Bisma Fareed's candid LinkedIn post urging students to stop chasing marks and build real skills has gone viral for a reason.
On April 18, when the rest of the world was making long weekend plans, Bisma Fareed, an 18-year-old from Delhi took LinkedIn by storm with a brutally honest post.
'I am a topper aur mujhe internship nahi mil rahi hai (I am a topper but I don't have an internship).
'50+ CERTIFICATES 10+ MEDALS 10+TROPHIES and not a single one helped me in my internship interviews,' she wrote, as she detailed her struggle to get an internship.
Curious to know what prompted her to write the post and what happened next, Divya Nair/Rediff spoke to Bisma, a second-year BA (English Honours) student at Hansraj College in Delhi.
"I wanted to pursue writing and journalism so I had reached out to a few people, including media houses," says Bisma. "All my life I have been taught to study well, score good marks, which I did. I have so many certificates stating that I have topped in English, political science... but reality check: none of them mattered when I wanted an internship."
Despite her academic achievements, her applications were dismissed before they were even properly reviewed.
"Surprisingly, my resume was rejected even before it was opened. I was told I don't have the skills required for the role. It was an eye opener for me. I had wasted my school and college life chasing marks. In all interviews, no one asked me how much I scored in class 10 or 12," said Bisma, who scored an impressive 94 and 93 per cent in classes 10 and 12 respectively.
The repeated rejections made her rethink everything she had believed about academic success.
"After facing multiple rejections, I realised that I should stop chasing marks and focus on building real skills that matter. I had been a part of the school magazine but anything I achieved academically did not count."
"I did not have a strong portfolio so I decided to build one. I started writing more poetry. I wrote on Medium and Quora before someone told me to try LinkedIn. My first few posts on LinkedIn got me 20-30 likes. Recently, I wrote about what college life has taught me. It feels good whenever people like something I have written or when they comment on my post."
Bisma's recent post detailing her struggle to land an internship and the hard truths she encountered has resonated with several netizens. The post has since garnered over 7,000 likes on LinkedIn.
Over the weekend, people from different walks of life shared their thoughts, advice and even extended opportunities to collaborate.
Has she accepted any of them yet?
"I am overwhelmed with the response. I wasn't expecting it to go viral. Yes, I have received a few offers and I would like to see where it takes me."
