Report on “Mock Interview Sessions by Industry Experts”

Life Science Association and Placement cell, Department of Life Sciences arranged ‘Mock Interview sessions’ by Industry Experts for the outgoing post graduate students of the Department of Life Sciences from 27th October to 5th November, 2020 over telephonic mode.

The activity was co-ordinated by Dr. Anish Nag. Industry experts from various companies such as Curateq Biologics, Biocon Biologics, Gaiagen Technologies and BIBCOL took part in this initiative. 16 final year Post-Graduate students from all three disciplines namely Botany, Zoology and Biotechnology participated in the interview process.

Report on Covid-19 Social Awareness Digital Campaign

Life Science Association, Department of Life Sciences initiated a social awareness digital campaign on 20th October, 2020 to curb the spread of COVID 19 infection for a month. We observed overwhelming responses from students by their active participation in preparing e-posters on COVID awareness.

Dr. Anish Nag led the programme as a Faculty Coordinator and Life Association lead student volunteers Mr. Rohan, Ms. Bhadra and Mr. Suhas coordinated the overall campaign.

Recruitment in the Development Sector

Job opportunities in the development sector have evolved from ‘just grass root NGOs’ to a variety of categories ranging from international NGOs, social foundations, Corporate Social Responsibility/Corporate foundations, social enterprises, social consulting organisations, funders, ecosystem creators and research organizations etc. Christ (Deemed to be University) offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Sociology, Social Work, Economics and Psychology for students to pursue a career in the Social Sector. More than the academic qualification, it is a passion to work and contribute to meaningful changes in the society that recruiters look for while hiring in the development sector. Unlike the Corporate space, an emotional connect with the stake holders is a driving force for a successful career while working amongst the community.

Over the last decade, the social sector has witnessed a paradigm shift. The sector is now much more diverse in terms of career opportunities, and thereby, more open to accepting and providing these opportunities to people from different backgrounds, with different hopes, aspirations, skill sets and visions of change. The rise of a Professional Social Sector in India has opened a plethora of opportunities, especially for the millennial generation. All the young minds, bright students, and even experienced professionals can now build a meaningful, satisfying and financially sustainable career in this field. One is no longer required to ‘sacrifice’ by working only as volunteers or contractual staff.

Social sector has seen a significant growth in the past decade and is witnessing the emergence of numerous job profiles, and a wide array of viable career options to fulfill the huge shortage of professional talent. The sector has job opportunities for a varied range of professionals which include strategy building, communications & engagement, fund raising, being part of the CEO’s office (strategy, data based decision making, planning), Managing Monitoring & Evaluation, Programme leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility, Partnerships & Alliances, Social Entrepreneurship, Operational Leadership  etc.

Some of the major recruiters at Christ (Deemed to be University) in the development sector include Azim Premji Foundation, TATA Trusts, Vedanta Ltd, ITC Foods, Bosch, Nudge Foundation, Justice and Care, NuWare Systems, Saojini Damodaran Foundation, Teach for India, Gandhi Fellowship to name a few. The recruited students are from multiple undergraduate and postgraduate Programmes like MSW, MSc Clinical Psychology, MA Applied Sociology & BA Sociology / Psychology etc. Salary ranges between Rs 3.00 lacs to Rs 5.00 lacs per annum, Cost to Company (CTC). Job profiles offered include working as Preraks in Swachh Bharat Mission, Coordinators in Corporate Social Responsibility activities, Programme Coordinators, Trainers, Management Information System (MIS) Coordinators, Fund Raising Executives etc.

Students at Christ (Deemed to be University) develop the necessary skill sets for a career in the development sector through various social sensitization programmes initiated by Centre for Social Action (CSA), Christ (Deemed to be University). Centre for Social Action primarily focuses on student communities and their sensitization on various issues affecting the poor and marginalized sections of the society. This is undertaken so as to facilitate sustainable changes in the lives of the poor and the oppressed through active participation of the student community, and equip the students with ideals and values for effective contributions to the society. Centre for Social Action was initiated with the intention of enabling the student community to imbibe the values of social responsibility, as envisaged in the Core Values, Vision and the Mission of Christ (Deemed to be University).

The main activities of Centre for Social Action are rural projects in the sectors such as health, education, social/community development, empowering community-based organizations (CBOs), land development, agricultural development, empowering the community through women socially, politically and economically in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. 

Volunteering at Center for Social Action has had a lasting impact on the career choices of many students towards the development sector. These students are currently working in different organizations in the development sector and also in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).