'₹12,000 salary despite...': DU graduate's story raises questions over campus placements

A Delhi University History graduate's struggle to find a job after reportedly being told there were no companies hiring humanities students through her college placement cell has sparked a debate on LinkedIn over the lack of campus recruitment opportunities for non-technical graduates.

The discussion began after founder Harshit Khare shared the experience of a friend who graduated with a History (Hons) degree from Delhi University last year.

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According to Khare, she scored 84% and was also included in the Dean's List.

He wrote, "A friend of mine graduated with a History (Hons) degree from Delhi University last year. 84%. Dean's List. She could debate colonial economics for hours and write better than most people I know."

'We don't have companies coming in for humanities students'
Khare said his friend approached the college placement cell hoping to secure a job through campus recruitment.

However, she was reportedly told, "Sorry, we don't have companies coming in for humanities students."

According to Khare, she was not offered any alternative support or career guidance.

Spent eight months looking for work

Khare said she then spent the next eight months sending cold emails and attending interviews.

He claimed she was often told she was "not qualified" because of her academic background.

According to him, the repeated rejections made her question whether she had made the right career choice.

She eventually secured a content role at a small startup with a monthly salary of ₹12,000.

"Not because she lacked talent. Because a system decided, long before she even graduated, that her degree wasn't worth a placement drive," he wrote.

Questions raised over campus recruitment

Khare criticised the current placement system, saying many employers talk about valuing communication skills, writing ability, soft skills and critical thinking, but often do not recruit humanities graduates.

"We've built a placement infrastructure that serves engineers and quietly abandons everyone else," he said.

He also questioned why students who spend years developing communication and analytical skills continue to be overlooked during campus recruitment.

Khare concluded his post by inviting employers to share their experiences of hiring humanities graduates and encouraged students not to lose confidence.

"Your degree is not the problem. The system just hasn't caught up yet."

Post strikes a chord online

The post has sparked a wider discussion on LinkedIn, with users sharing differing views on whether the problem lies with the education system, recruiters or the job market.

One user, who said they had graduated this week, argued that hiring practices have failed to keep pace with changing workplace needs.

"Just graduated this week and honestly, the timing is so ironic. Now that AI can handle basic technical tasks and coding, you'd think companies would be scrambling for people who actually understand human behavior, nuance, and communication. The market needs us, the hiring pipeline just hasn’t caught up," the user wrote.

However, another user said the issue was not with the placement system but with finding candidates who best match the role.

"Sorry, but what's the problem? A history student discussing colonial economies is sometimes not the best fit when there are thousands of applicants, and companies don't look for academic students, they look for best fit. I agree she may be skilled, and best writer according to you but how can you ensure she is the strongest in all applicants? Better idea is to look out for aligned roles, not blaming system or crying," the user noted.

A third user suggested that employers are increasingly placing greater value on skills than on academic qualifications.

"Over the years, we have heard about role redundancy. Now the trend is degree redundancy. Not far in the future, our Indian education system will be similar to USA system in which market focuses on skills and not degrees including most of engineering degrees," the user said.

The discussion has once again raised questions about whether colleges and recruiters are doing enough to create equal employment opportunities for students from humanities and other non-technical disciplines.