Changing times: Experience matters, not grades for jobs

Hyderabad: It is no longer grades that determine one’s standing in the job market. With more employers demanding graduates who don’t need training, the onus of training students with hands on experience falls on universities these days. 

Faculty members of premier institutions say that a large part of the shift in approach of companies is because of the dip in quality of education.

Dheeraj Sanghi, a faculty of IIT Kanpur says, “Today, due to the decline in quality of education, it is no longer the blackboard method of teaching or the rote way of learning that is preferred. Companies understand that if there are students who have done internships for more than a few months, they have learnt something of value other than just grades.” 

He also stated that most companies that come for placements nowadays, prefer students who have done at least one internship along with their academics.

The dip in quality of education is being associated with the certificate scams, plagiarism, excessive competitiveness and outdated curriculum. 

Educational experts state that without a revamp of curriculum that teaches students how to deal with situations in the workplace, one cannot guarantee employment as it is no longer grades alone that matter for companies.

Professor Shyam Sundar of IIIT-Hyderabad said, “There is no holistic training of graduates. We cannot guarantee personality development, workplace attitude and emotional psyche that a workplace deserves with the current system of education. We have to equip our students better. Companies do not want individual excellence but more coordination and teamwork which can be ensured only by looking at past workplace experiences.”

More students are opting for internships because it helps them get to know the field of work and be well prepared for the job.

S. Muralidhar, a career counsellor, says, “Internships are an added bonus for students as most companies absorb their interns during the placement period. But most importantly, students are widely encouraged to take internships so that they can also be sure of which area they want to work in. It does not look good in one’s resume when a student drops out of his/her first job too soon. Therefore to be sure of the field that he/she wants, students should try to gather enough experience.”