Saudi GazetteEmployers invariably seek to hire experienced professionals, giving them preference over fresh graduates who lack experience. But is it fair for the young job aspirants who are bright, talented, dynamic and well qualified? Experience is often a major criterion for companies at the time of recruitment, says a manager at a major corporate house. He has no solution to the ‘unfair discrimination' meted out to fresh graduates aspiring to find jobs. He also has no answer to the question of how a fresher will gain experience if he does not find employment in the first place. Due to this scenario, many youths remain unemployed. Sara Fatima, a fresh graduate who holds a degree in engineering, says, “There are ample opportunities in various segments of engineering. But I cannot apply for any of them because I don't have any experience to suit the required position.” Some companies do hire fresh graduates, regardless of their capability. But they are offered jobs that do not relate directly to their area of study. Freshers readily take up these jobs since they feel it gives them something to begin with and this tends to negatively impact their career in the long term. Reem Al-Saeed, a school teacher, says it is wrong for anyone specialize in one field and work in a different one. She added that she always wanted to pursue a career in marketing but since there were no opportunities related to her field in Jeddah, she was forced to take up teaching. Abu Bakr, a business manager, who graduated with merit in engineering, explained the difficulties that he went through as a new graduate hunting for work. “The moment I graduated, I applied in some companies but got rejected as I had no experience. I then decided to go for my masters in Business Administration so that I wouldn't restrict myself to the engineering field. Even after my masters, I failed to find work as an engineer. I chose to work at a much junior level and now, after five years of hard work, I am finally promoted to the management level.” Unfortunately for fresh graduates, business scenario is witnessing a transformation, where competitiveness and cost-effectiveness have become the mantra of doing business. Companies find it financially viable, even profitable, to recruit experienced individuals rather than take the risk of recruiting fresh graduates, and spending money on their training. ‘‘Experienced and professional employees do not need training and that saves the company's time and cost. Their efficiency is very high from the beginning,” said Abdullah Al-Bassam, Director of human resources in a company. ‘No experience, no job' has thus become the policy statement of the corporate sector. Many job applicants do not reach the interview level, as they are rejected on the ground that they have no experience to boast in their CVs. The problem could be solved to an extent, if universities provide students with work opportunities such as internships to learn work ethics prior to their graduation. The corporate sector on the other hand can support students by absorbing them as internees or offering part-time jobs. This will help them, though in a small measure, to gain experience and understand work dynamics. __
