In one of my earliest post I mentioned how the HR practices of Indian companies are not very professional. The HR generally don't have the courtesy to call you up or send out a mail saying that your skills don't meet the requirement so can consider the chapter closed. Here everything is like a hit and trial. You go to a job site and then wait and wait for any reply. If your skills match you will get a call for an interview if not, you just keep waiting.

On the other end of the spectrum is the excess of phone calls that you get once someone finds your profile suitable. A very common scenario is that you are contacted by a placement consultant for a particular job and after the initial discussion with you; your profile is sent to the employer. The employer likes your profile and decides to meet you. This starts a flurry of phone calls.

The consultant calls you to fix up a meeting or a telephonic interview, whatever is feasible. A little before that is due, you get a reminder call from the consultant disguised as a “good luck” call. After the interview is over, you again get a call and the consultant is like your mom who wants to know every detail of your first date. (Well actually most moms are not as inquisitive).

This happens till you accept the offer and the consultant are sure that he or she will get the payment. All these calls are not social and apart from the updates, a lot of pushing happens in these calls. It gets to a certain point that you feel irritated when you get a call from a consultant to update him o what is happening “Ok, I am on my way to their office”. “Now I have parked my car and I am walking to their office”. “Now I am so excited by all this that I have to pee so I am watering a plant in the garden of the future employer”. “Hang on, I am still in the interview, it is not over yet, I will update you when I get out of here”. “Ok, now I am out of the office and we had a discussion...” and by the time you have narrated the story to the consultant, he will say “OK, I will call the company and will get in touch with you later.”

Out of 500 calls that you have made in the last week to me, I think if a small percentage of that was directed to the people who were not picked for an interview; it would be greatly appreciated-both by them and me.