The most important and the first two things HR wants in a candidate

No 1. Humility – having the right attitude

When I write this word “humility” I invariably get reminded of Mr. Sachin Tendulkar. Ever wondered what is special about his greatness, it’s his attitude, his humbleness. During my corporate career i have taken nearly 1500 interviews, just by the virtue of this experience on meeting a candidate i can fairly make out about 40%- 45% about one's candidature and whether he fits into the requirement. Now imagine a professional who for last 10 years has been interviewing day in and day out, he is like a scanner or an X ray machine. You do not need to open your mouth for him to judge you. Some of these recruitment guys are so good that they are literally see through you. Keep that in mind and now read on.

Because of the generic myth of importance of flashy degrees the candidates gets a misplaced attitude of high and hotheadedness which proves fatal for the job search. Some people feel that the value of the degree is directly proportional to the salary package (s) he will get. If a candidates starts feeling and demonstrating over confidence showing off his degrees it’s a sure shot recipe of being rejected. Humility is the first thing the HR's want in a candidate. The candidate’s needs to exhibit that he understands that there is a lot to learn and he is willing to learn. A lot of times unknowingly candidates display misplaced attitude in their resumes when they increase the font and highlight their degrees to grab the attention of the HR.

A leading Bank's HR head called and told me "Abhishek please stop lining up MBA's." I was flabbergasted, i asked "Why" and the reason he gave me was "You know what these guys are fed loads of redbull in their campuses so when they come out they all are 2 feet above the ground, whereas a normal graduate who is clearly an under dog is slightly on the defensive that he is competing with MBA's, in that scenario the graduate tends to work more at lesser pay package and definitely has lesser attitude.As regards to application oriented domain knowledge both are clueless so we have decided to hire more of graduates."

And this is absolutely true that some of the corp-orates are now slowing distancing themselves from the breed of these B and C class MBA's. 

I would like to add that MBA is quite useful provided you do it from an "A" class institute. If you really plan to go for MBA bell the CAT.

No 2. Business Ethics

Ethics are those things which a child learns at his mother’s feet which get cemented over the years with the paradigm one keeps. It’s a debate whether conditioning can change the attitude and ethics after certain age so this becomes second most important thing for the HR’s to see in the candidature of the person who has to be hired. Simply put it’s the way a person conducts himself in a business environment. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one, companies want employees to decide what they think is the right course of action.

Just a small example; I get more than 200 resumes every day, the other day I got a resume from rita4funinmumbai123@____.com, now what do you think this email id gives a picture of, should I seriously take Rita as a candidate ready to be a Pro or should I delete the mail, small mistakes like these jeopardize your chances of getting a job. Have you got a professional email id which is different from your personal email id. Try and get mail id’s like abhishek.singh@evolvexl.com if you cannot find it available on Gmail who stops you to have one on zoho.com or for that matter any new mail id. It does not make any difference whether your mail id is on gmail or zoho, but more importantly it should have a professional look and feel. These are the first lessons that professional education should teach there students.

The Evolve XL Research (Ten Critical Skill sets employers look for)

A research arm of Evolve XL is devoted to discovering and documenting the new trends and changes in the job environment of the geographies we operate in. For the last three years we have studied over hundred companies, SME’s, B-Schools and other organisations. We have asked questions, listened, gathered and analyzed data using modern methodological tools. Center for research has been developing world class content after doing internal researches and consulting Industry experts.

We see every candidate's resumes on literally all job portals, even companies like Citibank and others are on these job portals, then why can't these companies straight away hire from these job portals, ok, if the companies want to hire the creamy layer why can't they have a filter in terms of the percentages students score. 

Why companies pay the recruitment consultants when nearly 70 Crore Indians are searching for jobs, or is it that there are no jobs which again would not be a correct statement. Only the BFSI  segment generates Lacs of jobs every year. This got us thinking and we started off with our research.

