Young, tech-savvy millennials are among the most sought after hires at India’s companies, but many of these job-seekers don’t feel ready yet. Be it strong industry and domain knowledge or the ability to work long hours, young graduates aren’t yet prepared for professional life, a survey by job-search portal Monster.com shows.
Around 66% of millennial graduates aged 18-34 years felt under-prepared in their first job, the survey of over 5,000 job-seekers and employers found. It covered sectors such as software and technology, finance and accounting, hospitality and travel, law, arts and culture, and engineering and production.
“The findings once again bring back the point about the need to upskill and invest in training to get the millennial workforce job-ready. The good thing is…(they) themselves are quite aware about the critical need to enhance their skills,” Sanjay Modi, the managing director of Monster.com, APAC and Middle East, said in a statement, suggesting some measures to help freshers. These included better-structured internship programmes that could help instill confidence and impart skills.
Besides, millennials quit jobs often and are constantly looking for better opportunities, the report said. Challenges with bosses and a lack of mentorship are among the top reasons for millennials quitting their first jobs, Monster said. So constant feedback and better management support could help retain talent.
The learning curve
While young graduates bring in fresh perspectives to the workplace, they also have a lot to learn. For instance, many first-time applicants tend to make mistakes such as not writing their resumes well, or not preparing for their job interviews, employers say.
“One should always do a thorough research on the job, the company, industry—and the interviewer—before an interview,” CP Gurnani, managing director and CEO at Tech Mahindra, said in the report. “At the end of the day, a degree functions no better than a passport for the interview, but does not impact the outcome of the interview.”