"Ohh actually my interview is scheduled today" - The Indian Story

Did you got an interview call recently? Was your CV shortlisted among thousands of applicants? Were you the lucky one to reach the final round of technical but was not able to negotiate your expectations with HR? Don't you get irritated when after applying to a number of companies no one responds? Did you not got frustrated standing in the line of a walk in interview(but you stood for 3 hours because you were looking for a change and needed this job badly, like several others standing in the line ;))?Do you wonder why they call 500 candidates for only 20 open requirements? Did you followed up with the HR guys after you being clearing all rounds for weeks/months but unable to get any favorable response? Are you sure you gave the right answer for the question asked by the interviewing panel? Do u think the interview panel was off track? Do u think they were interested more in knowing what you don't know rather than asking you what you know and what was clearly mentioned in your CV? Have you ever waited for offer letter from any company for months and then finally gave up or stopped following up? The list is endless......

If you have been interviewed then you might have more questions than I have but the truth is out that the selection procedure and interviewing in India has become pathetic.With so many candidates getting their professional degrees from lacs of colleges in India.This is a clear picture of demand and supply. Demand being less than the supply; that is why this miss management happens.You might get frustrated seeing and applying to n number of jobs available at various job portals but not getting the expected feedback from employers or consultants.Just blink and think that thousands and may be lacs of other applicants right now sitting at each and every part of globe doing the same thing.So how could you expect that each time you apply to a job u might not get a response from the employer.Your cv might not get shortlisted, as the consultants and HR have a pool of much more candidates to select that we can ever think of. This was the first phase of applying to a job and getting your cv shortlisted.

Lets move over to the 2nd phase assuming your cv gets shortlisted and you have been scheduled for an interview.Let me bring the title of my post into picture by adding that you might tell someone that day -"Ohh actually my interview is scheduled today"(This I have learned from bollywood movies where the title of the movie is used in its dialogues n number of times; remember KKHT- "Tum nhi jaanti Anjali Kutch Kutch Hota hai" and this gets repeated every 15 minutes in the movie ;)) It's good if your interview is scheduled and it's not a walk in where you will feel yourself as a drop in the ocean(referring to other candidates as other drops and the walk in event being the ocean)The selection procedure can take an entire day of your or worse u might be called any other day for ur remaining rounds and God help you if after being in the line for 3-4 hours you are being told that the interview has been postponed or "You can submit your cv and HR guys will get back to you" .

God was with you and after few hours of waiting u were called for the technical.I have observed the interview panel and it's different members very closely.Based on your luck you might get an intellectual fellow or an over smart employee who has been given your cv and gone through Google and prepared himself to interview you.In the latter case he/she would have limited number of questions which he would be asking to all candidates. It's good if you can take the control of interview in your hands which comes with experience.Taking the control means making the interviewer revolve around your profile, your skill set and your projects rather than surrendering yourself to the interviewer and answering to the questions which he/she wants to ask and you having li'll idea about them.The interviewer generally starts with the personal and professional experience of the candidates interviewed.Make it sound as confident and appealing as you can.So that the interviewer is interested to know and ask technical questions revolving the skill set and projects which you have done and in which you are confident than anyone else.Make him feel how you are best suited for that particular job of you know the JD.Try to elaborate on this you being in a fix during your professional experience from past and how you came out from that with flying colors(if asked).Don't try to rephrase your answers if you are not confident.It makes a bad impression. Finally ask them for their feedback on ur interview which most of the interviewers avoid by saying that HR people will get back to you.Also maintain a habit of asking a few questions when the interviewer gives you the opportunity to interview about the company,work,,etc, by asking ::"Is there anything you would like to as or know from us?" To wrap up thank them for taking your interview even though u might now that they are getting payed for interviewing you on weekends.

If you clear all the technical rounds, now comes the round for which you were waiting for - the HR round.Your negotiations on ur expected salary depends on various factors - ur current CTC, ur stability factor, how urgent do they need you, how critical ur profile is to them, ur skill set and experience, their paying standards based on their policies and also the feedback which you earned in your technical round.After the HR round the candidates are generally used to listen to the statement "We will get back to you shortly" and this is the most hated statement which most of us personally like to dislike.

You return back home and then from there your wait starts. It may take few weeks or sometimes months as well.Because during that period you are making the HR employees of the company work for you and most of the other people like you who have cleared the selection.Following up during this period is very important.HR people generally prefer candidate which have the desired exp and also those who are willing to join the org. in less salary than what you have asked for.So this is the duration of gamble, where you can never predict of you will get the offer letter or not as it is based on the factors as I have already written about above.So u can do one thing during this period and that is - Wait for your offer letter ;).

