The hunt begins!..

The mall offered a large variety of books. Biographies, fiction, religion & philosophy, business & management, romance, thrillers, erotica and so on. I was running from shelf to shelf, having a look at many of them, and added a few to my wish-list. It will really cost me a good figure to purchase these books. I was about to begin my hunt; and a hunt, is a hostile pursuit. You might be getting prepared to listen to the story of my merciless book purchase....Don't be misguided. I was about to tell the story of my "job hunt"....

It all began from the day i was upset with my dad, as i told in the previous post. I registered in as many placement consultancies as possible. I was pretty sure that none of the civil engineering firms will come after me, on account of my " High marks". So i gave preference to BPO jobs, with customer support as first choice. I expected a torrent of calls, but i was disappointed. Everyday i expected someone to call me offering a job, or a mail notifying a vacancy. Finally, one morning, an e-mail showed up. It just asked me two things- excellent communication skills, and a graduation in any discipline. I had both. I replied to the mail, and posted a CV along with it. There was no reply for a day. I decided to call the number provided in the mail. I didn't know how to begin. My heart was beating like that of a kid, standing on stage for his first performance. I don't feel fear while i am on stage. Usually, I set my mind free. Being free and relaxed helps me a lot, to interact with the audience. And each time i stand on stage, i always have a target- to impress someone. I am pretty sure that i can't impress everyone at a time. I prefer to steal hearts one by one, and finally, i will end up in a fortune. The situation was entirely different here. There was no audience. And i didn't know whether it will be a man, or a woman that was going to attend my call. Someone picked up the call quickly. My good luck, it was a lady. Her voice was young, with a worse accent than i expected. "Surely, i am gonna impress this girl".I thought in my mind. As i started and went on with my conversation, i realized in pain and shock, that my accent was even worse. Literally, i was chocking. I felt some words clogging my epiglottis, and could hear my heart beat loud and clear. I was not feeling at home. "What the f*ck is wrong with me?..damn it....." Somehow i managed to wind up the conversation. She requested me to be present in the office at the earliest for an interview. There were two companies eagerly waiting to hand over an appointment order, if i was ready to work in night shifts at a CTC (cost to company) of Rs.1,02,000 per annum. Don't give it an alpha; its just Rs. 8500 per month. Not bad. Thats all...

I went to the consultancy, and handed over two copies of my resume. They filed one, and branded the other one with their seal. I was redirected to their client, a bit far from the present location. I reached there in time; thanks to my buddy bike.

The office was on fourth floor. I took the elevator, and stepped into the office, just like a smart guy. After uploading my resume to their online database, I was provided with an invoice. It also had a sheet which asked me to write about the happiest moment of my life. I did. After handing over i was waiting for my call. I waited, waited, and finally, a recruiting staff came to me.

"May i have a minute with you?" He asked.
"Yes. Of course". I replied.

"Well Mr.Deepak, we are impressed with your performance, but...you have mentioned that you will need to take leave for a week within few months."
"Yes sir. I have to attend an interview in The Indian Army".
"In that case i am sorry. We provide a training for 3months, during which 100% attendance is compulsory. So i recommend you to be here after your interview."
"Its ok, i understand. I haven't received my interview card yet now,..So i can't tell you when exactly i can  make it to your office. Thank you gentleman, i will take leave now."
"Good to have you, Mr.Deepak...".
"Thank you".

As i walked out, i had no idea about what was to be done next. It will still take a long time for me to purchase me those books. I thought to have a snack, and headed to the nearest chaat centre. I ordered my favourite "aloo paapdi chaat". Oh! I love aloo paapdi. It was jfreak who introduced aloo paapdi to me. The sweetness of curd(lassi) flavored with spicy coriander, along with flaky and elongated aggregates ( don't let your "spelling and grammar check" awake. I am a civil engineer) always came up as my first choice, and this chaatwala was always consistent to reproduce the very same taste. With great appetite and numbness in mind, i awaited my favourite snack. I don't remember whether i was hallucinating or day dreaming. All my expectations vanished like a fart in a wind. It was the chaatwaala's yell which took me back to the real world. I took the chaat a table, and took a spoonfull to my mouth....Mmmmm.....No! Definitely not..It didn't taste like before. The curd was sweet as before, but i was lacking the old taste.....Maybe it was my mood that made me feel so...I left the place, with almost half a portion untouched......


Today, i had another one. I was not eligible to attend the recruitment. It was my friend's hold in the college's T & P cell, which let me attend the interview.The recruiter was a construction company. I did well. It comprised of a set of objective questions as a screening test. I was pretty sure that i would have cleared it, as it was all basic civil engineering. Even a first year student could do that. It was followed by a personal interview, in which i got many chances to impress the board with some fantastic answers. I mixed lie, factual informations, experiences, criticisms and few honest replies, to make it taste like my aloo paapdi chaat....I left the dish for them. Now it was their turn to judge the taste as i left the room. They promised to give out the results at the earliest....I didn't let my mind to crawl through foul smelling thoughts. Instead i gave an optimistic stroke...I took a walk to the bus terminal along with my friend; a girl ofcourse. ......

Within a day or two, i will be receiving a call...The caller on the other end will say,

"Hello, Mr. Deepak Joseph,"
"Yes. Speaking."
"Well Mr. Deepak, I have got something to say to you."...

It may be a call from another BPO centre, or a call that can change my destiny, and I, will answer-

"Yes...... I am listening"......................