Monday, November 20, 2006

Job Hunting - any time, any place


The global outsourcing boom has clearly improved the employability of the average Indian but it seems like there still aren't enough jobs for everyone. This point hit home with me yesterday when I was travelling back to Bangalore after a short visit to Hyderabad.

I was passing through security at the airport when I was stopped by the security guard in charge. He asked me a host of questions about where I was coming from, where I was going and why. Then he started inquiring about my company and the nature of it's business. I found this to be quite strange but decided that I was not going to mess around with a guy carrying a machine gun.

After his inquiry was complete and he was satisfied with my responses, the guard asked me if I could assist in securing employment for his brother. Apparently, this chap works in the IT field and has been unemployed for about 3 months! I politely informed him that I am new to Bangalore myself and it is unlikely that I would be able to provide any assistance. His response? "It's ok, saar! Maybe in a few months."

If there hadn't been about twenty impatient travellers waiting to pass through security, I am sure that I would have been handed a copy of a resume and would likely be conducting an interview sitting in the waiting lounge.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

maybe he can can you in front of the long lines if you help his brother

Anonymous said...

IT still seems very hot here. I have a feeling this guy really doesn't have the right credentials or probably made it through the system unfairly (money or connections can buy you almost anything here). Perhaps he should work as a security guard instead? Which reminded me of a funny little incident here in Mumbai -an airport security guard here asked me "what do you do?". He looked suspicious (I think it's the mustaches). Cautiously, I said I'm an engineer. He then said "no" and with a big smile raised both his arms in the air and flexed his biceps(at least he tried, there just wasn't anything to flex - poor guy). But I realized he was asking me what did I do to get so big. I couldn't resist - I blamed it on the hamburgers! But it was nice to see him smile at that too.

Mick