Graduates often find it difficult to find a job in their own domains and instead, settle for lower-paying jobs in other domains. The government has been trying for many years to reduce the unemployment rate in the country and the latest decision taken by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with LinkedIn to aid such graduates.
LinkedIn, a name synonymous with job seekers, is a social networking service where professionals upload their details and build a profile that could attract potential employers. Most employers post job opportunities on the site and entrepreneurs also seek investors for their business via LinkedIn. There are over 450 million registered users on LinkedIn and 33 million of them are from India. The profile of an individual on LinkedIn is similar to a conventional resume but, with more detail. This makes it easier for an employer to approach the ideal candidate for the job. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft.
What and How
The main motive behind signing the MoU is to provide ample job opportunities for students in the country. LinkedIn had earlier released a ‘placement product’ back in November 2015. This product was aimed at making the placement process easier for both students as well as placement officers. The product was entirely developed in India and is primarily focused on the Indian market. This product will help students look for a job according to their qualifications and enable them to apply for the opportunity. Students can check the status of their application in real time. Recruiters find this to be useful because they can filter out the students they want to interview before they arrive on the campus.
As per the MoU, the ‘placements’ product will be made accessible to all institutions that are affiliated to AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education). In September 2016, this product was made accessible to students from all universities and colleges in the country. Within two months after its launch, over 2 lakh students have registered for it. This product will provide equal opportunities for all students based purely on their skills regardless of their location. The students need to take an assessment test which will give them direct access to thousands of job openings from reputed corporations.
Expert Opinion
Akshay Kothari, LinkedIn India Country Manager and Head of Product said that they were glad that the MoU was inked and that they are looking forward to working with the HRD ministry and AICTE to provide equal job opportunities to the students in the country. Through the ‘placements’ product, students in the country can get access to the best jobs in the market regardless of where they are located. He also said that with this platform, students would be inching closer to their dream jobs.