A feeling of extreme disgust comes over me at the thought of this company. It happened 12 years back when I was a starry-eyed software developer working at a startup, hungry for knowledge, wanting to learn every new technology. I got a call from a Junior HR one day asking me to come for the interview. I was extremely thrilled that my resume had been shortlisted. I cleared the first round like a breeze, impressing the interviewer. The junior HR took me for the second round to the manager’s cabin. Now begins the episode of my life that I can hardly forget.
A heavy accented and lingually challenged manager, blurted out in a mocking tone, staring at my resume, swinging his neck, and giggling,
“Ooooooooo!, A Teeeam Leeeead.”
That was the first jolt to my confidence. At that very moment, I lost all my confidence. Then he asked me to show my current company ID, and I complied. When he saw “Team Lead” on it, a dirty expression of surprise came on his face.
Then came his questions with intentions of seeing me struggle to answer. With defeated confidence I even fumbled at answering questions on concepts I had painfully understood, practiced and even took notes.
Yes, Virtusa, I was a Team Lead early in my career, a well-deserved position after rising from my ashes, working for countless hours, day and night, day after day, delivering quality projects to the clients, daily working on my communication skills, and burning the midnight oil reading books on technology.
Then came the infamous Virtusa Scrutiny - He asked me to write the URL’s of past companies I had worked for.
Virtusa, if your office was near Ameerpet, that does not mean that every candidate who comes to you is fake. There is a process of candidate verification that can be done later, even before you release the offer letter.
Now when I think of that moment when the manager asked me to show my ID, I wonder why I did not grab my resume and walked out.
Virtusa, you can always disown what happened by blaming it on the Manager, but it is your system, and your legacy, that allows them through your doors. It is your system that distrusts potential employees and make them doubt their own worth. You must teach your employees some basic human decency - to respect other individuals. And I am not writing this based on my sole experience.