Why Do Companies Overlook Government College Students for Recruitment?

I'm a student at a Government University in Gwalior. Since we cannot provide enough funds to the companies, they hesitate to come for recruitment placement processes at our college.

Question: Why Do Companies Ignore Students from Government Colleges?

So, my question is, why do companies ignore students from Government Colleges nowadays? Have they not studied engineering or do they have any physical deformities?

I'm a member of the Training and Placement Cell in my college. Please help us with guidance and contacts for connecting with companies.

Regards

I am not an educationist, but I share this as an ex-student of a Government College and as an HR professional who has hired students from such institutes. As a student, I faced competition just like anyone else did. Education is guided by pedagogy. Thankfully, we had a very elite and dedicated team of educators. However, we still lacked the polish and grooming that students from private colleges had. Yes, it did have an impact, but we could easily overcome it with our efforts.

There was a sense of public shunning whenever there was a common event. However, beyond the surface snobbery displayed by private college students, those feelings did not last long.

Regarding the point of being hired, the initial offer did not make much of a difference. It's the long-term career path that shaped our professional brands.

As an HR professional, when I returned for campus placements, I noticed a more competitive attitude in students from private colleges. Due to the significant money and resources invested, they felt a greater pressure to quickly recoup their investments. On the other hand, students from Government Colleges often appeared less confident, even though they may have had better grades. However, once they joined the workforce, these inhibitions tended to fade over time. They tended to stay longer in companies and were more stable in their careers.

I recommend reaching out to your alumni and inviting Recruitment Teams from their organizations to attend Campus Placement events. They can mentor your current batch on employable skills and how to frame responses effectively. There is no better branding opportunity than having successful alumni in the industry.

Wishing you all the very best!

Challenges in College Placements

Who said you provide funds to companies to make them come to your college for placement? Any college doing that is definitely not on a priority list. The problem lies in the efforts and interest your college shows in placements. For private college placement, it decides whether they will still have a job to do in 3 years. Government colleges don't care; they will still have a job. In some colleges too, students take the lead. They contact companies, do presentations to them, and convince them to come over. However, they have the full support, help, and guidance of their professors.

See if you can find some professors who will help you. Follow up with those who studied there before and are now in higher positions to recommend your college. Also, search this forum. You will find posts on those who work with corporates for placements. Contact them...

Differences Between Government and Private Colleges

There is quite a lot of difference between government colleges and private colleges for various reasons. The main difference is the concept of survival of the fittest. Unless proven, a private college does not survive and attract more students who are willing to pay higher fees, while government colleges do not face such a situation.

Therefore, it is crucial for departmental heads and management to encourage activities such as workshops, seminars, debates, publication of journals, research papers, etc., and to promote these activities to showcase the talent of their students in order to attract promising companies for recruitment. Typically, government colleges and their departmental heads (with a few exceptions) do not engage in such initiatives and often exhibit a laid-back attitude.

To some extent, the facts and fears are true. Generally, government colleges are lacking in core areas; of course, there are exceptions where they score over their counterparts in private colleges. Even now, we see seats in government professional colleges getting filled up first in CETs. Still, IIScs, IITs, RECs (NIIT), and many such government colleges, almost all government medical colleges, run at full capacity with no vacancies. I have not come across seats in government colleges remaining unfilled, except for a few seats in the arts stream. While it is true that fees are minimal and faculties are eminent, I have to confess that from the point of view of "campus placements," they are lagging behind. I don't incline to believe the "funds" theory. To some extent, it should be a lack of enthusiasm among the faculty-in-charge of the Placement & Vocational Training Division. This is because they don't need to bother about the ranking and reputation of their colleges on the ladder; there's no accountability, no incentives, no liability attached to their position, job guarantee, and so on. Once these aspects are addressed, government colleges will also become challengers. However, it must be noted that the products are not inferior to their peers. For example, take me, a student of a government college set up in a rural hilly area, away from town by 15 km. We used to go by cycles and a few by foot. We underwent frequent class cancellations, incomplete syllabi, strikes now and then, and projects in name only. Nevertheless, we excelled in talents, faced challenges boldly, and stood among the first in the job market; of course, those were the days. Whatever is said and done, there should be combined efforts from both the student community and faculties. Additionally, government policies and procedures should encourage talents from government colleges, ensure accountability and responsibility, impose education audits, and improve infrastructure through private participation in government colleges. Perhaps, in another 25-35 years, if they have the will, they could achieve better placements.

I understand that you are still a student. I could understand your concerns that no companies go for recruitment in your college, especially in Government colleges. Don't worry. Recruitment is done in two stages: one at the campus and the other at the company itself. There are many job portals where you can apply for jobs in companies. If you are serious about your job, you can grow to any level depending on your interest and skills. Have clarity on what you want to become.

Factors Influencing Company Visits

Companies will certainly visit your college depending on the culture that exists there. Factors like pass percentage, rank percentage, etc., matter. Moreover, the Government college staff often lack interest in students' careers, and in many colleges, indiscipline among students is prevalent. Additionally, there is a lack of dedicated staff to engage with companies, understand their requirements, and assist students.

You may not be able to change this unless the Government takes initiative. There are a few examples in this thread of individuals who have progressed in their careers, and there are many similar success stories in society. It is individual interest that matters. If you have the drive to grow, focus on that. All the best to you in your future. Remember, "The sea is common for all, some take pearls, some take fishes, and some come out with just wet legs. The world is common to all, but we get what we strive for!! Stay positive."

