Are New Grads Less Prepared? Seeking Solutions for Declining Skills and High Turnover

Dear Seniors and Learned Members,

I have been a manager for the last 20 years and have worked in different roles with individuals of varying levels of giftedness. What has been concerning me is the relative decline in the general IQ levels of fresh recruits. There has been a growing emphasis on relying too heavily on the internet and other available mediums, which has resulted in a lack of knowledge among the current crop of newcomers. The more intense the competition has become at academic levels regarding the percentage of passing exams in schools and colleges, the more shortsighted a view is being adopted by the current group of graduates. The consequence is a diminishing overall development of the new hires and a longer period required for the team's productivity. Additionally, an increasing focus on quick earnings is contributing to the diminishing value of organizational belongingness, leading to higher attrition rates of skilled personnel.

Could the honorable seniors and respected members please shed some light on any experiences they may have had where they implemented innovative solutions to address the aforementioned issues? I am eager to gain insights into such solutions.

Thanks and warm regards,

Gurvinder S Kohli

I completely agree with Mr. Kohli. The fresh graduates do not have much knowledge, but they expect to make fast money. It seems there is something wrong with our system of higher education. The colleges give an impression to the students that they would get very high-paying jobs just after college.

The Reality of Higher Education

I think that the B-Schools, engineering, and other colleges should acquaint their students with the harsh reality of life. They have to work hard to grow in life.

Mr. Kohli and Ms. Avika, I would agree with you both to a certain extent; however, I would also like to put forth certain viewpoints from my experience.

Difference Between Knowledge and Education

You mentioned the difference between knowledge and education. I agree with the fact that, though most of us are highly educated, true knowledge and talent are seldom found. Training and grooming take a lot of time and effort, and productivity is often delayed. But are the freshers alone to be blamed?

Observations from Experience

I would like to share a few observations after having experienced both sides:

• There is a rat race in the educational industry to score the best. Only people with a minimum of X% will qualify to attend interviews. We, as both recruiters and former freshers, are very much aware that every firm has its own minimum requirement, typically being 60% - 70%. The higher, the better. What are we communicating through this? We don't care about what you know, but your scores should be above the minimum requirement for us to consider you. Now that we realize education and knowledge/talent are two different things, are we doing anything to change the system?

• While screening resumes, as recruiters, we tend to be judgmental of a person based on certain factors like city, educational institute, and marks/rank. Are we sure that a person with a 100% score is the most knowledgeable? It often happens that someone scoring 60-70% is far better than someone with 90-95%. Yet we focus on marks.

• Are we open to trying and giving a chance to people who do not meet the strict criteria we have set, as mentioned above? We are aware of the problem, but what efforts do we make to change the scenario? Each one of us studies for the ultimate goal - to secure a good and respectable job. If scoring 100% is the only way to get a job, then I would focus solely on that. I would cram and regurgitate in exams, and afterward, my mind would be as blank as a brand new slate.

Personal Experience

I can provide a personal example: Many people have told me that I have exceptional experience, contribute a lot, and solve numerous queries. Yet, I never got a job through campus placements because of my overall scores. It's quite ironic. I was not allowed to participate in the selection process of a company simply because I missed the minimum requirement by a few points, despite consistently achieving distinctions throughout my graduation.

I believe we, as HR professionals, are at least partly responsible for this situation.

Regards,

I agree with your point, Ankita. The blame is not on anyone alone. It is a mix of factors that have led to this situation.

The Changing Face of Education

Today, the schools and colleges are not "temples of learning" but "business houses." The quality of education is going down. Further, the internet has added to the comfort of the students as everything is available online. They do not have to refer to many books or gain in-depth knowledge.

The Issue of Cut-off Marks

Coming to the issue of having cut-off marks, I agree that the person with the highest marks does not necessarily possess the maximum knowledge. However, in a situation where there are limited seats and many more applicants, there has to be a way out. We also have entrance exams, but then again, not every brilliant student can afford to fill out the forms as they are exorbitantly priced (most of the entrance exam forms are priced at Rs. 1000 or more). On top of all that, we have numerous quotas for various categories of students.

Importance of Academic Performance in Hiring

I agree people give importance to academic performance while hiring. In my opinion, that should be a consideration but not the only consideration.

The BPO Revolution and Its Impact

The BPO revolution has created a mindset in the freshers that they can earn fast money. However, do they work on enhancing their skills? Most of them are not willing to go through the grind and rise in life. We are dealing with these youngsters every day, and we do not see the yearning to learn in the majority of cases. When my team calls them to discuss an opportunity, the first question is what is the salary. They won't ask about the job profile or the organization.

This way, we are surely heading to a point when we would have a talent crunch and a huge skill gap.

Thanks, Avika,

I too had the same point; we just can't blame one single person. The whole system has to change.

I would again agree on this. There are people (teachers) who would be frustrated to clear the doubts if some student is not able to understand and asks a few queries. Their behavior does not allow students to freely ask questions as they think they are being judged. As a result, they think they would go online and ask Google. However, they fail to understand that though we can get all theoretical knowledge from all the different sources, it is only the practical implementation that would allow us to grow professionally.

Again, I do not say that let's completely forgo the minimum standards, but if someone is actually fitting all the other criteria but is not eligible just for a couple of marks, it is actually unfair not to consider the person.

In my case, when I went to talk to the officials of the company who came to hire us on campus, they bluntly told me that I do not fit into their criteria, only if I was able to make it to those few points. They had an aptitude test anyway. All I requested was to allow me to sit for the aptitude. If I wouldn't be smart enough, I would automatically get screened out. How would it matter?

But a no is a no.

This is what one needs to change. If someone is keen to work in the profile you mentioned and fits in all aspects, why not give a chance to prove his/her worth?

BPO is looked at as an easy money-making opportunity. Many BPOs recruit people who are HSC passed/appeared. All they need are people with good communication skills in some particular language.

Because of the kind of impression that BPO has laid on the job seekers, they do not care much about the profile. They are vaguely aware of how they would have to speak to clients and customers and solve queries to sell their services. They don't go for details.

Rising inflation compels one to focus first on salary, especially when there is just one bread earner.

I won't comment on this as different people have different priorities. But yes, I have seen people compromise on profile for pay, whereas it's advised otherwise.

Regards,
Ankita