It was August 17, 2005 at the Placement Complex, IIT Roorkee. I was nervous and pretended to listen to the PPT (Pre-Placement Talk) being given by Larsen & Toubro Limited (from hereon referred to as L & T) which had come to IIT Roorkee for placements. L & T had been my dream company and here it was. We were to have 2 written tests and then 2 rounds of interview.
Before August 17, I did sit for a few software firms like Oracle, etc despite my lack of interest in the software industry. I had not prepared for the tests and so, had no idea of the type of questions that came. My batchmates were too professional to share with me the type of questions that were usually asked. And to make my situation worse, my ego did not let me give it a damn. I never requested anyone for the questions. As a result, I tasted failure in the written tests of Oracle and even Tata Motors. It did not hurt me much as I was never serious for those companies. Other students did a lot of practice and got through. Oracle was the first company I had sat for. It had come on August 12. When I did not qualify even the first round of Oracle’s written test, I was down. Frustration had started setting in. Then had come another software firm, failure again. I had then become desperate to get a job. August 12 to August 17 was the most frustrating phase of my life. Then had come L & T. And here I was, waiting to write the tests for L & T.
L & T was here for the recruitment of graduates for the post of Management trainees (from hereon referred to as MT). I knew I had to be in this time. I qualified the first round of written tests and breathed a sigh of relief only to know we are to appear for another round of written tests. In the second round, I performed miserably. It was a Verbal test, similar to the critical reasoning questions that come in CAT and I had no practice. I read the questions at snail’s pace. What was going on in my mind at that time was to keep my accuracy high instead of looking to solve all the questions. I did that. I left 12 questions untouched. I was sure I would be thrown out and I was, but only partially. God apparently had something worse in store for me. Though I was rejected for the post of an MT, I was offered an interview for the post of a Graduate Engineer Trainee (from hereon referred to as GET).
At this point, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET as told to us by L & T during the PPT. An MT is the one the company identifies as a future manager with leadership qualities n blah blah… He is on a fast track career. That means, he will be given promotions quicker than anyone else in the company. MT is selected for the Management Leadership Program of the company. The starting package offered was 3.75 lacs p.a for an MT and 2.30 lacs p.a for a GET.
I then had to decide whether to go for the interview for the post of a GET. On one hand, there was that frustration of failing in almost all of the written tests I had appeared in and the desperation to get a job, while on the other, was the post of a GET which I knew did not deserve me. I decided in favor of going for this interview, not to get the job but to get a feel of an interview ( I had never faced an interview in my life).
Many other students who had not qualified the 2nd round of written tests were offered the same. The next day, we had our interviews. Around 15 students had come for the interview for the post of GET and I was one of them. Rest of the students did not even turn up to say they were not interested in the post of GET. I knew my chances were meager even for the post of a GET because my knowledge of Mechanical Engineering was no better than a software engineer’s knowledge of it, if not worse. My other friends were surprised, when they came to know that I wanted to appear for the interview, because my CGPA was quite good (I still do not know why my CGPA was good, I have never had interest in studies. I hate them more than anything. I still wonder how I got through IIT JEE.) I ignored their advice of not sitting in the interview for the post of a GET. I told them I would tell the interviewers, I did not want to join as a GET.
Almost all of the candidates got interviewed except me. When I told the interviewers that I was still to be interviewed, they asked me to wait. Then the interviewers took a break for lunch and asked me to have my lunch and come back. I was the only candidate left to be interviewed. After lunch, they finally called me. I tried not to answer any of the questions they asked me, but everytime I used to say, “ I am sorry, I do not know the answer to that.”, they used to say “ You do not know a thing as simple as this?” I then used to blurt out the answer. During the interview, one of the interviewers tried to trap me but I gave such an answer, the guy who was trying to trap me was embarrassed (because I made both the interviewers realize that his arguments were silly) and deprived of all suitable words of reply while the other interviewer started laughing loudly and even said “Mast banda hai yaar.” They tried hard to convince me to join L & T. I had an impressive resume, and I knew they were desperate to select me. I told them straight away “ Sir, I do not want to join as a GET, I want to join as an MT. I could not qualify my written test for MT because it was a bad day for me.” To this, they said, “ You will be given a chance 4-5 months after you join L & T to become an MT.” I left finally thinking I had screwed up my chances of getting selected. I was happy at having done this. My purpose was to face this interview, not to get selected in it. In the evening, I went to the Placement Complex again, dressed up for BPCL but my name was struck off from the list of candidates appearing for the Group Discussion for BPCL: reason, I had got selected in L & T and now could not apply in any other company. I did not have the slightest feeling of happiness despite being the only one in the insti selected as a GET. 3 of my batchmates got selected as MT the next day. There were 2 more guys who joined my “BAND OF SCREWED UP GUYS” after getting rejected in their MT interviews and were offered the post of a GET which they had accepted.
