Dr S S Verma
Things in the country towards getting job (government or private) have changed drastically in the last 20-30 years. It is remarked at present that in India it is easy to find GOD but difficult to find a JOB. If you put very hard work for getting both (GOD and JOB), there are good chances to have success in finding GOD but even after hard work there are very bleak chances to land up with a JOB, leave aside the deserving or suitable job as per your qualifications. Unemployment in the country has reached to 5% and it is really becoming tough to handle unemployment for the candidate as well as for his family. Writing articles on the availability of various job opportunities and educational courses with lots of job possibilities is totally different than to look for a job and to support a job seeker in the family both financially and emotionally.
I remember my college/university days in 1980s when though we were not much hopeful of getting high class jobs easily (without much hard work) but getting of lower class jobs was almost certain to every person who used to complete his educational degrees with mediocre to good rankings. Things were definitely easier for people who were qualifying degrees with flying colours. Scenario with professional courses was definitely better than the non-professional courses but still the gap was not that wide. Here it will be improper not to acknowledge the drastic change recently made by Prime Minister Mr. Modi and his government by scarping the interviews for class C posts. However, this will make a little difference to people who will not be able to compete in the rigorous process of selection. Here, it is my sincere effort to highlight the problems/nightmares being faced by the job seekers with a wish that planners at all levels will take a note and will try to make the process more smooth, cost effective, fair and transparent.
Examination fee: Tough competition due to large number of applicants and less number of opportunities, job seekers have to take a number of examinations to find a job and thus have to deposit huge amounts of money as examination fees. Many of the times, the examination fees range from Rs. 600/- to Rs. 3000/- which is not a small amount for an applicant from a middle class family. Many job seekers lose hope and leave many job opportunities due to money constraints. Government departments which are running on tax payer’s money at least should reduce the examination fee to minimum. Conducting of examination should not be treated as a money making event at any cost.
Age Limit: It is easy to say that start preparing for competitive examinations from school or college but coming successful in educational degree examinations along with preparing for competitions simultaneously is not that easy at all. Therefore, after getting minimum educational qualifications and then going preparing for competitive examinations which have a totally different modus operandi, a person many a time loses some of his prime years of life in preparation and between failures and success due to which age limit conditions particularly for fresh candidates turns to be a big deterrent in getting a job.
Number of chances: Similar to age limit, restriction in number of chances is also not desired one because a person who is not successful in getting a job after few chances does not mean that he is not capable of clearing the competition when we all know that chance of getting a job is like “a big gap between the cup and lip”. Taking into consideration the opportunity (number of chances) given unlimited in many cases, there is a need to think positively and extend the same in general as it will not harm the merit of recruitment but will give another chance for a job seeker. Advertisements or sanction of posts: It is in general that government and private offices, advertise for the recruitment of different posts in small numbers throughout the year and job seekers lose interest by looking at the number of openings and avoid the process of filing an application. It will be better, if the total posts are well planned in advance and are advertised in one.
Cancellation of recruitment process: Job seekers at many times also suffer due to cancellation of recruitment process in the country which is a very common syndrome and can occur on any excuse like: elections (code of conduct), fraud by any officer, economic slump, paper leakage, change of governments in power and many more such reasons. There is a need to separate and save the recruitment process from such controls or happenings and interferences so that job seekers do not lose their prime time and money.
Fresher’s syndrome: Weather government or private, but private in general are not giving any weightage to educational degrees and want to recruit people with experience. Big question is from where the fresher’s will acquire experience if they do not get chance to work in the early stage of their career. Either they (fresher’s) have to compromise with minimum wages, un-human working conditions or they must have some push or pull to get into the job. Educational degrees have no more role than the minimum qualifications. Therefore, people are going for higher and higher educational degrees but are not able to the job.
Scenario with private recruitments: Private companies are recruiting a large number of job seekers with lots of promises for bright future in companies but truth is very contrary to that. Companies are hiring people with minimum wages and then either not increasing the salary for many years or are asking people to leave the organization. Many a time, private companies hire people to work without salary for some months for which they (job seekers) agree with a promise from the company to give them some fixed amount after a year or so and then with full salary. Agreeing to such horrendous deals, these people most of the times are asked to leave after few months of free service to the company. This is a stark reality of exploitation in private sector and this all is happening due to large number of job seekers and less number of jobs in the country. Hire and fire policy of private sector is creating a depression in the minds of its work force and fresh job seekers.
Role of interviews: Interviews were an integral part of recruitment process to decide at the final level of recruitment with an aim, “right man for the right job”. But, with time, forces like nepotism and favoritism took over the selectors and deserving people were replaced by un-deserving people on the pretext of interviews. With time, component of interview in the final selection has been reduced drastically, but still gives a space (though small) for manipulation. In this regard, we appreciate the thinking and action recently shown by Prime Minister Mr. Modi to ask the central government and state governments to follow the scrapping of interviews at all for the post of class C level jobs. With its success towards controlling nepotism and favoritism syndrome in recruitment process, hope that soon this policy will be extended to class B and then to class A jobs also.
Contractual appointments: Contractual and adhoc appointments are on increase in government organizations and these appointees are exploited to the maximum for work and money. Contractual appointments are generally considered as mode of back door entry to the organization. Standard working and financial rules should be applicable to such employees also and posts should be filled on regular basis in one go and through proper advertisements at the earliest.
Digital divide: With going everything digital for job seeking like, online applications, online payments, online information through websites, messages on smart phones, apps, mock tests, and many more advantages with digital media, people in urban areas are in benefit as compared to their rural counterparts. Due to non-availability of internet facility at hand with ease, finding it costly, time consuming and having no expertise, rural applicants (about 50%) are shunning away from trying to be a job seeker. They are really losing interest in seeking a job and instead are going for bad means of earning money like thefts, smuggling and drug peddling and are becoming a great nuisance to the society.
Words of advice to job seekers: With all difficulties mentioned above towards getting a job, I would like say a few words as advice to job seekers also. It is easy to blame everything in the system against you but it is your wisdom to change everything in your favour by your determination towards hard work. Make sure that during your struggle for job, you should:
*not take seriously the comments of your near and dear ones (society always recognize/respect success than failures)
*take failures as the pillars of success
*be more confident and sincere towards hard work with each failure
*do not come with negativity, only have a hope
*believe in GOD, but also remember that GOD helps those who help themselves
*to overcome a problem, it is better to face it than to escape it
Prepare yourself well in advance (during your college days) for this unemployment catastrophe taking into consideration all the points mentioned above and keep preparing and availing opportunities with determination and hard work and one day you will definitely be successful in getting a job.
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