Behind the scenes

Kids. You can't make them understand the gravity of a situation without threatening them with the boogie monster, or worse, the prospect of cartoons being banned at dinnertime. We never really grow out of it, and hands on parenting can take increasingly repressive measures to ensure the best for their child as they become older.
Grades and exam results (or the lack of good ones) dictate the course of the regular teenager's journey to adulthood. With the severe burden of “success” hanging over their shoulders, fifteen and sixteen year olds are asked to have a clear vision of what they want in life and work towards that goal.
We talked to Bilquis Jahan, Deputy General Manager and Head of Human Resources at IDLC Finance Ltd., about the importance of academic qualifications to job seekers and job givers. “For fresh graduates with little to no experience, we obviously place the utmost importance on the academic qualifications of the candidates. Academic performance is used to sort through the initial batch of CVs we receive, and the strength of a candidate's academics can get him or her an interview. At the interview we look at the other aspects which define a well-rounded candidate, including any internship experience, which gives the candidate an edge over the others. The large number of CVs dropped at our institution makes it difficult for us to judge a candidate on any other initial criteria other than academics, so yes, results are important in crossing that first hurdle.”
For a job seeker fresh out of university with a degree, then, good grades can actually get you places. With that, the ability to present yourself properly with a high level of language proficiency can do wonders when you're facing an interview board and when you take the first steps in a professional environment. There is a need for the ability to cope with an office environment if you are to survive and climb the ladder to higher positions. So if you have very good grades and excellent academics, but have little practical knowledge of how the world outside a textbook works or how to deal with real life situations, you won't last very long.  
This is where extra-curriculars and internships come in. While potential employers will give little or no value to the amount of extra-curricular activities you list on your CV at the initial stage, taking part in extra-curricular activities, or ECAs for short, can give you a leg-up when it comes to real world skills of communication and presentation. Debating societies, Model United Nations, taking part in business competitions and any other activity outside the classroom which engages you in dialogue should be a big part of your development as a more well-rounded job seeker. It cannot be stressed enough how important communication and presentation is, especially in the service sector in Bangladesh.
The majority of the students finishing off their undergrad largely ignore the opportunities they have to develop these skills. The bigger universities have decent facilities with regard to extra-curriculars, with various student clubs and societies at the disposal of those interested in honing their practical skills.
When we asked Rubaiyat Alam, a third year straight A student of the Department Of Economics, University of Dhaka, whether he feels the student societies are effective, he says, “Most of these clubs and student societies are run by senior students, who themselves are under pressure with studies, so they usually can't afford to be too active. It's difficult to find time for extra-curricular activities when you have to work so hard just to maintain a good CGPA.”
His thoughts are echoed by Raiyan Kabir, a final year student at BRAC. “I've been involved in the BRAC House of Volunteers and I have a decent amount of ECA on my plate, but balancing it out with studies can get very hectic. I've managed so far, but many cannot.” Like Rubaiyat, she is maintaining an above average CGPA.
It's imperative that people realize that grades will only get you so far. As far as career prospects go, learning to navigate the professional world before attempting to enter it will carry you a long way, long after your academic qualifications have stopped being useful. Start now, expand your world outside the textbook and the classroom, and pick up valuable pointers wherever you can.