The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Who takes responsibility?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Who takes responsibility?

V. Jayanth

Students waiting for an interview at Anna University. — Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI: As the students of professional courses prepare for semester examinations, they are also getting ready for another round of campus interviews for placement.

Engineering students, for instance, are tested and interviewed in their sixth semester itself for recruitment on completing their four-year course. But students of some city colleges sound a note of caution: quite a few companies provide a "letter of offer" after campus selection, but fail to send a "letter of appointment" after a year when they finish the course.

It is not a general complaint, but there are some cases, say sources in Anna University.

While the top companies have had no difficulty identifying the right students, selecting them on campus and recruiting them on completion of the course, the second-rung firms have had problems. "When we contact them once the students inform us about non-receipt of appointment letters, the HRD managers tell us that some plan and projects have gone awry and that their projections for recruitment cannot be met. This is a grey area," concedes a senior academic in a deemed university.

The students have another problem too.

Says R. Madhan: "Before campus placement interviews begin, we are clearly told that we can opt for only one interview. Of course, it is meant to give all students a chance. But sometimes it happens that we get an offer that does not convert into a job, or end up being short-listed but not recruited. We lose other opportunities."

HRD managers explain that they act on instructions of the company and go through the process of selection. They expect better communication skills at least among city students, but find at least 80 per cent of them lacking it. Now that a grey area in the campus selection has been identified, the students hope the university or college authorities, along with the companies, evolve a strategy to deal with the issue and ensure recruitment of as many students as possible. Speaking on behalf of a Salem-based institution, Jayaprakash Gandhi says: "We permit students to appear for at least two interviews so that they have a choice, and the companies also get to see a larger sample of boys and girls."

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