I HAD NO CLUE WHAT THE COMPANY WAS LOOKING FOR WHEN I FIRST WENT FOR THE INTERVIEW.
This was at Global Software Solutions,one of the new software joints coming up at that time and I was barely 22. But I wanted the job desperately! The interview was for a network engineer position. And I had a degree in Biotechnology. People were highly sceptical and wary about the transition I had undergone. And they wondered why would an “biotech engineer” after four years of rigorous studies move to a IT,that too networking job. I, however, had other apprehensions. I thought I didn’t have an edge over the other candidates since, academically, I didn’t hail from the computer sciences. But then I was proved wrong.
THE INTERVIEW BACKGROUND
I went to the what looked like a normal residential building (a bit further from New Alipur’s Petrol Pump) – up the second floor to what looked like a work in progress reception area manned by a old man ready to fall off! There was another guy standing in front of a closed door – the “Director’s room” I was to report to !
His name was Joy. We started to chat and found out that both of us belonged to the same area of Kolkata ! This much is enough for us to gel well.
After 20-25 mins or so, a short, maybe 5’3” height middle aged, curly haired heavyset man walked in and opened the door – we both were looking his way. He then called us in – ‘Yes !Caam (‘come’ in Bengali accent) in !’ – he said looking our way. His name was Mr. Srijib Das.
The room was starkingly different from the reception, comparable to any corporate chamber of IT biggies of Salt Lake with a split AC humming slowly and a Dell desktop sharing the space with a Apple laptop on the polished table front under a mural of Lord Ganesha.
We three got chatting and he showed big plans for his ‘group of company’[sic] in near future – we both were very impressed I must say! He then said that he was from some Vivekananda Vidya Mandir somewhere in Howrah and that he possess an original Vivekananda photograph with him. Later he even showed me the same !
THE INTERVIEWER REMOVED PEN’S CAP AND ASKED ME TO SELL THE CAP LESS PEN BACK TO HIM- OMG!!!! I ALMOST THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE ME A SALES JOB,BUT N0…
There were two rounds. And I guess I handled the interview pretty well. I was glad that I was going to pursue my first job. The organisation was positioned really well on campus and there was only one position that they were hiring for. So, it was considered a big deal to nail it. My starting salary was a princely Rs. 16000. An increment was to came in six months later.
THE REFURBISHED OFFICE GOT OPENED…
By the time I joined,the office was ready and Mr.Das arranged for the inauguration of the office by Mr. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi,the then central I&B Minister– who we were told was a close acquaintance of his.We
I LEARNT THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON, “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE”.
I was asked to learn networking and a trainer arranged for me.I learned a lot those days but I also learned that you donot need to be a jack of all trade but a master of one.
“I GOT PROMOTED WITHIN TWO MONTHS.
The newly appointed IT manager,Joy,of the first day experience and still good friend of mine was in charge of the office. He demanded performance at all levels. He has contributed immensely during the formative days of my career. The lessons I learnt during my tenure were very interestingly the same as I read about in an article of a top honcho of Microsoft India:
1) focus on fundamentals,
2) understand the competitive landscape and
3) always do your homework.
And these lessons still ring true.Infact,I completed my CCNA and MCSE papers within next two months and was promoted from Network Engineer to a fancy titled “Associate Network Admin-Corporate”…all in 60 days but sadly no PAY RISE!!
THE GREAT SHOCK OF MY LIFE!!!
My top boss,Mr.Srijib Das told us during an after office party that he was jailed once because of forgery !! Goodness gracious me ! On hearing this I actually fell from the chair!!!! – but was it already too late – I had already worked almost six months in a fraud’s company.
The only person I fear and respect are my parents.I thought that if I go & tell them of this episode of jail and forgery – hell might have broken loose since my parents always insisted on taking proper feedback and enough knowledge about any place before working !
I am a very poor liar – and I would have been screwed – if the news had reached my parents before me.
But by that time I had mentally rehearsed several times – and when my Mother asked me what was up in office– I blurted out the entire incident.
I just laughed and said : that fool is interested in me – to ward him off I made up this story.
My father in his usual well toned baritone lawyer’s voice – kind of screamed at the me – and used a series of sharp invectives to express his opinion about how he will teach me a lesson if I ever keep any further relation with a jailbird.
My mom was lot more pragmatic and was as always my saviour. She seemed duly outraged. But then she simply said – Don’t work in this stupid organisation runned by a crook.You need’nt continue there.We donot want you to get trapped.
I heaved a sigh of great relief.
Well – that looked like a good idea to me. I didn’t like this daily stupidity of fearing that my boss will get caught in another scam and I will not only lose my job but also land up with him behind the bars! I left Global Software Solutions for the good….!!!!
POST SCRIPT:
I used to get news bits occasionally about GSS from Joy.He used to tell me that Mr. Das has opened his education arm and is actively soliciting people for SAP training…in exchange of thousands of rupees!!!!…I feared the worst.
I told Joy to get out as fast as possible.He left GSS soon thereafter.
Later one day I came upon Dada,the old man I met the first day and who was actually Mr.Das’s “man friday” at Exide Mor of central Kolkata.
He told me that Mr.Srijib Das was picked up my police sleuths for defrauding hundreds for falsely promising jobs to them and is now in hiding after securing bail with several criminal case pending against him.
I thank my stars even today.Indeed I learned a lot from my first job technically,but more than that I learned to avoid people with any semblance of doubt in their veracity.
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