We went to various private sector banks and met the hiring managers, the recruitment managers, the business managers anybody involved in the hiring process and asked them questions like

Why don't you hire from all the MBA Colleges?

Why can't you send emails directly to candidates and  hire from the job portals?

Why do you have to pay the recruitment consultant through your nose when you can simply give an ad in newspapers say like a Mumbai mirror and organize a drive and i am sure seeing the amount of people looking for jobs, it will be a huge drive?

We then went to various B and C Class B Schools and met the deans, directors, placement co-ordinators and anyone who was involved in placements of the students and asked them questions like

Why can the college not manage a single multinational bank for the campus interviews?

Why the MBA students land up with the same jobs which normal graduates get?

What is the value addition that the MBA degree did wrt the placement of the students?

Why is the feedback of the students on the college so poor on course completion?

Then we met sampled students across various functions and asked them questions like

What is the dream job they want?

What are the skill sets they have which qualifies them for that job?

From all of these three sources we got some answers and once we completed our 360 degree research involving the three pillars of the job market the corporate, the colleges and the candidates we came to a conclusion that

85% of today’s graduates don’t have the basic employ-ability skills our surveys prove this and more so these findings are also similar to the research done by Mc Kinsey and Nasscomm which says 87% of graduates are not job ready.

After a research which took us more than an year to complete involving nearly 30 Corporates 30 odd b schools and nearly a sample size of 1000 candidates who responded we hit a dead end and were stuck with a problem statement, to break down the code we needed to break down the two words - Employ-ability Skill sets  What are these employ-ability skill sets? To get an answer to this we met 50 HR managers having an experience of over 10 years who were in the domain of talent acquisition, recruitment and hiring and asked them a simple question  What is the skill set that you benchmark the candidates on and on the basis you select?

With nearly 500 years of experience we came to a unanimous conclusion of 10 critical skill sets which the HR checks out across industries, and in the order of their importance they are listed in an ascending order. Will be writing on each of these in subsequent blogs

The Solutions

1. Differentiating between a Job and a Career (A real case study)

At 21 Mahesh finishes his B.Com and looks for a job, he is told that a multinational bank is hiring and interviews are on, Mahesh goes there with his certificates and on facing the interview panel he is asked whether he is ready for sales, he declines. After sitting at home for next two months he again comes across an interview advertisement of a bank, he goes to attend but the same story is repeated. It is extremely frustrating for Mahesh as the jobs available are not matching his aspirations.

One day he gets a call from his friend Vikram saying there is a vacancy in the office he works, Mahesh goes for the interview in his Vikram's employer's office M/S Sameer Shah and associates, a CA firm, he inquires about the job profile, it would be data entry, managing MIS and day to day operations, Mahesh likes the profile but is disappointed to know the salary is only INR 6000pm. Having no other option Mahesh accepts the offer as it is certainly better than being jobless sitting at home.

It has been six years since Mahesh joined M/S Sameer Shah and associates, now his salary is INR11000 and is soon going to get married. Over these years Mahesh has become much more aware of the job market and growth possibilities in the company he works.He realizes that he works in a proprietorship firm and unorganized sector, he will never have the growth here that he can expect in corporates. 

Mahesh starts searching for jobs again, he gets lucky with an interview with a leading bank, he goes for the interview and is asked the same question 

Interviewer "Are you ready for sales?"

Mahesh "Yes.I am"

Interviewer "What are your salary expectations?"

Mahesh "Sir i have an experience of 6 years and am currently getting 11000, so i expect some increment over that"

Interviewer "Where are you working?"

Mahesh "Sir, i have been working with M/S Sameer Shah and associates for last five years"

Interviewer "Sorry Mahesh but we will not take that as an experience, because the experience of unorganized sector is not counted. As regards to your candidature we will treat you as a fresher and for freshers our policy grants a maximum salary of INR 10000 pm. Tell me if you are interested?"

