‘Where Did The Jobs Go?’

The panel speaks up!

Campus Conversations at PRESTON University

“For students, having your mind in one place is most important in order to build a creditable future,” said Sharique Abdullah, Lead Software Engineer at Folio3, a speaker at the Preston University Session of Campus Conversations.

This session, titled ‘Where did the jobs go?’ addressed one of the most insistent pressures that the students face as soon as they graduate and that is the pressure to get a job. From the fresh graduates’ point of view though, the current job scenario is extremely bleak. Professionals currently working in a number of organizations though, differ from this popular point of view.

According to Ahmed Ayub Khan, Senior Director Operations at Folio3, organizations look for students or fresh graduates who have the potential. From his perspective, it isn’t the lack of jobs that is the problem. It is rather the people, especially the fresh graduates who apply for these jobs.

“There is a popular belief amongst the students who apply to our organization. These students are somehow under an impression that we will quiz them about stuff that they have never studied or heard before. That is incorrect. We have a pretty good idea of what a fresh graduate should know, and we never ask ‘out-of-course’ questions. Unfortunately though, it is these questions also that the students cannot answer!” Ahmed Ayub added.

Aamir Ibrahim, Senior Director at Folio3, agreed to his colleague’s viewpoint. He   clarified further Folio3 perspective by adding that although every company has different requirements, most of the IT-based organizations in Pakistan have similar requirements and the hiring is purely merit-based.

He also explained why one candidate is generally preferred over another. “If I have two fresh graduates who both know C++,” he said, “I would prefer to hire the one who has better general knowledge or knows more about the current market trends because he displays the self-motivation to learn something knew on his own. In the long run, this candidate would prove to be a better investment for me.”

The students were also advised to take time out and go for internships as it helps them gain experience and get more hands-on knowledge about a career choice. Another suggestion was to do a market survey and then, once they had gauged the market trends, to adapt themselves accordingly so that they become better adapted to the market and find it easier to get a job.

As Maliha Khan, Director Engineering at Folio3 aptly summed it, “It is important for students to understand, the new, the latest trends, especially the latest technology trends, since technology today has permeated every field.” Summing up the discussion, Campus Conversations at Preston University came to a close with a commitment from each of the panelists to the student body keeping the initiative ongoing.

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