The term Fresher could have 2 different meanings.
A student who has recently started studying at a college or university.
A recent graduate entering employment.
If you wonder which Fresher we are going to address in this blog, we are going to address the first one.
We will cover recent college graduates in our next blog.
Ok, let’s talk about college freshers.
“Why would a college fresher worry about getting placed?”, you might ask.
Well, the answer is, “If they don’t worry about it, then they won’t get a job.”
Yes, we understand that college freshers take time to adapt to the college environment, their culture, friends circle, etc. along with their new academics.
But, if this is their primary concern throughout the first year and in the years that follow, then they have lost sight of the whole purpose of going to college.
“Why do we go to college?”
Think about this for a moment.
When I ask this question, college students come up with answers such as:
To study/learn(this is the most common answer).
To develop skills.
To get friends.
To enjoy/have fun(this is the second most common answer).
All the above are correct, but they miss the most important reason why they come to college.
The most important reason is – TO BECOME AN EMPLOYEE.
“Wait, we go to college to become an employee?”, you might ask.
“Yes, of course!” There’s no other better reason why we go to college.
Let me ask one more question:
“What do you want to do after college(either after UG or PG)?”
To get placed in your dream job or for some to become an entrepreneur, right?
If this is what you want to do after college, then how do you think you will suddenly become eligible to become an employee if you never got prepared for it during your 3-6 years of college?
Yes, colleges were created to prepare you for your jobs, but even most college professors and principals have forgotten this.
They mostly prepare them to get good scores in their subjects.
Good scores are an important criterion in Freshers' recruitment, but it doesn't guarantee anyone a job.
What can employers do with your scores, if you don’t possess the right skills to perform their jobs?
So, good academic scores and practical skills are equally important for freshers.
If professors prepare students for getting good scores, who prepares them for developing their skills?
It’s You.
Let me list out some interesting ways how college is the best way to develop practical skills:
1) Speaking in English:
Speaking fluent English is not a mandatory skill to get placed, but most companies conduct interviews and assessments only in English.
How do you develop your English speaking skills at college?
The answer is “By speaking”
Yes, college is the best place where you can practice speaking English with your friends and professors and at various events organized by your college.
After graduation, you will never find any other place where you can get so many people and opportunities to practice speaking English.
So, start speaking English even if you don’t know how or even if you are afraid of it.
But, remember you have to ask for feedback and keep correcting your mistakes, so, by the end of your final year of college you can speak English confidently without major mistakes.
2) Asking doubts:
There is always a rift between students and professors due to various misunderstandings and egos.
If you are on the quest for a job, then you should never shy away from asking doubts.
You could ask doubts about your subjects, your projects or even anything that you think is relevant to your dream job.
Ask doubts to your professors, classmates, seniors, lab technicians, principal, etc.
The more doubts you ask, the more clarity you get on your subjects and their applications at work.
If you understand its importance and seriousness, then you should carry a diary or an application on your phone in which you can note down all your doubts and also mention to whom you should ask & get them clarified.
Put a tick mark as soon as you complete each task which will motivate you to complete more.
3) Working as a team:
In college, you mostly work individually to complete your assignments, get good scores or do your projects.
But, when you start working as an employee, you CAN NOT work individually; you always have to work as a team.
Those who can’t work as a team will not get shortlisted in campus interviews and can’t be retained in a company for a long time.
Companies need team players as teamworking is the key to the success of any company.
So, learn to work as a team right from your college.
Again, you will not find any other place other than your college to learn this.
Don’t be a loner.
Don’t be egoistic.
Don’t lose your focus.
How to learn team working at college?
Take leadership roles which require handling teams.
Try to be on the organizing committee of all events.
Do team projects outside your academics.
Participate in team games and cultural events.
And anything which promotes teamwork.
4) Networking:
I’m not talking about computer networking, but I’m talking about human networking.
Yes, this is in some way related to the previous point, but it’s more than that.
Working as a team involves only working with people in your team, but Networking is about getting connected with people outside your team, outside your friends’ circle, outside your department/college, outside your family, and basically outside your comfort zone.
Do you know that 80% of candidates get their jobs through referrals?
There’s a famous saying, “It’s not what you know, but WHO you know.”
So, use your college to connect with people outside your immediate reach.
For example, connect to a student who’s not from your department or not from your friends’ circle, and he in turn might connect you to his friends in other departments/colleges, and they might help you get connected to someone from a company where you could do your project, which in turn might take you in as their employee after your project.
So, always look for opportunities to get connected with people outside your circle.
And in turn, you should also connect people to others in your network.
I could go on and on, but I just stop here to not make this into a lengthy blog.
These are a few suggestions, but there could be so many other interesting ways which can make your everyday college routine into a healthy exercise for becoming an employee.
Please do share in the comments if you have any such interesting ideas.
All the best in your quest to become an employee during your college and get multiple offers in your hand before even graduating.
Stay tuned!
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