I was tensed, very tensed. My elder brother had asked me to be patient in placements which had I been, I would have easily got placed in companies that came later with far better packages. When I told him I got selected as a GET, he said it was good. “To get a job is a big thing. Do not worry, it is good,” he had said. I knew he also knew it was not that good.
I sat for HLL (as it was open for all) but screwed my interview purposely. My resume got misplaced by the placement office and did not even reach the recruiters from Schlumberger. I got a call from Tavant Technologies (the package was 3.2 lacs p.a). This time I got through the written test easily. I was asked a puzzle in the first round of interview. The question was wrong. I asked the interviewer, “ Are you sure this question is correct?” He said he was. I solved it within seconds. But then he said, he did not expect this solution from me and asked me to solve it in some other way. I knew the question was wrong. But I also knew if I convinced him that his question was wrong, he would get pissed off and I would have to face the consequences. Knowing that I could not solve that incorrect question correctly, I gave him a better answer. I told him that the puzzles that they ask in interviews are common ones and the students who are in a habit of solving puzzles will even know the answer of these puzzles before solving. Hence, you should not base your selection on whether a candidate is able to solve a puzzle or not. The result was unexpected. I got through. I had smoked just before the interview. This was again done to ruin my chances of getting through the interview as I was least interested in a software job. To me, there is nothing as boring in this Universe as the job of a software engineer. The second round of interview (which was a mere formality) had to be telephonic. I did not give the second round. I had a very good reason for that. I am an incorrigible optimist and believe firmly in the philosophy, “ Everything happens for my best”. I was determined to join L & T and become an MT. I had this aim of becoming an MT since August 18, 2005. There was not a single day in my life after August 18 when I did not think about this GET to MT conversion because I had friends who had got selected as MTs. Then I had other friends who had received jobs offering package of 4-5 lacs p.a where mine was just 2.3 lacs p.a. Later I got my offer letter which got misplaced by one of my friends. In that offer letter, the salary break-up was given. I was getting a paltry sum of 10000 per month. When I told Dad about my salary , he laughed. That made my determination even stronger. “ How can he do that? I have achieved it on my own without anyone’s help,” I had said to myself.
To make matters worse, one of my relatives, who had graduated from IIT KGP, got selected as an MT in L & T. You know relatives start comparing you with your relative if such a thing happens. There was one of my friends from IIT D who had done his internship with me in Germany and who used to think of me to be a stud, he also got selected as an MT in L & T. Life became hell. Even he was surprised when I told him I was joining as a GET. I had then told him, “I am doing it for a reason.” There were several reasons why I had joined as a GET, out of which one was the most important. I needed a conversion from a GET to an MT for my MBA. The foreign universities ask for career progress and all that stuff while analyzing your application. And I knew I would gain more if I joined as a GET and then got converted to an MT than I would if I joined directly as an MT. But if I failed to get converted to an MT, life would become hell. Nothing would be worse. Everyday, my MT friends and I used to go in the same bus. There very sight made me feel ashamed of myself. I am taciturn by nature and these daily incidents made me even more disinclined to conversations. I never talked to anyone except my boss. I never talked to anyone in the department. I rarely smiled, rest aside my smile turning into guffaws. GETs from regional colleges used to ask every other day the reason why I joined as a GET even after being an IITian (just because they held a grudge against IITians). Life was tough, very tough. Nothing could be a better test of my patience and my will power.
