First Job: Transition from College to Corporate

[Badshah Mamun]

First Job: Transition from College to Corporate

In our High Tea Chat Session on Wed, 21st March, ?12, we invited celebrity guest Mr. Ashish Garg, Director & Head of Recruitment, Convergys India Services Pvt. Ltd to address the queries of TimesJobs? users on the topic ?First Job: Transition from College to Corporate.?

Most of the college pass-outs often struggle with innumerable doubts and questions regarding their first job, corporate culture, workplace norms etc. Our celebrity guest aptly handled their mind boggling concerns and gave tips and guidance on how to kickstart a successful career.

On being asked about few general interview tips & mannerism to crack the first job interview, Mr. Garg replied, ?BE YOURSELF :) Do not try to be someone you?re not. From an interview skills perspective, you should maintain eye contact, listen attentively, be prepared to talk through what is in your resume, highlight your key achievements, show positive body language, and be open. If you don?t know the answer to a particular question, be honest and admit that you don?t know, instead of trying to answer. Idiosyncrasies such as biting nails, fidgeting and other nervous habits are best avoided. Finally, do your homework; learn about the company over the internet or other reliable sources.

One of the participants asked Mr. Garg about the job opportunities that are available for freshers in BPO industry, to which he replied ?Multiple opportunities are available in the BPO Industry across functions like Customer Service, Technical Support, Human Resources, Finance and across verticals like IT, Telecom & Financial Services. Unlike a lot of other industries, BPO?s base hiring decisions on merit and not certificates.

One of the TimesJobs? participants shared his concern with Mr. Garg: ?As an employer, how would you help a fresher adapt to a work environment that is so different from life in a college campus? Induction programs are only a beginning and while they give freshers an idea about the organisation culture, real experiences are what build the fresher into a candidate who can contribute to the organisation and take the organisation culture forward. How does an employer facilitate this??  To this Mr. Garg replied ?All employers understand the importance of new hire orientation and effective onboarding in today?s? world. At Convergys, we also invest heavily in this direction, provide training and set our new employees for success.?

On being asked about the challenges that today?s freshers face in the corporate world, Mr. Garg replied, ?People generally struggle to adapt to the corporate culture when they move from a hip college culture. At times, people take up jobs which come to them without proper thought and alignment to their aspirations. Managing expectations, being accountable, working in a team, following the vision of the organization and understanding the manager?s perspective are key things that first timers should keep in mind.?

Source: http://blog.timesjobs.com/2012/03/first-job-transition-from-college-to-corporate/