Over the last few years, India’s job market has become a magnet for students with an overseas education, who either work or choose to intern here. For such students, the India experience has its own tale.
Inevitably, many students begin by making comparisons between their life overseas and the one here. While the comfort of ‘being home’ is a big bonus — emotionally and financially — soon enough, day-to-day struggles of life here begin to catch up. Dushyant Singhal, who completed his medical studies at the Russian National Research Medical University in Moscow, says, “Lack of cleanliness, issues around water and electricity supply, poor public transport, civic and traffic sense — issues like these seem more troubling — having seen life overseas.”
It is generally accepted that when a student goes abroad to study, he/she will eventually land a job there. Though education counsellor Viral Doshi corroborates that more students are coming back after studying abroad owing to the increasingly challenging job market, especially in countries such as the U.S. and the U.K., many students admitted that there is still an unspoken stigma associated with coming back jobless.
Singhal reflects, “India has a largely collectivist culture, and it is natural for people here to take an active interest in each other’s lives. You need to take this in your stride without getting too affected by what people might be saying about you.”
Getting the job
Though the job market in India appears more promising and doesn’t need Indian students to procure any work permit, finding a job here is no cake walk. Varun Gupta who completed his bachelor’s in business and management at Leeds Metropolitan, U.K., before starting work here, explains, “India is a tough territory to conquer, especially for students with an undergraduate education. Networking goes a long way in finding a good opportunity.”
Most students agree that in India, networking is the best route to finding a job, as many vacancies are not advertised, and people don’t usually respond over emails or phone calls.
Besides, many students returning from abroad do not have local campus connections to tap into, and several confessed using references of family members to forward applications.
Radhika Agarwal who completed two internships in India while pursuing her dual degree in Economics and business administration at The University of California, Berkeley, says that the job market in India is extremely competitive with no dearth of qualified applicants. Hence, without connections, it is likely that companies may miss a CV, especially for internships.
Work culture
If securing work is a struggle, the work culture comes with its own set of challenges. Lack of professionalism is among the top grievances, “Efficiency is a huge issue. People talk more, do less, and work doesn’t get completed on time,” quips Singhal. “Politeness is lacking, and people are needlessly argumentative and take offence easily,” he adds.
Stringent hierarchy is also an issue. “The seniority divide is a very real concept here. Although companies emphasise inclusiveness, merely eliminating the use of salutations such as sir/ma’am, does little to further that cause,” believes, Gupta.
Often, students find that job descriptions, especially for interns, are not well-defined, and many companies — especially the big ones — don’t take them seriously. Agarwal adds, “Most companies don’t seem to value interns, and little effort is put into mentoring. Unpaid internships don’t help this cause either.”
Arun Soni, an NRI student pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science at Yale University, spent a few weeks interning in India, this summer.
Recounting his experience, he says, “I worked at a few startups where I found that people were willing to take out time and train you. I got to work on good projects, but I found that no one asked questions, and projects were given quickly without a lot of initial explaining.”
He adds, “In India, people often mix their social and work life. The office atmosphere is generally lighter and people seem to be having fun. I got along with my colleagues well, and I found that awkwardness is quite easily accepted. People don’t frown upon it and this helped in making me comfortable.”
Contrary to popular belief, studying abroad doesn’t make it easier for students to find jobs in India. As more students head overseas, it is becoming common for employers in India to get CVs stamped with foreign degrees.
While top-notch schools such as Oxford, Harvard or Yale may still get noticed, students say that the true worth of an overseas education comes through when they start working.
“If you cultivated a global mindset while studying overseas, then, people will appreciate you and you will have a strong point of differentiation which you can use to your advantage. The application-oriented education also helps in doing your work well and getting noticed,” signs off Gupta.