At this point of time, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET which I came to know when I joined L & T. Both of them do the same work. But, an MT is called a “Daamaad (son-in-law)” of the company. Everyone respects them. He gets what he wants. Nobody can fire him but he can fire even senior managers. He gets loads of money and incentives to stay in the company and of course a fast track career. The HR people respect him a lot. He has a very high market value. On the other hand, a GET gets firing from all the sides, HR guys, boss, boss’ boss, everyone. Though I never got a firing from anyone mainly because I was from an IIT, I was not comfortable working as a GET. Also out of the two employees at the same level of hierarchy, the one who is an MT gets far more money and benefits than the one who is not.
There was some relief when I saw 13000 on my paycheck because I was expecting 10000 bucks. Not a single day was my mind peaceful. I just had one thing in my mind -‘MT’. I confess my inability to put the thoughts I had then, the tensions I had then, into words in this blog. I could not discuss my thoughts with anyone. I even lied to my gf (who I met soon after I had joined L & T) saying I received 3.75 lacs p.a. But it was not with the intension of creating a false impression on her but with the intension of creating a tremendous pressure on me to work harder for the post of an MT. I wanted to do it for her, I wanted to do it for my family and I wanted to do it for myself. Let me tell you, having a gf and living in Mumbai will screw the s--- out of you if you have a monthly income of just 13000 bucks (especially when you refuse any financial support from your parents). But it was all about managing my resources which I have always been good at. Having a very understanding gf who never asked for anything but my company, helped me manage my resources and time better.
Before August 17, I did sit for a few software firms like Oracle, etc despite my lack of interest in the software industry. I had not prepared for the tests and so, had no idea of the type of questions that came. My batchmates were too professional to share with me the type of questions that were usually asked. And to make my situation worse, my ego did not let me give it a damn. I never requested anyone for the questions. As a result, I tasted failure in the written tests of Oracle and even Tata Motors. It did not hurt me much as I was never serious for those companies. Other students did a lot of practice and got through. Oracle was the first company I had sat for. It had come on August 12. When I did not qualify even the first round of Oracle’s written test, I was down. Frustration had started setting in. Then had come another software firm, failure again. I had then become desperate to get a job. August 12 to August 17 was the most frustrating phase of my life. Then had come L & T. And here I was, waiting to write the tests for L & T.
L & T was here for the recruitment of graduates for the post of Management trainees (from hereon referred to as MT). I knew I had to be in this time. I qualified the first round of written tests and breathed a sigh of relief only to know we are to appear for another round of written tests. In the second round, I performed miserably. It was a Verbal test, similar to the critical reasoning questions that come in CAT and I had no practice. I read the questions at snail’s pace. What was going on in my mind at that time was to keep my accuracy high instead of looking to solve all the questions. I did that. I left 12 questions untouched. I was sure I would be thrown out and I was, but only partially. God apparently had something worse in store for me. Though I was rejected for the post of an MT, I was offered an interview for the post of a Graduate Engineer Trainee (from hereon referred to as GET).
At this point, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET as told to us by L & T during the PPT. An MT is the one the company identifies as a future manager with leadership qualities n blah blah… He is on a fast track career. That means, he will be given promotions quicker than anyone else in the company. MT is selected for the Management Leadership Program of the company. The starting package offered was 3.75 lacs p.a for an MT and 2.30 lacs p.a for a GET.
I then had to decide whether to go for the interview for the post of a GET. On one hand, there was that frustration of failing in almost all of the written tests I had appeared in and the desperation to get a job, while on the other, was the post of a GET which I knew did not deserve me. I decided in favor of going for this interview, not to get the job but to get a feel of an interview ( I had never faced an interview in my life).
