Mumbai. A top engineering college. One confused Placement Cell. 300 restless Gen Z students. Recruiters patched in virtually. A Principal who hasn’t slept all week.

________________________________________

Scene Opens

The college auditorium is buzzing like a railway platform before a late train.

Students are whispering:

“Bro, do recruiters still ask ‘Tell me about yourself’?”

“Yaar LinkedIn profile banaya nahi… ab kya bolenge?”

“Gen Z hiring is different, no? But college toh abhi bhi 2005 wala training kara raha…”

Faculty stand anxiously in a corner.

Recruiters are visible on a giant LED screen, half of them on mute, half multitasking, all looking like they’re judging the world.

The Principal steps up to the mic.

________________________________________

Principal (Trying to Sound Modern)

“Good afternoon dear students and respected recruiters joining us online. Today’s session is NOT about placements. It is about… understanding each other.”

The crowd murmurs.

A recruiter on screen smirks.

________________________________________

 Round 1: Industry Fires the First Question. Recruiter from Bangalore (Startup HR Lead, looks exhausted):

“Students, how many of you actually research a company before applying? Or do you just click ‘Apply All’?”

Half the students look at their shoes.

One brave Gen Z guy says:

“Ma’am, we do research. We check Glassdoor… and memes on Reddit.”

The HR Lead facepalms.

The Principal whispers to the Placement Officer, “Yeh Gen Z ka style hai… adjust karna padega.”

________________________________________

Round 2: Academia Pushes Back, HOD, Mechanical Engineering:

“We teach everything: theory, labs, projects. Why do you still say our students are not ‘job-ready’?”

Recruiter from Pune (Automotive MNC):

“Sir, because your curriculum still teaches carburetors… we stopped using them before these students were born.”

Students erupt in laughter.

The HOD makes a mental note: “Carburetor ko hatao… but kaun sa chapter add karein?”

________________________________________

Round 3: Gen Z Strikes Back, Student Representative (Gen Z, Hoodie, iced coffee in hand):

“Why do you all want ‘3 years experience’ for a fresher role?

And why does everyone ask us to be passionate? Passion ka EMI nahi bharta!”

Recruiters laugh nervously.

One mutters under the breath, “This kid is going to become my CEO in 10 years.”

________________________________________

Round 4: The Real Problems Surface, Placement Cell Coordinator:

“Can industry tell us honestly:

What EXACTLY do you expect from students today?”

Key Recruiter Responses (with our earlier frameworks woven in):

1️ Skills Over Degrees

“We don’t want toppers. We want problem-solvers.”

2️ Authenticity Over Gloss

“We don’t want scripted answers. We want thinking answers.”

3️ Proof of Work Wins

“Projects >>> Marks”

“Internships >>> Certificates”

“GitHub activity >>> CGPA surname”

4️ Communication Matters

“Not accent. Not English fluency.

Just clarity, humility, and willingness to learn.”

________________________________________

🎯 Round 5: Students Ask their Toughest Questions

Q1. “Is WFH over?”

Recruiter:

“Hybrid is the new religion. Full WFH is a myth except for rare jobs.”

Students nod. They already knew.

________________________________________

Q2. “Why does your interview panel look so serious?”

Recruiter:

“Because the last 12 candidates copied answers from ChatGPT.”

Students laugh.

Some gulp.

________________________________________

Q3. “Why don’t companies give feedback?”

Recruiter:

“Legal risk, bandwidth issues, and fear of backlash.”

“But yes—you deserve better. We’re improving.”

________________________________________

Round 6: Academics Finally Admit Their Pain. Professor (Softly):

“We genuinely want our students to succeed…

but curriculum change, industry projects, new tech—

it all moves much faster than our systems.”

Silence.

Even students pause their Instagram scrolling.

________________________________________

Round 7: The Principal Summarizes the Truth (Beautifully)

“Industry wants READY talent.

Academia produces ABLE talent.

Gen Z carries the POTENTIAL talent.

But unless these three talk to each other,

we will continue to produce confusion, not careers.”

The room claps.

Even the recruiters smile.

________________________________________

THE JOINT DOs & DON’Ts (Industry + Academia + Gen Z)

Capturing the essence of ALL our earlier work in one powerful final synthesis.

________________________________________

🏢 What INDUSTRY Must DO & NOT DO

✔️ DO

• Share real job expectations openly

• Participate in curriculum inputs

• Offer mini-internships, micro-projects

• Give students time to learn, not just perform

• Humanize hiring — not automate everything

❌ DON’T

• Expect plug-and-play talent

• Reject based on “lack of polish”

• Overhype employer brand and underdeliver

• Ignore feedback from job seekers

• Ghost applicants

________________________________________

What ACADEMIA Must DO & NOT DO

✔️ DO

• Bring industry into classrooms weekly

• Make projects real, not theoretical

• Teach communication, collaboration, and curiosity

• Build strong alumni bridges

• Add a “Talent Readiness Curriculum”

❌ DON’T

• Treat recruiters like enemies

• Assume university rank = industry success

• Leave students clueless about employer expectations

• Teach obsolete tools

• Hide behind bureaucracy

________________________________________

What GEN Z Must DO & NOT DO

✔️ DO

• Build a strong digital footprint

• Learn continuously (micro-learning rocks)

• Show humility and hunger

• Prepare questions, not scripted answers

• Treat job search like a strategic project

❌ DON’T

• Expect career stability from day one

• Focus only on salary/remote work

• Think degrees = entitlement

• Ghost recruiters

• Avoid tough roles because they “feel uncomfortable”

________________________________________

Townhall Ends — The Real Magic Begins

Students gather around recruiters.

Recruiters are smiling for the first time in days.

Academics are taking notes, literally.

The Principal looks relieved enough to finally take a holiday.

And for the first time…

Industry understood Academia.

Academia understood Industry.

Gen Z understood both.

Mumbai got its Talent Bridge.

And GreenJobs.digital becomes the platform that ties all three together globally.