Now hiring: But no vacancy for freshers

Yes, you read that correctly. India has no entry-level job positions available.

A cursory search on any job search platform will confirm this: be it a data-entry executive, administrative assistant or a site engineer posting, almost all companies seek a minimum of two to three years of work experience.

So what about us commoners who start from scratch? No jobs are available.

The situation has turned especially grim over the last six to eight quarters with recruitment consultants specifically asking 'freshers' to 'not bother applying'.

Since most of the online job portals take data from third-party clients and company postings to be directly reflected on the site without any checks, it is almost impossible to find a job.

Take for instance a job posting for a technology firm in Coimbatore. Listed as ‘Freshers jobs’, it seeks a minimum of two years’ work experience apart from being qualified in object-oriented programming.

All of us started with zero work experience in our professional field. We were able to do so because a team of senior executives not only trusted us but also gave us the freedom to learn on the job. Considering that cost pressures are rising, today’s fresh graduates no longer have that luxury.

So even if you are recruited from an institute immediately after completing the course, a minimum of one year of work experience will be required. This could have been gained through multiple internships through the graduation programme or through specialised industry-immersion projects.

Without any experience, it will be difficult to land a job at any top corporate. In fact, this issue has become a golden opportunity for online meme creators. The most popular joke is ‘Job opportunity for a 22-year-old engineer with 10 years of work experience’.

Sometimes the demands may seem unreasonable for the level of the position vacant. But candidates have a better chance of landing the job if they have at least half the required experience.

For instance, if two years of work experience and Python programming skills are sought, those with 8-12 months of prior experience with the technology skills will land the job.

You may be the class topper. But that means nothing if you do not have the work experience matching the role.

The best way, according to human resource officials, is to ensure that you don’t waste time bunking college lectures or going home during long vacations. Instead, use it to gain a new skill or do a short internship at a company of your choice.

The more such internship you take up, the better is your score in the job market. Handing a resume with no prior work experience is almost a sin in today’s professional world.

Gone are the times when a company would give between 12-18 months to a new joinee to learn the tricks of the trade. Now it is business from day one. You shape up or will be shipped out.