Do we have an unemployment problem, or are most of the candidates who apply simply unemployable ?
I personally interview a reasonable number of potential candidates each year, and am appalled by the low percentage of employable candidates. I have also spoken extensively to friends owning diverse businesses ranging from IT, Healthcare, Hospitality and Manufacturing. Everyone has the same tale to tell – Most candidates applying are simply not employable.
Many candidates have a bad attitude. They present themselves poorly, seem distracted, and usually lack honesty and drive. They don’t seem to be good team players, dislike all their previous employers and companies, feel all their past team members were bad – be it at the college project level or at the corporate level.
Another key issue is job hopping. Many candidates have simply changed way too many jobs, probably just after the person finished training and then failed to deliver results. How long will the person work for my company, and with what efficiency ? A bigger concern is a significant unexplained gap in employment.
Many candidates have extremely poor communication skills. Its difficult to imagine how a person with extremely poor communication skills managed to complete education. Note that I am not talking of a very high standard of English.
Only after a candidate has crossed the above hurdles does it make sense to discuss their academic or work experiences.
What is the reason for such a low percentage of employable candidates ? Does the education system fail somewhere? Are the students to blame ? Can industry chip in instead of just complaining ? Do let me know your thoughts.