Many other students who had not qualified the 2nd round of written tests were offered the same. The next day, we had our interviews. Around 15 students had come for the interview for the post of GET and I was one of them. Rest of the students did not even turn up to say they were not interested in the post of GET. I knew my chances were meager even for the post of a GET because my knowledge of Mechanical Engineering was no better than a software engineer’s knowledge of it, if not worse. My other friends were surprised, when they came to know that I wanted to appear for the interview, because my CGPA was quite good (I still do not know why my CGPA was good, I have never had interest in studies. I hate them more than anything. I still wonder how I got through IIT JEE.) I ignored their advice of not sitting in the interview for the post of a GET. I told them I would tell the interviewers, I did not want to join as a GET.
Almost all of the candidates got interviewed except me. When I told the interviewers that I was still to be interviewed, they asked me to wait. Then the interviewers took a break for lunch and asked me to have my lunch and come back. I was the only candidate left to be interviewed. After lunch, they finally called me. I tried not to answer any of the questions they asked me, but everytime I used to say, “ I am sorry, I do not know the answer to that.”, they used to say “ You do not know a thing as simple as this?” I then used to blurt out the answer. During the interview, one of the interviewers tried to trap me but I gave such an answer, the guy who was trying to trap me was embarrassed (because I made both the interviewers realize that his arguments were silly) and deprived of all suitable words of reply while the other interviewer started laughing loudly and even said “Mast banda hai yaar.” They tried hard to convince me to join L & T. I had an impressive resume, and I knew they were desperate to select me. I told them straight away “ Sir, I do not want to join as a GET, I want to join as an MT. I could not qualify my written test for MT because it was a bad day for me.” To this, they said, “ You will be given a chance 4-5 months after you join L & T to become an MT.” I left finally thinking I had screwed up my chances of getting selected. I was happy at having done this. My purpose was to face this interview, not to get selected in it. In the evening, I went to the Placement Complex again, dressed up for BPCL but my name was struck off from the list of candidates appearing for the Group Discussion for BPCL: reason, I had got selected in L & T and now could not apply in any other company. I did not have the slightest feeling of happiness despite being the only one in the insti selected as a GET. 3 of my batchmates got selected as MT the next day. There were 2 more guys who joined my “BAND OF SCREWED UP GUYS” after getting rejected in their MT interviews and were offered the post of a GET which they had accepted.
I was tensed, very tensed. My elder brother had asked me to be patient in placements which had I been, I would have easily got placed in companies that came later with far better packages. When I told him I got selected as a GET, he said it was good. “To get a job is a big thing. Do not worry, it is good,” he had said. I knew he also knew it was not that good.
I sat for HLL (as it was open for all) but screwed my interview purposely. My resume got misplaced by the placement office and did not even reach the recruiters from Schlumberger. I got a call from Tavant Technologies (the package was 3.2 lacs p.a). This time I got through the written test easily. I was asked a puzzle in the first round of interview. The question was wrong. I asked the interviewer, “ Are you sure this question is correct?” He said he was. I solved it within seconds. But then he said, he did not expect this solution from me and asked me to solve it in some other way. I knew the question was wrong. But I also knew if I convinced him that his question was wrong, he would get pissed off and I would have to face the consequences. Knowing that I could not solve that incorrect question correctly, I gave him a better answer. I told him that the puzzles that they ask in interviews are common ones and the students who are in a habit of solving puzzles will even know the answer of these puzzles before solving. Hence, you should not base your selection on whether a candidate is able to solve a puzzle or not. The result was unexpected. I got through. I had smoked just before the interview. This was again done to ruin my chances of getting through the interview as I was least interested in a software job. To me, there is nothing as boring in this Universe as the job of a software engineer. The second round of interview (which was a mere formality) had to be telephonic. I did not give the second round. I had a very good reason for that. I am an incorrigible optimist and believe firmly in the philosophy, “ Everything happens for my best”. I was determined to join L & T and become an MT. I had this aim of becoming an MT since August 18, 2005. There was not a single day in my life after August 18 when I did not think about this GET to MT conversion because I had friends who had got selected as MTs. Then I had other friends who had received jobs offering package of 4-5 lacs p.a where mine was just 2.3 lacs p.a. Later I got my offer letter which got misplaced by one of my friends. In that offer letter, the salary break-up was given. I was getting a paltry sum of 10000 per month. When I told Dad about my salary , he laughed. That made my determination even stronger. “ How can he do that? I have achieved it on my own without anyone’s help,” I had said to myself.
