Rohit Sharma, Head HR Foundation and People Partner at Bayer India, shared his insights with Careers360 about the real-life challenges faced by freshers during recruitment and areas for improvement. He also spoke about the job market, importance of upskilling, curriculum alignment, and the hiring process. Edited excerpts:
How do you see the job market for fresh graduates evolving over the next 3-5 years?
India’s fresher job market in 2025 is experiencing strong growth and transformation, with a significant rise in opportunities across both tech and non-tech sectors. Fresher hiring has increased by 11% year-on-year, especially in fields like hospitality, oil & gas, healthcare, media, and e-commerce. Startups are playing a key role in job creation. There’s a sharp rise in demand for roles in AI, machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity, with IT companies prioritising candidates skilled in cloud computing and automation. The hiring trend is shifting from academic degrees to practical skills, with hands-on expertise in areas like robotics and data visualisation gaining value.
Gig and project-based roles are also increasing. However, skill gaps remain a major challenge, particularly in advanced tech roles.
What are the most critical skills you find fresh graduates lacking?
Employers today prioritise skills over degrees. However, many fresh graduates lack essential soft and technical skills. Despite academic achievements, they often struggle with real-world problem-solving and critical thinking due to an overreliance on theory. In-demand digital skills like AI, cybersecurity, and machine learning are rarely taught effectively, as college curricula lag behind industry needs. Adaptability is also lacking. Additionally, teamwork, project collaboration, and communication skills are underdeveloped. Time management and organisational abilities are commonly missing.
A significant gap also exists between academic learning and practical industry experience, as many graduate without internships or hands-on training. This disconnect highlights the need for institutions to better prepare students with real-world skills that align with evolving job market expectations.
How important is upskilling for early-career professionals? What should they focus on?
I always recommend that they focus solely on learning during the first two-five years. This period is crucial for building a strong foundation, essential for long-term career growth.
Skill development is vital — both technical and soft skills must be continuously improved through hands-on work and active observation. Gaining real-world experience through projects and volunteering can sharpen skills and demonstrate initiative. Equally important is career research and goal setting. Exploring different industries and roles, aligning work with personal interests, and setting clear goals help ensure long-term satisfaction and success. Building a strong career toolkit, including a tailored resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, enhances visibility. Finally, professionalism and the right attitude — openness to feedback, eagerness to learn, and resilience — play a key role.
How well do you think India’s academic curriculum aligns with the evolving needs of the industry?
There remains a significant disconnect between academic programmes and industry expectations. This gap largely stems from outdated curricula, limited practical exposure, and rigid institutional systems that struggle to adapt to change.
Many Indian colleges, particularly government ones, still prioritise theoretical learning over practical application, leaving graduates underprepared for real-world roles. Syllabi updates are slow and often lack input from industry experts, resulting in the exclusion of emerging technologies, essential practices, and soft skills demanded by employers. Furthermore, experiential learning opportunities such as internships, industry projects, and hands-on labs are limited. Faculty members also often lack industry experience and access to modern training programmes.
While some top-tier and private institutions are progressing, the majority of colleges lag behind. Systemic reforms rooted in stronger industry-academia partnerships, frequent curriculum updates, and a focus on employability are essential to bridge this widespread gap.
Have you observed a decline or shift in campus recruitment patterns? What reasons are driving this?
This is due to a combination of economic, technological, educational, and organisational factors. Global economic uncertainty — fueled by the pandemic’s aftermath, geopolitical tensions, and sector-specific slowdowns — has led companies to adopt cautious hiring strategies, including freezes and reduced intake. As a result, fewer entry-level opportunities are available through campus placements.
A significant contributor to this decline is the persistent skills gap and misalignment between university curricula and industry needs. Many graduates lack practical expertise in high-demand areas such as cloud computing, data analytics, and AI, making them less employable. Additionally, technological disruption has automated many routine tasks, prompting companies to prioritise hiring candidates with specialised skills over traditional fresher roles.
Recruitment practices have also evolved. Companies now favour virtual hiring platforms, online assessments, hackathons, and referral-based methods over mass campus drives. Institutions that fail to update curricula or build industry partnerships are seeing sharper drops in placement rates.
What are some common mistakes freshers make during recruitment or in their initial months on the job?
Many institutes offer interview preparation sessions for final-year students, yet in my experience, the responses students give during interviews often come across as vague, generic, and disconnected from real industry expectations.
During recruitment, several common mistakes hold freshers back. A major one is inadequate research about the company. Communication is another hurdle — speaking unclearly, using filler words, or appearing nervous. Many candidates also give generic answers instead of using structured formats. Not asking questions during interviews is another missed opportunity.
Once employed, freshers often hesitate to ask questions, fearing they’ll appear incompetent. However, seeking clarity is valued. Ignoring workplace culture, overpromising, or failing to network can affect their growth. Taking feedback personally, managing time poorly, acting too casually, or being overconfident are other common pitfalls.
What key traits or competencies make a fresher stand out during the hiring process?
When organisations hire freshers, they don’t expect them to have ready-made solutions to real-world problems. Instead, they look for candidates who have understood what they’ve been taught and have made an effort to explore its practical applications.
Key among these is the ability to learn quickly. Adaptability is equally important, especially in today’s fast-changing tech and business environments. Accountability, or taking ownership of assigned tasks, signals reliability and initiative. Strong communication skills help in clear expression and collaboration. A solution-oriented mindset, or problem-solving attitude, shows resilience and constructive thinking.
Other valued traits include the ability to work well in teams, display confidence without arrogance, maintain a positive attitude, and remain honest about one’s skills and experiences. During interviews, employers often assess these qualities through behavioral or competency-based questions.
Any advice for institutions?
Educational institutions play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between academic learning and organisational expectations. To achieve this, they must adopt strategic and practical approaches that align education with the evolving demands of the workforce.
One key strategy is curriculum alignment with industry needs. Institutions should regularly update their programmes to include both technical and soft skills. Embedding skill-based and experiential learning is equally important. Integrating internships, apprenticeships, and live projects into the curriculum enables students to apply classroom theories in real-world contexts, fostering job-ready capabilities.
Institutions should also adopt problem-based and outcome-based learning methods that cultivate critical thinking, decision-making, and innovation. Finally, gathering continuous feedback from alumni and employers ensures that programmes stay responsive, relevant. This alignment ultimately boosts employability, productivity, and the success of both individuals and organisations.
This piece first appeared in the 200th issue of the Careers360 magazine, published in August 2025.