Gone are the days when campus placements were all about recruiters scanning a pile of resumes, discussing pay packages, printing out a few appointment letters and walking off. Gone are the days when candidates with the highest grades always got the best jobs.
With more and more colleges competing and with the increasing complexity of work profiles offered, the recruiting process has become lengthier and more complex. Think multiple rounds of interviews, psychometric tests and sessions with the HR for culture compatibility and much more. Recruiters have become eagle-eyed in their search for the candidate who best fits in. In such an evolving scenario, here are a few things that candidates may pay heed to, in order to ensure that they are ready, equipped and right for the job.
Be the locksmith
Content is important. Theories, facts, history are all fundamental and their lack, inexcusable. But, your job requires you to apply them, in ways not necessarily thought of earlier. Candidates are increasingly expected to know how to apply their knowledge before entering their professions — Ready to work, not ‘to be readied for work’. Training periods are being reduced to mere induction sessions facilitating the candidate’s introduction to the culture of the company, not so much to be taught how to do their jobs. This has become a strong demand particularly in campus recruitments for management positions. Companies offer short-term internships, project opportunities to students all the time. Enrol for them, learn how companies convert theory into ‘profitable’ applications.
Network with your seniors
The college alumni are a candidate’s closest link to the job that waits for him/her. More often than not, the first impression of a batch’s calibre is judged by the performance of the seniors recruited earlier and their impression of the batch as well. Increasingly companies are including recruits from the same institute in their recruitment teams and depending on their evaluation as well for recruitment. These seniors assume the role of mentors for the candidates, who can freely approach them to know about the kind of work and culture in the company. Interacting with them also helps the candidate make a judgement of not only the company’s suitability for them, but also ‘their’ suitability for the job.
The ‘best job’
More often than not, candidates jump at the opportunity to work with big banners without really understanding what they are being recruited for. Some jump at the sight of more zeros in the pay packages offered. Read and understand the profile carefully. Imagine yourself at the organisation’s workplace and ask yourself “Can I be content doing this on a daily basis, and more importantly, will I be able to do this ‘satisfactorily’ on a daily basis?” Understanding what is expected and your capabilities for it is paramount to landing ‘your’ best job. Thus students have to look at the campus recruitment process as an opportunity to find jobs that are best suited for them and to find companies that they can best fit in.
The writer is Technical Marketing Manager at Asahi India Glass Limited with an MBA in Marketing from IIT Roorkee and an earlier background in Chemical Engineering.
Understanding what is expected and your capabilities for it is paramount to landing ‘your’ best job.
