19/12

R is famous for its extreme climactic conditions; extremely hot in summers and extremely cool in winters. Though this time, even till mid of December, sun god was happily bestowing upon us its heat but the environment was is Styx. Everyone was asking the same question to self or other or even god; Why this time? Yes! I am talking about the same placement scenario. I again repeat, I was looking for a career not just a job, which I could not get finally from the campus. Campus placement policy restricts anyone to get more than one job offers, just to ensure that maximum number of people can be sold to corporates. It was December 18. I attended my second pre-placement talk this season: The SR Group. This talk left me with an impression of SR being a bureaucratic organization and the recruitment team, especially the HR counterpart, with their presentation skills assured me that I'm gonna mold them in my direction of thinking. You can say it as if I was being overconfident, but it happened. That very day we had a written test, absolutely resembling tenth class NTSE papers, just added with an extra technical paper in which indubitably I would have scored 49 out of 50. Test results were to be announced on 19th morning, 0800 hours. As expected, it was delayed by more than 2 hours. 1100 hrs: we mustered at the Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park for non-eliminating discussion round. It was my second chance to suit up. After spoiling my first chance, I was totally geared up to crack this one. Later we had to face two rounds of interview: Technical and HR. No one among the recruiters were of my stream so, I and my fellow branchmates had to undergo telephonic technical interview. Below you can have a glance to the excerpt from my interview part.

(Technical round)

Good old Boss(Gob): So tell me about the marvelous work you are doing for your thesis.

Mr Overconfident(me): It's about this, that, blah blah blah....

Gob: What for? Any use in current technology?

Me: It's gonna revolutionize the current integrated circuitry...blah blah blah..

Gob: That's pretty good. (elated, eh!) So what courses did you undergo last semester?

Me: All the tautological ones( :P, it's pretty common in my department)

Gob: Have you undergone a course in which I could be interested?

Me: Yes sir! It's on Iron and Steel making.

Gob: (Highly elated) So tell me about impurity removal sequence in steel making (quite certain that he will grab my throat by this arrow, poor him!)

Me: (Hehehe) This way, that way...

Gob: (wiping sweating on his forehead); (quite difficult to break this guy). Okay! So what are the various causes of corrosion?

Me: One is this..and... and...

Gob: (Yes! I finally caught the nerve. Yes!) So tell me about dislocations and its fundamental phenomenon.

Me: It's this that... blah blah blah..

Gob: (Uff.. it's very difficult) Okay dear! We're done.

(Elated sigh; Yeah!)

Mr. Cool: So we will meet up again in few minutes for another round of interview.

Me: Yeah!

(Few moments later)

Mr. Cool: So walk me through your resume.

Me: (Yes! I got the same chance again and I am not gonna waste it :D) Dhishum! Dhishum!.. blah blah blah...

Mr. Cool: Wow! Why not for higher studies then?

Me: (Because I want to screw you up :P) blah blah blah...

Mr. Cool: (convincingly) Hmm. That's good. So, tell us about any difficulty you faced and how you tackled the same, successfully or unsuccessfully.

Me: (little thoughtful, and suddenly my brain sparkled with light) Yeah! It's about my communication skills. When I came to R, I was afraid to talk in English. (See today, I'm quite capable of making you fool :P)

Mr. Fool: Hmm. I appreciate it. So you must be fluent in you mother tongue, right? Tell me about yourself in your mother tongue then.

Me: (Uff..) Okay. blah blah blah....

Mr. Cool: That's good Mr. Overconfident. (to others) Any thing else?

Another wise man: You didn't tell about your hobbies, right?

Me: Yes Sir! It's all about Hindi Poetry.

Awm: Great! Can we be fortunate to hear some of your creations?

Me: (Oh dear lord!) Yeah! (singing)

Mr. Cool: (Sighed finally) So Mr. Overconfident. You can leave now.

Me: Thank you. (Elated sigh again :) )

(Moments later)

Mr. Cool assured me that he was actually fooled. Yuppie.. I was selected.

Though not satisfied. I'm still looking for a career, rather than a job. Hope the months of  February and march will bring blossomed moments for me. Till then, Wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year 2009.

Employment paradox

Things do change. This is what, we all perceive and do believe. These are the days when many like me would be thinking the same way. After crossing the GREy period, I had been busy planning and trying to shape my career. The most happening semester of my undergrad life has been recently completed. Since the beginning of this semester, subprime bubble was approaching to touch the pin point. September 20th: It fianlly happened. Then and there onwards, the booming global economy has seen a sudden downturn. Elite poeple had been discussing, suggesting and if in their hand, started acting to control the meltdown. Financial market sank. Many of the major players are not any more among corporates. We had been observing this closely but was not able to appreciate the effect in our lives, until the semester approached completion. Yes! It should now be the time of rigorous interview sessions, for us. Haplessly, we are sitting idle, playing AOE or just killing time, hoping for our windfall; The Employment. In turn the situation has shown a viscitude to employers. Big players are not coming to hire us, so the dreams of many of us have simply died and they are just looking for a job. Small players are back with their good old attitude and thus fully exploiting the opportunity to hire "too-good-for-them" and savoring the fruits of recession. However, even in this situation, there lies their own eyecatching hiring style, asiding "good-boys" for a "fairer-sex". What am i doing? Yes! I am still looking for a career, rather than a job. Somewhere lies my ray of hope, which consoles me deeply and assures me that I will have my viscitude of fortune. Yes! Someday I will savor fruit of my patience and perseverance.

on special note: This most happening semster has cursed me with my first ever sgpa in 8 :(.