Chosen by Wipro, but selling credit cards

Engineering graduates recruited by IT giants look for other jobs as they haven't been asked to join even after months

Chosen by Wipro, but selling credit cards

Engineering graduates recruited by IT giants look for other jobs as they haven't been asked to join even after months

Just a few months ago these young engineering graduates were on top of the world. They had landed plum jobs with reputed companies and were eagerly looking forward to an exciting career. But then came recession.

Today, engineers recruited by IT giants like TCS, Wipro, Infosys, L&T Infotech, Accenture and Birla Soft from colleges are looking for jobs in BPOs and the marketing sector. Some are even selling Dmat accounts and credit cards. Even after six months and in some cases, a year, many of these students are yet to get their appointment letters from the companies.

No hope

Most of the young engineers have lost hope that the companies will ever call them in these recessionary times.
Aditya Asthana, an engineer from NIET College in Greater Noida, who once considered himself the luckiest in his
class as he had managed to get through the tough selection process of L&T Infotech, now checks his email for interview calls from marketing companies and call centres. "I was selected on January 14, 2008, and was told that I will be called as soon as possible. But there was no reply from the company. All the selected students across India created a community and wrote an email to L&T. We also posted it in on a social networking website. In its reply, the company clearly said that as of now it would not be feasible to indicate a joining date and asked us to look for alternate jobs," said a disheartened Asthana.

Asthana is not alone in his dilemma. Many young engineering graduates are worried about their future.
Another young engineering graduate, Chandan Kumar, said, "After waiting for more than six months, Infosys has given me a confirmation of joining in January 2010. I am fortunate that at least I have got a confirmation. I still have eight months to join and cannot sit idle so I am looking for jobs in the marketing field. I can earn while I wait."

IT take
Most companies have this to say to young graduates:

'As you are aware, there is a global economic downturn. Major economic powers like the USA, UK, Europe and Japan are going through a recession or near-zero growth. There is a cascading impact on countries like India, and many Indian companies are reporting adverse effects. Information Technology is one of the most impacted sectors.

In these circumstances, we have decided to add people in line with the evolving situation. Thus we have to further defer your joining date.

...this communication is intended to apprise you of the current situation and help you plan career moves and select any alternative career paths.'