A strong degree and good skills may help secure interviews, but are they enough to land a job everywhere? For students used to India’s campus placement system, the move abroad can bring a sharp reality check. In several parts of Europe, the path from university to employment often looks very different.
That contrast has now been highlighted by an Indian man living in Paris, whose video on job hunting in Europe has drawn attention online. Paras explained that one of the biggest changes students notice after moving abroad is the absence of a placement culture similar to Indian colleges.
Paras posted the video with the caption, “How you can land a job in Europe,” where he spoke about the reality of finding work in Paris and across Europe.
In the video, Paras said, “I’ll tell you one reason why job hunting is so difficult here, a main reason. The things that you usually see for students in India don’t happen here. In India, there are college placements. If you are qualified and have the skills, plus your networking is decent, your job is secured.”
For many students in India, campus placements are often the first major step into professional life. Recruiters visit colleges, hold selection rounds and offer roles to students before graduation. It creates a structured path that many rely on while planning their careers.
Paras further added, “But when you come to Europe, make sure to remember that nothing like that happens here. There are no placement events. Definitely, there are job fairs where you can try your luck, but here you have to network.”
In several European countries, universities may organise career fairs or recruitment events, but many graduates still need to search independently, apply directly and build professional contacts on their own. According to Paras, networking can make a major difference.
“This is where LinkedIn plays a very important role. You can connect with people and here almost, I think in my personal experience, 90% of the work gets done through networking,” he said.
He also advised job seekers to communicate well and present themselves clearly. He added, “So make sure that you talk to people, communicate, put your point across, and convince them through good manipulation, so that you can get a job.”
Paras further noted that interview processes can also be shorter than what some applicants expect. He said that having five interview rounds was very rare there, adding that candidates usually did not have to go through five rounds for any company, with the maximum generally being two or three.
He added that some employers might choose a more relaxed setting before making a final decision. According to him, if employers still had doubts after two rounds, they could ask candidates to meet outside, such as in a café, to get to know each other better, as informal interactions sometimes helped reveal the real candidate.
Such meetings can help employers understand a candidate beyond formal answers, giving them a sense of personality, communication style and workplace fit. Paras concluded by saying, “So this is the culture. It’s formal and practical here, but at the same time, people here put a lot of effort into finding a better candidate to balance it out. But it’s mandatory to network here.”