Difficult to find a job due to lack of practical experience
Ms. Nguyen Linh Chi, 22 years old, from Thanh Hoa, graduated with a degree in Finance - Banking (University of Labor and Social Affairs) with a fairly good grade. Throughout 4 years of university, Ms. Chi always believed that just studying hard and achieving good results, job opportunities would be wide open. However, the journey to find a job after graduation made the young female graduate soon realize the large gap between theory in the lecture hall and the actual requirements of businesses.
In more than 2 months after graduating from university, Ms. Chi sent applications to 15 banks and finance companies but only received a few interview invitations and were all rejected on the grounds of not having practical work experience.
The recruiter asked me if I had ever been exposed to credit records, processed financial data, or used accounting software in the business environment. I have only learned through textbooks and simulation exercises, so I am quite confused...", Ms. Chi shared.
According to her, the final internship course lasts nearly two months, mainly for data entry, document arrangement and administrative support. This time is not enough to help Ms. Chi understand the working process of a real bank employee.
Looking at my friends going to work one by one, while I was still waiting at home, I started to doubt whether I was really capable enough...", Ms. Chi said.
Mr. Tran Quoc Minh (24 years old), graduated with a degree in Information Technology from the Academy of Posts and Telecommunications Technology, also spent many months struggling before finding a job in his specialty. Despite firmly grasping knowledge of programming and software systems, Mr. Minh was continuously eliminated in interview rounds due to lack of practical projects and teamwork experience.
The recruiter asked me to present the products I had participated in, how to handle errors and coordinate with colleagues. I only had a few major exercises at school, so I could not prove my ability convincingly," Mr. Minh recounted.
After many failures, Minh actively participated in open source projects, volunteered as a collaborator and built personal products to complete his profile. Three months later, he was officially accepted into the probationary programmer position.
Must take advantage of the opportunity
According to Dr. Pham Thanh Huyen, lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism, College of Television, young students and workers cannot immediately gain in-depth professional experience after just a few years of study.
Experience is a process of accumulation over time, through practical encounters and real work pressure. The school cannot completely replace the working environment, but it is responsible for having enough conditions for students to access careers as soon as possible," Dr. Huyen shared.
According to Ms. Huyen, with the specific characteristics of training in journalism, media and filmmaking, the school organizes many "combat" activities such as program production, field operations, event organization, production of media products, participation in professional competitions and projects in coordination with press agencies, businesses...
Despite being given many opportunities to experience, students still find it difficult to have the same rich experience as people who have worked for many years. The important thing is not that they must know everything when they graduate, but to have a solid professional foundation, correct career thinking, quick learning ability and high adaptability," Dr. Huyen emphasized.
To shorten the gap with the labor market, Dr. Huyen believes that first of all, students themselves must actively take advantage of all practical opportunities that the school creates.
Students who dare to take on difficult jobs, actively go to work in the field, and work part-time according to their expertise often progress very quickly. Conversely, if they only study to complete a subject, they will face many disadvantages when looking for a job," Ms. Huyen said.
According to Dr. Huyen, besides the efforts of students, schools need to continue to promote training models associated with practice, strengthen connections with businesses. Businesses should also have a more compassionate view of new graduates.
You may not have much experience, but if you have a good foundation, receptive attitude and adaptability, you can completely become a quality human resource in the future," Dr. Huyen said.
