A New Offer

My past few posts have been about my life in a VoIP company post my MBA. I left that company in September 2009, i.e. 4.5 months after working as Management Trainee. Reason - I got another offer. As simple as that! Was it?

NO - that too a BIG one!

A leading OSS (Operations Support Services) company from USA hired me through one of its HR consultants. Reason given that they do not have a legal presence in India so they can avoid having me on their payroll. There were totally 8 people from India selected for this profile. People from batches like 2007, 2008 and 2009 applied for it. After our selection we were very happy that in the times of recession also we could see the fruits of our hard work. The money was good and it involved international travel also. No inside India Sales! What else could an MBA require?

But things change and the wrath of the 9/11 came up to me too. The security factor in USA led to my disaster. Long story! Downsizing is what I call it. Two of us got the final salary soon and life of struggle moved on. Once a low paid worker in market, to a highly paid one, and again to a pauper. I was living the life of a story teller. Just like movies. Anyway, December 7th was the last working day in the company and I had only few months to take care of myself, which I calculate after checking my bank balance. This company provided me enough to support my EMI of loan, rentals and other expenses in Mumbai till March 2010. What if I don't get a job by then? Will I be on Mercy on others for daily expenses? I am already running more than a Lakh of personal debt.

I started using Linkedin for jobs. I went through the company lists on Linkedin and found some good people in HR or VP level. My idea was to convey them what I have done and how it will help them if they just hire me ;). I asked my friends, friends' friends, my college placement team, Naukri, Monster, Consultants, and what not. I wrote names of companies where I wanted jobs, found people in those companies and sent them customized mails with my resume attached. I even went to Naukri office to flash my resume on Naukri.com for Rs 1250/- for a year. I joined more than 25 groups on Linkedin for jobs and mainly in Telecom and Technology.

My work was fruitful to an extent. I got mails from heads of some good companies but the package restricted them to offer me a position. Demands grow with time and as my age progressed, I started become more uncompromising on my package part. All home work was done as to what level could get me a stable job without much personal problems. Monetary part was the major challenge. I had to see my profile and also the package. No company offered me any profile with more than Rs 30000/month. "Market seems to be going up", who said? Companies still leverage the bad times to get talents at lowest costs. And there I was - fighting with myself for the profiles. How can i prove my worth without much experience? In Campus placements, companies come and pick us and pay for our potential/talent rather than our skills. They think that skills can be developed anytime but the talent was born with surroundings.

From Dec 7th till now, I have attended few interviews but no one showed mercy to my financial demands. Why should they? They are not running charity here, right? :) Struggle is what makes a man understand himself; it gives lot of room for introspection. That is what i have been doing till now.

Recently I was rejected from a VoIP platform making company for being "under qualified" on experience part. They wanted minimum 3 years of work experience and I had 5 months only (Telecom). I went to companies that are in security systems and new technologies, 4th gen wireless broadband, VoIP and ISP providers, IT, KPOs and what not.

Let me see where I go and what line I get into - Telecom or IT!