Noe Mahesh is in a typical catch 22 situation. The mistake Mahesh made at the start of his career is a common story in metropolitans. This not only robbed Mahesh of valuable six years of experience but now he starts his life with people five to six years younger to him. Its like having a feeling of failing in a class for six years and being with your juniors.

I always tell my students in various MBA colleges and the candidates who come to Evolve XL looking for jobs that if you are looking out only for jobs, chances are that you will be spoilt for choices but if you want a more fulfilling and a richer life concentrate on career look at a long term and a holistic vision of 20 to 25 years. Probably that's the reason why most of the interviewers ask the candidates" Where do you see yourself in five years from now?" Having a myopic vision will only inhibit your chances of having a great career.

2. Identifying the Sectors you would like to work for

Have you seen a surfer, he jumps on to a tide which is growing and the moment he feels the tide is about to collapse he jumps on to another which is growing? Similarly candidates should also identify which sectors are growing? In my seminars i always ask the candidates "Why do you want to get into banking?" and i get all sorts of answers. But the bottom-line is banking is growing and will continue to rock for next 20 to 25 years purely because the industry penetration is sub 30% levels which simply means 70% Indians are yet to open bank accounts. Which are the industries which are bound to grow faster than the others, my first five would be banking, education, retail, infrastructure and healthcare. Smart candidates choose growing sectors. I always maintain that you might be the smartest guy in your B School but god forbid if you choose a wrong industry you will go nowhere, had i been a fresher in today's time i would not dream of getting into a telecom company or a BPO. 

3. Zeroing on the profiles matching your skill sets

In my teens i was madly in love with Jennifer Lopez and wanted to marry her, not that my affinity to her has changed but i had an aspiration, when i tell this to my candidates they laugh and i ask them "Why are you guys laughing and then i tell them  "I know why you laughed because whenever someone aspires you start matching his skill sets to aspirations, she is an international star i am no-one, i am 5"7, she is maybe 5"10, she is a billionaire and i am a small time entrepreneur she has amazing head of hair and i am bald. Having aspirations is good, each one of us have a right to dream but then they should be achievable with the skill sets we have and if it is beyond our current skill sets we need to upgrade them to achieve our dreams and aspirations.

Whenever i ask candidates what is the dream profile they want in a bank i get different but very  interesting answers, but the most common is "Sir, i do not know what exactly i am looking for but one thing for sure i do not want three words in the job profile which are sales, targets and field." I always tell candidates job search is like searching for a new girl friend. If you have 20 girls in your class and you go out after all of them chances are quite bright that you will end up with none of them so you have to narrow your search to one particular girl and then see what it that she likes and dislikes. When you are ready with all the skill sets that she likes propose to her. Similarly zero down on the profile that matches with your skill sets in the industry you want to work for and how do you do that. Do your own research. If you want to get into banking industry go to the nearest bank branch meet the branch manager and gently ask him for two minutes of his, its highly unlikely that he would not entertain you. Ask him what are the job profiles according to your skill sets you can get if there were any vacancies. Hear it right from the horse's mouth, that might give you clarity of the job scenario in the sector you want to join.

The Reasons

Our Education System

The syllabus we follow till date be it MBA or any graduation program be it BBI, BMS, B.Com is obsolete, we are still following what was taught to our grandfathers in 1960's. Today we are in knowledge worker's age and we are teaching our youth redundant stuff which was followed in Industrial era. Proof of this would be India's poor performance in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests (India ranked 71 out of 73 nations) sparked a raging controversy about the adequacy of our education system. The fact is that in India we are still, by and large, trapped in the paradigm of teaching "content". All over the world (including China), the shift has been towards teaching "skills", that are necessary for making a truly global 21st century citizen.

What are these skills? They are, first and foremost, their ability to ask questions. Unless a child develops that innate curiosity, he /she will be a misfit in the new age work environment. In India, except for the most progressive schools (and how many of those exist?), questioning is seriously discouraged. This is partly the result of cultural conditioning (asking questions of elders is considered disrespectful), partly because of the extraordinarily large number of students in classes, and largely because the teachers do not know the answers.

