Why are smart students unable to land decent jobs ?

Consider the following situation: A fresh engineering graduate appears for an interview at a company that’s looking for programmers. Typically, the scenario plays out something like this:

Interviewer:?What programming languages do you know?

Candidate: I come from an Aerospace Engineering background and haven't had the opportunity to learn any programming languages as a part of my curriculum, except perhaps Fortran, which I believe you don't use in your organization. I may not know the syntax, but you can ask me questions on algorithms, and I should be able to answer.

Now there are two ways you can look at this:

The candidate did not take any initiative to learn a programming language though s/he has applied for a programmer's job.

The candidate possesses algorithmic expertise, which is the foundation of any programming language. He or she should be able to pick up programming languages quickly.

Which way would you look at this scenario??

At Zuci Systems , we would choose the second option.

We want skilled individuals to join our team and work on cutting-edge IT topics including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Big Data, Analytics, and Intelligence, among others. The applicants are most usually recent college grads by default. However, the second and more significant factor is that we can rely on experienced hands for ideation, product management, and project management. But when it comes to implementation, we always turn to recent college grads because they bring the much-needed curiosity and inquisitiveness to think creatively.

Having said that, the situation today is such that the employability of college graduates is at an all-time low. Here is an interesting insight:

This is just shocking! Most graduates are simply not able to find jobs.

How did this happen and what can you do about it?

Long ago, I read an article about colleges tying up with IT majors to incorporate the latter’s job requirements into the college curriculum. The college graduates get trained on this curriculum, and the ones who do well are absorbed into the respective IT companies.

This is a training institute model, and it cannot be used in a college setting.

The problem with a training institute model is that it restricts learning to industry requirements and makes knowledge dependent on employers. A college curriculum should always allow its graduates to think independently and look at possibilities that haven't been considered.

Luckily, this model didn't gain steam. While it is great to ensure that all graduates are employable, it is unwise to railroad students into a narrow curriculum that blocks their out-of-the-box thinking abilities.

So, the question still stands: Exactly what is wrong with these recent graduates? Why are they having trouble placing themselves?

Inability to apply knowledge?

All along, as a nation, educational institutions have built theoretical knowledge, which has thrown up a vast employability gap.

Where most institutions have failed is in empowering students to apply foundational knowledge and theory fundamentals, which are crucial to finding gainful employment. These skill gaps can be traced back to an institutional culture that, by and large, does not encourage questioning and counter-questioning. It is only through challenging the status quo that learners can really open up their minds and achieve the transformation from "following orders" to a "problem-solving" mindset.

?Lack of soft / social skills

Another critical gap is the lack of development of social or soft skills. Again, this has its roots in an institutional culture that is less-than-open to debates and that does not welcome challenges to authority. Fortunately, social media and new learning approaches like "constructivism" and "connectivism" have opened the doors for new generations of learners to build the social skills that are so necessary to function as a productive team in a corporate setting.

?The need for speed

While technological skills are evolving at breakneck speed, the evolution of the curriculum has been at a snail's pace. It would be unfair to blame educational institutions, because most technological advances today are built upon hundreds of years of slow and steady scientific progress. So, while it is impractical to expect the educational curriculum to evolve at the same pace as technology, there is definitely scope for institutions to try harder to keep pace with the real world.

From a corporate standpoint, it is beyond the scope of what companies can do to change educational institutions. Instead, what companies can do is focus on how to attract the best talent from the available pool of resources.?

Here are a few practices we follow at Zuci that have worked best for us:

1.Hire for ability and capability and not for skills

We put fresh graduates through a rigorous training process — both in the classroom and on-the job. Try this, and you’ll be amazed by the results.?

2. Look for allrounders?

We look for graduates who have a mix of knowledge, sporting talent, and social skills. These allrounders typically have the soft skills crucial for a growing organization like ours. In fact, it is more challenging to impart soft skills in comparison to hard skills

3.Take the A-team to campus recruitment drives?

We give fresh graduates an overall view of what it feels like to work at Zuci. We highlight the work culture, teamwork, and positive aspects of morale. This helps attract the best talent.

After all, we are competing against a large number of employers vying for talent on campus. We ensure that our company stands out, and that has resulted in some great hires for our organization

4.Make sure the process is swift and smooth

We ensure the entire process is completed within a day after they take the aptitude test to receive our offer letters. There are no delays.

?We communicate a Yes or No on the same day.

5.Have an internship practice

We often don't get the chance to visit many campuses to recruit the right talent. There are so many hidden gems across colleges and universities. So, we provide them with an opportunity to intern briefly at our workplace, after which we make the call to recruit. These are proven performers, and we are strengthening this practice now to make it more efficient for our people's needs.?

The educational system has some serious gaps that prevent almost 65% of fresh graduates from finding a job. Cultivating the ability to apply their knowledge, building soft skills, and providing an up-to-date curriculum would go a long way in solving these issues. For companies, the best bet is to apply some proven practices to identify and nurture the great talent pool out there. I hope you find these practices helpful — happy recruiting!

References:

1. According to a recent NASSCOM study.