The third event of the nation-wide initiative, witnessed eminent experts from the industry – Mr. Vimal Bhutani – Head Training Academy, GBS Services Centers, Mr. Romil Jain – Co-founder, Jet HR, Mr. Shoaib Mehraj – Lead North for campus hiring, Accenture. Dr. M.N. Chandrasekharaiah, Director, BNM Institute of Technology, and Prof.  Gurucharan Singh from SJB Institute of Technology and Mr. A.K. Balakrishnan from Vivekanandha Institute of Engineering & Technology were conferred with the prestigious 'Career Guru Awards'
The third event of the nation-wide initiative, witnessed eminent experts from the industry – Mr. Vimal Bhutani – Head Training Academy, GBS Services Centers, Mr. Romil Jain – Co-founder, Jet HR, Mr. Shoaib Mehraj – Lead North for campus hiring, Accenture.

The event was followed by the 'Career Guru' awards which saw TPOs being felicitated and recognized for their untiring efforts towards ensuring greater employability of their students and a session on skill building. The winners in various categories were Dr. M.N. Chandrasekharaiah, Director (Training & Placement), BNM Institute of Technology (Visionary Minds), and Prof.  Gurucharan Singh from SJB Institute of Technology (Performing Minds) and Mr. A.K. Balakrishnan from Vivekanandha Institute of Engineering & Technology (Inspiring Minds). In this article, the award winners have penned down some of the success tips for job aspirants.

Dr. M.N Chandrasekharaiah: Today, students join the institutions of higher learning with an objective of getting a job rather than making engineering or management as their career for the future.  Even during their four year stay in the institution, they do not take their career choice seriously. 

While a few are lucky to get parental guidance on career choices and have clear cut goals, majority of them drift away in the tide of selection by a few software companies and perhaps regret their choices later. 

The challenging task for the Training & Placement Heads is to identify the strengths of students and guide them towards appropriate career opportunities.  Most of the students in private institutions are not even aware of the opportunities available in government and quasi government sector.  These include CSIR, DRDO, Defence, PSUs, and organizations dedicated to space research and atomic energy, not to mention the number of selections made by UPSC. It is necessary to create awareness and prepare candidates to face these selections since most of them involve clearing GATE and other national level entrance tests.

he end semester holidays should be utilized for this purpose.  Industry should come forward to help both faculty and students in handling some of their current projects and this could in turn act as a platform for them to hire candidates who effectively complete the given assignments.  Students are smart and intelligent.  They are also willing to work hard.  They only need guidance and mentoring with a specific goal in mind!"

Mr. Gurucharan Singh: There are various challenges being faced by the students' community, in general. Many a times it is observed that students doom themselves to failure because of their negative attitude. They must be taught the habit of being positive.  They need to keep an eye on the smallest of details. They must be taught to develop self awareness. "Practice makes a man perfect" and they need to practice every day to focus on things that they are good at. 

Another major area of concern is the inability of students to cope with rejection. They need to be told that no defeat is final until they stop trying; they need to have confidence in themselves.

Students need to be resourceful. Their knowledge base needs regular expansion. They need to read voraciously. An extensive reading habit boosts confidence, builds word power and enables them to think analytically. "Success occurs when opportunity meets preparedness".

word of advice for students – there's no substitute for hard work. Believe in yourself and create a set of values that you would never compromise on. You should never give up learning. Let me put it this way, "The tallest oak in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground"

Mr. A.K. Balakrishnan: As reported by NASSCOM, McKinsey, the percentage of employable students graduating from Indian colleges and universities is mere 25%. This is an indicator of the huge gap between the number of students passing out and the number of employable students. Here, I am furnishing some points on how aspiring students can reduce the gap, and build their successful career:

1. Sound Knowledge of Fundamentals: Companies look for students who possess a sound knowledge of the fundamental concepts in their respective academic domains (e.g.: Knowledge of equipments and processes. If a student plans to enter the IT sector, he/she should have good programming skills).

2. Knowledge of Practical Applications: Students ought to know how to apply their theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios. Doing this will provide students a strong-hold over the subject. This can be achieved by performing many mini projects and internships.

3. Innovative Thinking – Ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real-time scenario will further help students to think innovative.

4. Communication Skills: Students should have good Communication Skills as they are going to enter a world where they'll have to deal not only with domestic clients, but also with international folks.

5. Career Focus & Planning - When students choose their areas of specialization and the areas or companies they want to work in, they can accordingly plan their career and simultaneously enhance knowledge in that field. One should have a career plan for at least five to ten years after completing UG /PG degree.

6. Know the Organizational Environment: Your work place is altogether a new world in many ways. It is thus important to understand the way the organization works – its culture, people and expectations.

If you are able to inculcate the above habits, success is certainly yours. Other things will follow as per your aspirations.