Attitude of the students

1. Students and youth of India looking for jobs feel that the more fancy degrees/ fancy colleges they have or they go to, the better chances of employment they get which is a myth. A B.Com is considered to be a down market degree by a BMS because he has paid INR 20000 more, an MBA feels he is far better than graduates and will command a much better salary package. However the fact today is MBA's are getting the same jobs which are being offered to the graduates, so who gives the youth this misplaced attitude.

During the course of these degrees the educationist and the education system as a whole keeps the students ego's massaged about the great career that he/she is going to have as they have to ensure their fee installments come on time. It is only at the end of the course when the real picture gets clear to the students who are by now in a hopeless situation.

2. 90%of the candidates i meet are clueless about the job profiles available in banks; they have their own paradigm regarding the jobs which is far from reality. Moreover these days students prefer and are looking for band aids or quick fix solutions, short cuts to success, this is driven from the culture of giving important questions before examinations by teachers themselves and slowly this becomes a habit. Everyone seems to be driven by personality ethic and character ethic is a lost terminology. How to look good, speak well, be more popular has taken over the character ethics like loyalty, justness, integrity etc. 

Political Will

Someone on newshour asked one of the panelist representing the government on food security bill "Why don't you give us jobs we will feed ourselves? What I would have preferred is a focus on reforms in education sector, creating job opportunities, building infrastructure and clearing supply-side bottlenecks." Simply put old proverb aptly echoes my sentiments "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." 

The Problems of higher education in India

India is the youngest economy on the planet, about 60% of Indians are in the age bracket of 20 to 30 years! What an opportunity. As a nation if we channelize this work force we will zoom past any other... What an impact it can have on our GDP, but on the flip side if these kids go not get employment its a threat to the social fabric. I meet about 2000 such young dreamy eyed pass outs looking for jobs every month, with loads of aspiration and attitude. About 40 Lac young Indians graduate out of colleges and enter the race to a good job, but only 4 Lac get jobs in organised sector, these numbers are scary.I wonder at times whether this has anything to do with the increase of Maoism and Naxalism in India or the disturbing trends of  rapes in cities like Mumbai where it was unheard of and was supposed to be the safest city for women in the country. Is this the reason why four engineering graduates of Bangalore resorted to loot a bank of 15 Lacs and killed the security guard, imagine the desperation these kids have. Who is to blame?

Unlike kids of the 70's and 80's this young India has seen tremendous growth in 90's to 2008, they have seen bottom lines double every year, they saw their preceding generation buying flats and cars in their 30's due to the growth India saw post 91. So they expect the same growth for themselves as well, media exposure and the fast changing technological advancement makes them crave for a new smart phone when it is launched, today when i look around in my classes and seminars i find 90% of students on hi-end smart phones,don't get me wrong i am certainly not against anyone's aspirations, what is disturbing is the huge gap between the aspirations and skill sets to achieve them. This coupled with the obsolete Indian education standard is going to a perfect recipe for disaster. This GenX are damn good when it comes to handling smart phones or computers but beyond that is a question best left unanswered, thanks to our educationists and pedagogy which have made them the champions of short cut.

The MBA placement percentages are anywhere between 14%-16%, till recently the youth felt that having this degree under the belt would be the passport to a great career but the myth is shattered, why has the sheen deserted these so called B Schools? Why have over 500 MBA colleges closed down in last 18 months?
Some people get very annoyed when i put these facts across and love to rebut. Two questions to drive my point home.
1. If i am your younger brother would you fund my MBA degree from your own college?
(99% of my respondents reply in negative)
2. For those who are working please let me know what percentage of academic knowledge you acquired in two years of management have you been able to apply at your workplace?

Never before in the history of mankind has any generation faced such a tremendous battle to get a good job in order to survive.I dare say today the biggest national problem that we face is employ ability of our youth and the second would be Infrastructure.

Will be following it up with the reasons and solutions to counter this national threat.