Freshers generally have a hard time looking for jobs if they do not succeed in landing one through college placements. They register on various job portals and apply for job openings related to their qualifications and which are available in their preferred locations. While the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted almost all the industries, the fresher hiring also took a significant hit. The pandemic put every business plan on hold, and those freshers who had already given interviews had to deal with the delay of getting final call letters.

Several business verticals, including retail, banking, logistics, pharma, and IT, which were otherwise actively hiring throughout the year, delayed their recruitment process due to the pandemic. Many companies started looking to cut costs as their cash inflows affected during indefinite lockdowns. Moreover, they applied a hiring freeze to cope up with the unprecedented scenario and tried to realign their business processes.

Graduates were expectedly worried about their future and career as the job market came to a complete halt. However, the need of the hour was to acquire a solution-seeking outlook. Taking an optimistic approach, some universities and colleges started employing beneficial solutions for their students. They started online internships and training programs to help graduates become better prepared for the future of the workforce. As per an individual’s interests, he could choose internship projects, and a mentor would be assigned to guide them in their research. Such internships were interactive, user-friendly, and learning-centric.

Has the scenario changed almost a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, as the vaccine drive has begun, experts predict the hiring intent to improve gradually. The hiring of freshers continues to be on a strong growth trajectory, with around 15% of companies planning to hire freshers between February and April of 2021, as per Economic Times. The job roles for which the hiring of entry-level professionals is increasing include sales professionals, digital marketing associates, business development, web developers, graphic designers, and content writers.

A lot of entry-level professionals are seeking online training courses to learn in-demand digital skills and improve their career prospects. This trend is noticed among experienced professionals as well. They are taking up courses to upskill themselves and reduce their risk of becoming invaluable in this dynamic job market. Training programs like PMP course, data science certification, and machine learning online course became the popular choices of employees at mid-level of experience.   

If we look at the Information Technology or IT industry, India’s top software companies have lined up their hiring plans for 2021-22. These four firms Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro, HCL, and Infosys, collectively plan to hire around 91,000 freshers from campuses across India. Job opportunities in India are likely to grow in the current year, and the planned numbers stand slightly higher than those in 2020. Even Larsen & Toubro, an engineering and construction conglomerate, is seeking over 1100 graduate trainees to employ them across different business verticals for the year 2021. Ernst & Young, a global professional services organization, will follow suit and hire about 9000 freshers in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, cyber security, and other emerging technologies.

Though it may take time for businesses to return to pre-COVID operating levels, the hiring will pick up any time soon. Freshers should utilize this time in upgrading themselves and gaining the skills that will remain in-demand post the pandemic. Both government and private businesses are embarking on a technology-led transformation, and freshers must be prepared to take on new digital roles. They should strengthen their capabilities in working with advanced technologies and intensify their efforts to land their dream job.