Every college will have a major festival that students organize year after year. Over the course of a few days, numerous activities and competitions will be planned out and executed that require months of planning, internal fighting and lots of memorable experiences. For those who naturally withdraw from crowds as well as for those who naturally emerge as leaders, college fests are the perfect platform for participation, they are they melting pot of personalities and ideas for the student body.
College fests can help prepare students for their first jobs in more ways than one. Sure leadership and organization are the more obvious answers, but there are also interpersonal and logistical skills to be acquired in planning and participating in college festivals. Most students will have to work their way up year after year, starting with volunteering and assisting before they can be seniors and hope to bag a higher leadership position, much like the journey from internship to management at a corporate company where the ladder is just as tricky to ascend.
For students that do get to head the planning committee of the various events, dealing with other students and faculty proves to be just as impactful on the resume as it does on their people skills. Juggling temperaments, egos and authority is as difficult a task as preparing for an exam, no wonder many HR representatives value at students with organizational experience.
A recruiter from a major multinational agency said that students who have organized events at the college level do often stand out among other candidates, but at the same time excelling in an extracurricular activity can compliment a strong academic portfolio, not replace it. It’s easy to get consumed with the adrenaline of organizing events that will pull throngs of people, and be the topic of discussion for the year, but it cannot overtake the fact that it is only one aspect of college life.
The other thing to draw from college fests is that while participating and working in events, bringing in sponsors is key. It makes for great sales experience to be able to convince companies and brands to come on board and spend money on your ideas in a manner that is impactful but without being pushy. The sales technique we often see in the corporate Indian environment is over the top and excessive. No one likes to be hit over the head with the same jargon over and over again, but at the same time you have to display perseverance because that is valued. Being able to walk the tight line between pushy and effective is the key to being a good salesperson and what better time than college to start practicing that. To be able to make a sale is a skill that can translate well in any field of work post graduation.
Regardless of a student’s personal preferences and areas of interest, there are so many avenues to participate in that even a small contribution can be enough to feel like a part of a bigger event.
College fests like most extracurricular activities are opportunities to have fun, excel and self improve, and any student should be able to be a part of it.
