in your future.

Apart from developing technical knowledge, you need to practice questions related to aptitude, data interpretation & reasoning. As a part of the hiring process, maximum recruiters organize screening rounds that include these tests. These assessments analyze your ability in doing fast calculations and also evaluate your problem-solving skills.

Apart from honing your technical and analytical skills, you need to improve your vocational skills. Watch Hollywood movies, web series, read newspapers and magazines to improve your knowledge of English. Try to allocate at least half an hour every day to amplify your speaking ability in English. Communicate with your friends in English as it would boost your conversational skills in English.

Start connecting with others

Building a strong network of professionals from your field is essential for improving your chances of getting a job. Stay in close proximity to your professors and friends at college. Connect yourself with the seniors who have graduated from your college and are working in top MNCs and startups. They will share with you how they have acquired a job in their field and even refer you to their companies.

Create a profile on websites like Linkedin and ask your connections to endorse you for your skillset. By networking on LinkedIn, you will be able to interact with the industry experts and seniors and learn from them. Through regular interactions, you will be able to understand the common mistakes an engineer from your field does. Such interactive lessons will help you to develop your traits in an advanced way for avoiding such mistakes. You will even get to learn from them the tips and tricks required for getting a job in your domain of expertise.

In the end, it is highly legitimate to say that there are private colleges in India that provide below average education to their students. Families with modest economic background are sponsoring the education of their wards by taking handsome loans from the financial institutions thinking about the fact that their wards will become engineers and end up getting a million dollar job in the future. In such a ghastly situation, if as an engineering student, you are dreaming of working in splashy offices, owning a deluxe apartment and driving opulent cars, you need to bolster your profile by following the 6 ways mentioned in this blog.