7 Years with Infy - Part 1

Joining Date: 18-Oct-2004
Relieved Date : 28-Dec-2011

While doing my engineering, had always dreamt of getting an offer from Infosys especially for 2 reasons, 1. NRN, 2. Infy Recruitment Model. For freshers, originally Infy i heard only had the written test without any interview to clear. My final yr, I had reached about 10 interviews clearing the written tests but interviews were my villain. Was so nervous always for intws and was never sure of what to talk.
For EEE (Electrical and Electronics), it wasnt every IT company calling you for campus placement. Two core companies that i worried after loosing were LMW and Praxair. LMW was the more personal as it could have given me an offer at my birth place, Coimbatore. I trusted LMW so much after clearing the written test that i even dared to ignore an Infy campus interview conducted @ Chennai. Was so pissed off, that once i even shouted back at a concerned lecturer when she was angry at us for not getting thru interviews.

Got the degree. Getting a degree and without a job especially when many of your college friends and college enemies were with a campus job is ....yeah like "Life is Shit". Some of my friends took to chennai and blore in search of jobs. They would get in with 3 or 4 of the same kind to share the rent and then do job search. Rigorous search for atleast 2 continuous weeks and get pissed off, go home town, enjoy for a week or two, get pissed off there and come back and continue the cycle. Was just a spectator to these, My job search was only through net thru fresher job portals, applied frequently to infy fresher email id as well to get a call. Not because i was lazy to go out but dint have money to pay rent.

Then i got this call from my EE mate Karthikeyan after some two months at home. He got a job for me and there wouldnt be any real interview and its for a core company (Motor Service) @ white field, Blore. Package he told me would be around Rs. 2500 - Rs. 3000. Ofcourse, I decided to take it, now i got the source of money to pay the rent and search for a better job if possible. As Karthi was already staying at his relative's, asked for a 2 week accommodation to Madhan, my school friend, who was also staying closer to white field, at ramamoorthi nagar. This guy with other 5/6 guys sharing an apartment with 2 great rooms and a bathroom, all in search of a job. Of the two rooms, one was used purely for foot wears and the other for all kinds of living activities in addition to the space for everyone's luggage. When we all with full occupancy of 7 guys sleep at night in that living room, you cant even turn urself at sleep. Yes it was tht jam packed.

Reached there, agreed for a salary of Rs.2750, i would get arnd 2500 in hand after PF and other deductions. Life was smooth with the great company of friends. Though except Madhan others were new to me everyone was very understandable and cooperative that i took advantage of continuing there for 2 months. It was not becoz i dint get another acco, but infact i dint try for one, i was already more comfortable staying with Mr. Madhan and his gang. Had never told him this :). And this was my first experience as a bachelor for my college days i was a day scholar. Wanna feel the job search, watch Cheran's "Thavamai Thavamirundhu". With my savings from my first salary, i bought a 3 wheel cycle for my nephew who was arnd 3 yrs old.

Most of us came back in the evening after everyone's job and job search, go for the 'bonda' break, spend about Rs. 5, each costed a rupee and that was delicious with the green chutney, chat, go for dinner and spend Rs. 10 to Rs. 15. Ceylon Parotta was a favorite for dinner. After dinner it was usually a cream bun or a cake. My Break Fast usually was a poori with masala (Rs.10/15) at a mess near my company. Reach there around 8.30, have break fast and report to work by 9. Its actually 2 buses to reach my company from home. You can also save Rs.2, by walking instead for about 2 kms and avoid the first bus. Ofcourse i used to do that. Room share was about Rs.330. Meanwhile Madhan got a BPO job and it helped him a lot that time. Some others took the 'credit card sales guy' job, they would return home and give their day stories, it was fun to hear on one side and pain on the other. This made me sign blindly to a cc sales guy when i was in Infy training, i hope to respect them always. My work was like a supervisor in addition to paper works. Also went to a nearby gas plant company to evaluate the condition of motors running there. Enjoyed my time there in company with Karthi. We used to get a special Lime Tea in the evening from an attendant there. It was the first time i had a lime tea and i used to wait for it daily :)

And i got the Infy call letter to attend the written test on 12th September 2004. So happy and i prepared with all the available material in the room, infact friends had got a pc as well shared. One/two weeks earlier Madhan had lost the Infy test, he was the most intelligent and efficient to my knowledge from our school when it comes to Maths. And he lost it only because of a wrong question on which he wasted a lot of time then.

With all inputs from every one and my preparations, i did go for the written test. It was the 10 aptitude questions and an added english test. i remember answering 6/7 aptitude correct, no idea abt english, was always bad in english. Test was in Christ college(have the emails still). With the heart pumping in my ears, saw the result after the noon with my name on the cleared list. Wow what a moment :). There is still my villain waiting, yes new Infy rules had included an HR interview, and i heard that ppl usually clear it easily as it is only a formality. Had another friend there telling it could fail as well. i think it was the next day to take the interview @ Infy Blore DC. First entry into Infy DC, interview was much better than my past ones, did answer a puzzle and dint answer one.

I did wait for some time for the result, meanwhile, Hari, school friend, called me to tell me that he got an Infy offer and willing to quit the TCS campus offer. He had also taken the Infy test on the same date as mine but it was just casually at Chennai. i believe he got the offer in a week after attending the intw and his training was in Blore, but i got nothing yet. Here in the room, friends already felt the burden of having accommodated me and asked me to leave politely. Yes i came in for a temp 2 week acco. Without the fainted infy offer, I was not interested in looking for another room and some how felt i should go back home quitting the job as well. Told them will leave by the end of the month.

On 29th of September, i vaguely remember that Ashraf, college friend, contacted me asking me to check my email, guess i had given him my login to check my emails as we dont freq check emails to save from paying browsing centers. He told me that i got the offer. Went to check, confirmed the offer and Oh yeah....the moment of my life....called my mom to shout loud that i got through....was the only most extra ordinary, joyful, personal happy moment i had, that i also expressed out as well. Moment of accomplishment! Moment of success! Ray of Hope! Brightness of the Future! It was so important because of the long experienced financial pain from the past. It came in as the pain reliever.

Part-1 ends here and continued in Part - 2