“Why can’t employers check new graduates’ capability in general and then provide new grads proper guidance on the technology that is needed for the particular position they are hiring for?”
—Karthik Rallapalli, Computer Science, Centennial College
I am a computer science graduate and currently studying for an advanced diploma at Centennial College. I’m doing a co-op term as a Technical System Analyst.
It’s an exciting experience for me because it is my first job. Our college provided us with a portal for co-op jobs, which cuts the amount or work down by half. However, you can also go to each company’s career page and look for internships.
One thing I worked hard on was finding the jobs I was interested in and preparing a resumé and cover letter according to the jobs’ requirements.
This is the most the most important thing to focus on to get an interview. I got my co-op job after my second interview.
From my experience, I understand that it is important to strongly let employers know about your passion and interest and your capabilities. You don’t need to be an expert in everything you are interested in.
There is always a room for improvement in the IT field. This is especially true for co-op jobs – they don’t expect much from you.
Bottom line is: explain your interest in the job during interview and work hard to prove it.
Once you have some experience in your field, it opens the gateway for full-time employment after graduation
Where I am now
Right now, I am doing my co-op term and will be back to school this summer. I will start my job search in September 2011.
My recommendation for employers
During our studies, we learn a lot about technologies in general. After graduation, employers only need a particular technology. I cannot understand why they don’t welcome people with knowledge on different technologies.
As new graduates, most of us will only have general knowledge. All the job postings, other then a few graduate programs, require knowledge of a particular technology.
Why can’t employers check new graduates’ capability in general (i.e., math, computer programming, etc.) and then provide new grads proper guidance on the technology that is needed for the particular position they are hiring for?
This was concerning to me when I started looking into job postings because I could not understand which technology to consider in particular. It would be great if employers recognized this problem.
This #StudentVoice belongs to:
Kathik Rallapalli
Student
Centennial College