Seeking HR Insights: What Do You Look for in Freshers Entering the Manufacturing Industry?

Hi all, I am in the preparation of a training module for freshers or final-year students of BE/B-Tech or any other engineering discipline who want to secure a job in the manufacturing industry. I require some input from HR officials:

1. What qualities do they look for or search for in freshers?
2. What kind of knowledge do they expect from freshers?
3. Which subjects or topics do you suggest training them on to help them secure a job?
4. What specific skills do they prefer freshers to have?

Detailed answers will help me assist these freshers who are seeking job opportunities.

Dear Mr. Rajesh Sahasrabuddhe,

It's good to note that you are conducting market research before developing a product. The marketability of the product increases when it is developed to match the market needs.

Apart from the market feedback, what is your personal assessment of the college students? Have you met them, and how many times did you meet them? Were the college students the same or different? Providing feedback on the inclusion of topics based on your own assessment would have helped us further develop the product.

Regardless, technical skills are crucial. This is because many students tend to forget what they were taught in the first 1-2 years of their engineering course. It is often observed that students still struggle with the fundamentals or basic definitions of the subject.

Having knowledge is one aspect, while the ability to present it is another. Therefore, communication skills are paramount. Both written and verbal communication skills are essential. Additionally, beyond the writing test, it is important to assess their ability to read English newspapers effectively.

Lastly, students must recognize their own shortcomings. One common issue among Indians is their unawareness of their weaknesses. Rather than accepting these shortcomings, it is crucial for them to work on overcoming them. Learning this early in life is vital for their future success.

Thank you,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Mr. Dinesh, thanks for your views and suggestions. I have visited 10 engineering colleges around Pune. Students are more or less the same. I have given 6 to 7 lectures to these students about employability enhancement, and I am working with many manufacturing industries. As you rightly said, important skills like technical skills or communication skills are not visible in the students; technical skill is highly missing. Some students don't even know how to prepare a resume. However, the expectations (not ambitions) of students are very high. This has triggered me to create a course for these students to make them industry-ready. If you give me the required skills in % format, then I can design a more useful course.

Thanks once again, Rajesh Sahasrabuddhe