Kind regards

Factors Influencing Company Recruitment Decisions

Companies do not need to receive funds from any college for hiring students, whether they are from government or private institutions. The decision often relies on the reputation of the institute/college and the past experiences with students hired from there. Another crucial aspect is the salary expectations and the retention rate of students from any college in their first job obtained through campus placements.

Regards,
P. Agrawal

I work with a small IT company, and we recruit a few freshers every year. From our experience, the candidates who top our aptitude test scores are invariably from government/government-aided colleges. Subsequently, all of them, without exception, have performed well on the job. I'm not speaking about IITs or RECs—as an organization, we don't have the competitive advantage to attract applicants from those institutes. Nevertheless, we find that the students who get into lesser-known government colleges on merit fare far better than the students from private institutes with better infrastructure and placement assistance.

I would suggest the student community of government colleges take the initiative to form placement committees and follow up with potential employers.

Thanks,
Robin Thomas

Private Companies and Recruitment Preferences

Private companies are interested in Executors and not Inventors. Government college students are more meritorious (Thinkers) and less of Executors. Executors are a glamorous category and do not devise new things, whereas Thinkers can devise new things. It depends on what the recruiter is interested in during employment; otherwise, IITians/NITians would not receive higher salaries than students from private colleges.

Private colleges, more or less, produce Mukadam and not Engineers. Do not create a bad impression about Government Colleges where admissions are mostly based on merit, hence academic competitiveness is still superior. Private institutions lack this caliber even today; therefore, for any technological inputs, companies still prefer Government Colleges.

(I am a Government College alumnus with over 25 years of experience working abroad after six jobs in India, so I believe I have a good understanding of both Indian and international professional requirements.)

First of all, it's not true that companies do not hire from government colleges. If a company is receiving funding, it is not an ethical practice.

Secondly, I don't think companies prefer private colleges because even today, IITs and IIMs remain the top preferences for companies. You can observe that all government medical colleges are still among the top-performing institutes. However, the question arises as to why companies do not prefer second and third-tier colleges. There are numerous colleges that go unnoticed, yet their alumni hold top positions in MNCs and national companies.

Companies' Hiring Processes

Nowadays, companies' hiring processes revolve around two principles:

1. Make

2. Buy

They either hire low-cost candidates and train them to meet their requirements or procure experienced resources from the market. Many private colleges are now focusing on skill development alongside regular courses. They are actively engaging with companies to understand their resource needs and are preparing their students accordingly.

This strategic approach has a dual impact – companies receive trained resources, and colleges are able to facilitate employment for their students. However, when it comes to government colleges, despite having ample resources, they often lack strategic approaches.

Many aspects of your situation have been covered by other members. However, there are a few aspects that need clarity from you before any actionable suggestions can emanate from the members.

Clarification on Funding

1] Could you please explain what you mean by "Since we cannot provide enough funds to the companies"? Does this mean, like a member mentioned, that you are PAYING the companies to come to your campus for hiring? NO… repeat NO company that's professionally managed and looks for the 'right-fit' candidates takes money officially or unofficially.

Now, IF you mean that you are paying the HR guys to make a favor to your institution to come for hiring, then better escalate such corruption to the top guys in this company through your Principal. I know it happens and wherever it happens, the selected students usually are expected to bear the cost of the payoffs.

Recruitment Hesitation

2] Regarding your remark "... hesitate to come for recruitment placement process in our college," please elaborate on why or what makes you think so.

In addition to the aspects/factors mentioned by the other members about Govt vis-a-vis Pvt Colleges, my experience has been that it's THE OTHER WAY ROUND [NOT counting the Top-level Private Colleges please].

In general, as a thumb rule, Govt Colleges have a much better infrastructure in labs, faculty, etc. However, the issue here would be the general environment of teaching [labs equipment not working, faculty not serious in teaching but tutoring, etc]. But such situations can always have viable solutions.

However, Pvt Colleges have the problem of insufficient facilities—though whatever is available is in working condition. A case in point for this is: over 300-350 Pvt Engg Colleges are likely to be closed in Jan 2015 in Telangana State [out of ~600] for THESE VERY REASON(S) on Court Orders. The existing students are likely to be shifted to other colleges.

Guidance and Contacts

3] With regards to your request "Please help us with guidance and contacts to the companies"—it would have been better had you mentioned what YOU did to address the problem so far. If you come out with pointed/specific issues where you got stuck, you are more likely to get actionable suggestions.

With the power of the Internet today, it shouldn't be very tough to contact the HR of most companies today. However, you also need to bear in mind that every company would have their objectives—so when you don't get a reply, please don't make an assumption that NONE wants you. It's just that that particular company has other/different priorities. Just keep trying with other companies.

You can also post the details of the branches/specializations, number of students, etc., in this very forum… most of CiteHR members are HR professionals in the corporate world.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

It is just a misconception, or rather, I say it's your perception. As a faculty member of a private college, I can say a government college is the best place to study. The fee is very low, and there is no extra pressure on students. However, in private colleges, there are lots of fees, other charges, and fines imposed on students to collect and increase their capital. Private colleges are simply running a business, nothing more. They pay very little to faculty members and charge high fees to students for placements.

My dear friend, you will be surprised to know that companies mostly prefer government college students for hiring because they are aware that the top rankers are always in government colleges.

Regards,
Rajni Sharma

I saw this in today's Economic Times and thought it could be of help. You only need to work backwards in the respective portals to reach out to the companies hiring from campuses.

Companies Get Tech Help for Mass Hiring This Season - The Economic Times

All the best.

Regards, TS