To make matters worse, one of my relatives, who had graduated from IIT KGP, got selected as an MT in L & T. You know relatives start comparing you with your relative if such a thing happens. There was one of my friends from IIT D who had done his internship with me in Germany and who used to think of me to be a stud, he also got selected as an MT in L & T. Life became hell. Even he was surprised when I told him I was joining as a GET. I had then told him, “I am doing it for a reason.” There were several reasons why I had joined as a GET, out of which one was the most important. I needed a conversion from a GET to an MT for my MBA. The foreign universities ask for career progress and all that stuff while analyzing your application. And I knew I would gain more if I joined as a GET and then got converted to an MT than I would if I joined directly as an MT. But if I failed to get converted to an MT, life would become hell. Nothing would be worse. Everyday, my MT friends and I used to go in the same bus. There very sight made me feel ashamed of myself. I am taciturn by nature and these daily incidents made me even more disinclined to conversations. I never talked to anyone except my boss. I never talked to anyone in the department. I rarely smiled, rest aside my smile turning into guffaws. GETs from regional colleges used to ask every other day the reason why I joined as a GET even after being an IITian (just because they held a grudge against IITians). Life was tough, very tough. Nothing could be a better test of my patience and my will power.
At this point of time, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET which I came to know when I joined L & T. Both of them do the same work. But, an MT is called a “Daamaad (son-in-law)” of the company. Everyone respects them. He gets what he wants. Nobody can fire him but he can fire even senior managers. He gets loads of money and incentives to stay in the company and of course a fast track career. The HR people respect him a lot. He has a very high market value. On the other hand, a GET gets firing from all the sides, HR guys, boss, boss’ boss, everyone. Though I never got a firing from anyone mainly because I was from an IIT, I was not comfortable working as a GET. Also out of the two employees at the same level of hierarchy, the one who is an MT gets far more money and benefits than the one who is not.
There was some relief when I saw 13000 on my paycheck because I was expecting 10000 bucks. Not a single day was my mind peaceful. I just had one thing in my mind -‘MT’. I confess my inability to put the thoughts I had then, the tensions I had then, into words in this blog. I could not discuss my thoughts with anyone. I even lied to my gf (who I met soon after I had joined L & T) saying I received 3.75 lacs p.a. But it was not with the intension of creating a false impression on her but with the intension of creating a tremendous pressure on me to work harder for the post of an MT. I wanted to do it for her, I wanted to do it for my family and I wanted to do it for myself. Let me tell you, having a gf and living in Mumbai will screw the s--- out of you if you have a monthly income of just 13000 bucks (especially when you refuse any financial support from your parents). But it was all about managing my resources which I have always been good at. Having a very understanding gf who never asked for anything but my company, helped me manage my resources and time better.
After 1.5 yrs of wait, I finally got my shot. The tests continued for 4 months. The selection procedure was more rigorous here than it was at my insti campus last year. The day when my boss was to tell everyone the results, he had asked 3 guys (including me) who had reached the final round of interviews to wait in the office until he came back. When he came back, he called one of the other guys (and not me) in his cabin. I knew I had lost. I almost broke down. My dreams shattered in front of my eyes when I saw my boss giving an envelope to that other guy. I left without meeting my boss. I was on my way back to my flat thinking about future course of action to be taken. I was thinking of companies I should apply to. Just then I got a call from one of my colleagues. I told him I did not need my boss’ consolations. I got down of the bus I was returning in, when an Assistant Manager forced me to return to office. I entered boss’ cabin. Man, it was such a relief. This was the day I had been waiting for since 1 yr 9 months. I got my reward, I became an MT. It was the most satisfying moment of my professional life. Only I knew how important it was for me to get this tag of MT. I had achieved what I had been dreaming of for almost 2 yrs.
Kaun kehta hai “din ke sapne sach nahi hote”???
Kaun kehta hai “din ke sapne sach nahi hote”???
