India, Sept. 27 -- For years, the entry-level employment formula appeared straightforward: earn a degree, apply for jobs and demonstrate academic knowledge at the interview. That sequence is beginning to break down.

Employers are increasingly looking beyond academic credentials for evidence that a fresher can actually apply knowledge, use relevant tools, communicate in a workplace and learn as the job changes.

That shift emerges strongly from Gi Group Holding's From Degrees to Capability: Redefining India's Entry-Level Talent Landscape. The study is based on responses from 1,329 participants, including 750 employers and 579 candidates and early-career professionals across 12 sectors and eight major Indian cities.

For students and fresh...