Applying Thought!

I am not sure if it is the case of after-thoughts, that I did think of working in a company in Bengaluru, after coming to Chennai. Though I didn't have big reasons to complain here (infact more reasons to be content/happy), I don’t know if being in a 'permanent' job will be helpful in my matrimonial search and so I did seek for a role in permanent position in one of a 'services' company back in Bengaluru. Even though pay maybe only 'slightly higher', I thought a permanent position will be a 'promotion'. After initial discussions (technical and HR) in Chennai, which were very encouraging, I even planned to live in Hosur to reach Electronic City in Bengaluru. Going from my flat (near HAL) to electronic city will be simply energy sapping. Also I had seen in websites of some builders that there are company buses for employees in electronic city from Hosur. I can still live in Tamil Nadu after all! As always, there is this proverbial 'many a slip between the cup and the lip'.

In my experience, there are not many people working in my domain of work, i.e. DFT. It was thus intriguing all the more that DFT was slotted with back-end in the current company. Though it was mentioned for 'administrative purposes', hopefully the 'customers' don’t ever get to know that DFT is sitting under the 'Physical Design' umbrella! Even if we don’t know DFT personnel in other companies by face, through conferences and other forums, we can get to know the names (especially of experienced/'higher ups') and the bottomline is that there are only few. Though the pay was lower than the last company, where I was an employee as well (i.e. AMD), I still didn’t realize that I am dealing with an Indian company after all. Even in my current company, I got two 'offer letter's with differing pay.

HRs are probably the most hated personnel in the IT world. I haven’t seen till date any HR of the company that I worked in being 'praised'. It is also fairly obvious. The company is basically made of people who 'work'. Once a person enrolls into a company, he may not even look at the face of the HR ever. Maybe because of this, HR personnel want to exercise their power as much as possible before or till the person joins the company. The ten minutes of glory is important after all! Nobel Prize for Economics in 2010 has been awarded to people who have done great work about 'search costs' and its 'application' especially in job markets. In particular I was attracted by the following mention

Why are so many people unemployed at the same time that there are a large number of job openings?
How can economic policy affect unemployment?

If someone who is unemployed increases his, or her, search activity, it will become more difficult for other job seekers to find employment.

I am not sure of the 'appraisal' process for an HR - is (s)he rewarded if candidates are recruited at lower pay and lower job grade? - but the guys in this Bengaluru company were simply out of sync with what transpired in Chennai. The 'negotiation' started with a job grade and pay, both being lower than what was discussed in Chennai! I don’t know if going by the latest Nobel Prize on Economics, search costs are low in India and these people can afford to start their negotiations thus. Apart from this, their 'process' apparently demands copies of all certificates to be submitted BEFORE the offer is given. For one this is ridiculous. Especially for me! My first company, Texas Instruments, enrolled me as an EMPLOYEE before I even finished my MCA degree and here is this company asking for my Xth marksheet! Sure, I have given the copies of similar documents in the Chennai company but that is at the time of joining the company, not even before getting the offer. This company wants copies of all pages of my passport (both old and new), all offer letters, all exit letters, all F-16s for the 10 years! All this BEFORE EVEN GIVING ME AN OFFER LETTER!

Secondly, when I asked how to send all that, the HR says 'matter-of-fact'ly, 'Just scan it and send it', as if it is so obvious. Scanning minimum of 30 pages for all these documents will cost. WILL THE COMPANY BEAR THE COST? When I said that the certificates and passport are in my flat at Bengaluru, he asks when am I coming to Bengaluru or if my friends have the keys to my flat. What NONSENSE? If you want to recruit, you have to bear this incidental expense, atleast after I join the company. I told them over mail and phone the same - I WILL GIVE all this but after the offer is given, not before. Still I made two visits to Bengaluru and informed them. They neither showed initiative nor cooperation. They took refuge under 'process' of that company and the fact that I have to be 'understand'.

The best part was saved for the last. I am not sure of the provocation but the HR mailed responses ccing his 'higher up'. For a change, it was good that they made a direct contact (over phone) with me. I had apparently sent 'nasty' emails and that they are 'closing' my application. That was infact fine! What followed was - if you send any more mails, then I will take it up with your higher-ups and other forums! Maybe he thought that I am a 'spammer' or jumped the gun of taking to forums (what forums? sounds so ridiculous!) to prevent me from 'spreading the news'. He sounded like one who had worked in a Govt company, giving such 'veiled threats'. Maybe in times of 'recession' or 'depression' companies think that they can dictate the terms. Maybe they can, but NOT TO ME. Period.