So finally I would finish by saying that the whole interviewing and selection process takes lot of time, the candidates applying needs to be more patient and your clearing of all rounds doesn't implied that you will definitely get the offer letter as there are many other candidates as well in HR pipeline who are expecting this and might be willing to join in less salary(so here enter luck factor).All the best for those reading my post,going and preparing themselves for any interview.

Work Life Balance - Do u still desire or achieved it?

So do u still desire to have a work life balance or have you achieved it and enjoying? Not everyone is lucky enough to maintain a balance between his/her personal and official life. I guess most of the people would agree to it.Most of us dream of having a lifestyle where we can not only grow in our careers and reach new avenues but not at the cost of out personal lives that includes spending quality time with our families(if married) & in case of being a bachelor finding more time to spend with our friends.

Career, job,work pressure, deadlines,appraisals, management voes,office politics,lack of appreciation for ur job,looking for a change urgently - all these and many more are the causes behind employees not being able to maintain a balance between their work and personal lives.We tend to carry our official problems back to our home which might cause a trouble or few in maintaing this balance.It should be like this - "Logout from ur office pc & forget ur office life and time starts to njoy ur personal life".But it's rather easily said than done.A thought often comes to my mind that God should have made the left and right brains in such a way that we can switch via it to toggle between our official and personal lives.

The cost effective centers in India have been the main reason making people work alcoholic - You want it or not, that is not the question; but any how u will have to become one to be successfull and grow in career untill and unless after few years in your career you reach a certain stage where u can lead and dictate(but even  at that phase, responsibilites wont leave u and provide enough time to enoy your life).So do u think of waiting till your retirement or have u found your way.

Please share your views and how do u maintain a work life balance so that not only me but also others can benefit from your comments.......Till then keep coding, testing and prepare urself  for the final relase of your product or else this year you might not get the desired raise but dont forget your family and friends as well in this rat race...... ;)

Not a night in a call center but a day @ Software MNC

** It is an imaginative story in which I have visualized a day in a software firm; all characters being imaginary**

Starring * Ashmit Dubey as Senior Java developer, Raghav as Java Developer, Sanjay as Project Lead, Rahul as Senior QA, Anil as Software Test Engineer, Avinash Patel as Project Manager, Pankaj and Seema as freshers, Robert as Client, Apurv as Delivery Manager,Sunil as accountant, Veena as Senior HR and myself as Senior QA.

It was yet another Monday morning after a long weekend when I entered my office (a software MNC). Although I was late by half an hour and reached at my workstation at 9:30 a.m.I logged into my pc.My pc was off and it took few minutes in the booting process as I had made this a habit to turn my pc off when i leave office on weekends(Hey friends remember this msg to turn off ur pcs, esp on friday evenings).I easily observed that very few employees were there in the office.The reason instantly striked to my mind : -  Friday being a national holiday followed by Saturday and Sunday most of the employees whose home town were near to the NCR region went there and might be late today as they would be traveling at this moment.I could feel the Monday morning blues as I was not in a mood to work straightaway.

I thought lets just call up Sunil why was there a deduction in my salary last month as per my salary slip. '"Tring tring"................."Tring,tring"....I thanked God in my mind that Sunil picked up my call at the last ring.We discussed after which I came to the conclusion that they didn't got my medical bill claim documents due to which that component was not added to my salary.I once again got angry with myself that why had I given Raghav, my medical bills to put them into drop box.He is such a careless person.Raghav would forget everything but will never forget to drink on weekends; that is for sure.But I could'nt tell him all this on his face as he was senior to me by two years and had good relations with my manager in the company(Grrrrrr!). 

As soon as I logged into the system I opened Microsoft Outlook and click on Send Receive button.I received 10 emails in sequence; some from onsite team and rest from those team members working I guess on Saturday.I replied to those which needs an instant reply and took no time in deleting some chain of forwarded superstitious mails which as per them if I had not forwarded to 20 people something bad would have definitely happened to me.I have always felt proud in deleting these mails and proving to the world that I am still alive after doing this hell lot of times ;).

I looked around to check and found that most of our team had arrived at their respective workstations.My friend as well as my senior colleague Rahul and my junior Anil have also arrived.My manager Avinash was already there even before when I reached the office.This year again this frequent late comings of mine and others as well will be penalized in our annual appraisals but then I guess we were all used to this qafter being in the industry for around 6 years.I was more worried that who would be giving my 360 degree feedback this year.For those who are unaware of 360 degree feedback of annual appraisals let me tell you that in this technique 1 or more of your colleagues gives feedback for you(your behavior with ur colleagues, how you work, you interpersonal skills,etc,) without you being informed his/her identity and it becomes an important factor in ur appraisals.


To Be Continued......Keep watching this space.........