A couple of weeks ago I started with hunting for a job. I applied to some online jobs directly, and also registered myself with a popular Job-finding portals.
I was also on the lookout for job openings posted in social networking sites like Orkut (which I joined a few weeks back to find some old friends).
I saw an opening with a world famous Multi-National Company (MNC). One of their employees had posted an opening with the company in an Employee Referral Program. Based on the skills listed and experience listed in his post, I replied by sending him a mail with my CV. So then he confirmed that I could attend the interview that was going to take place the very next day. So in very quick time I collected and prepared all the required documents like photographs, passport related documents, previous employer details etc. and rushed to the interview scene
It was run in a basement parking lot of one of the company's offices. Upon going there, the first question I was asked was "How many years experience". I replied. He said "OK, take a seat and please wait.". There were hardly any candidates for the position I was applying for.
Then my turn came, and I came to the interviewer. He looked at the my CV and said "Oh, we're sorry but we are looking for people with only 3 years experience not 2+". I told him but one of your employees has clearly mentioned 2+ is sufficient. He again repeated that "no it is only 3 we are looking for". He then scanned my CV and asked me a few questions. He continued by saying, "your CV is impressive, so I will forward it to our Business Team. If they think you will suit the requirement they will get back to you". I then thanked the interviewer, and left.
When I got back home, I wrote back to the employee asking him if it was really 3 or 2. And he said it was positively 2 and again pasted me the details, which again mentioned 2.
After this I forgot about this company and started hunting for other jobs. After more than a week I got a mail directly from the company (and not from any recruiter) that I am invited to attend an interview in Bangalore (another city) but this mail mentioned 3 years experience. Upon receiving this mail, I contacted the employee referrer and asked him who sent this mail and must I attend this interview. To that he replied it looks like HR. The impression I got was the business team had indeed gone through my CV and considered my work and experience worthy enough to further interview me.
So within very short notice, I bought a bus ticket to Bangalore, booked a return train ticket, cancelled my mother's ticket (from Bangalore to Chennai). I travelled to Bangalore that night and reached early in the morning 4:30. I did not sleep even for a minute due to the extremely uncomfortable journey.
So my mother arranged a Call-Taxi and I left for the interview. Upon reaching the interview, I was told the same story I was told in Chennai. "Sorry we need 3 not 2+ years of experience." I was very frustrated but I remained calm. I asked him "But then why did I get a mail from you if I'm not even eligible for this".
His reply was "Yes but we send this mail to 20,000 people, You should read the mail it says 3 years".
OK So he wants me to read my mail? Fine. What about him reading my CV? Why have I been sent this mail? So basically what they have done is sent bulk mail to people who are not eligible.
And this is from a reputed MNC. I didn't start a verbal argument and I left. My mother was furious. She wanted me to write a mail to the HR director of this company and also send one by post. One of my chat friends who works in Yahoo! US asked me if they atleast gave reimbursment of my expenses (and I did spend time and money for this nonsense).
After getting back to Chennai, I wrote back to the employee referrer saying "I hope in the future your company would realize that a candidates' time and money is as valuable as their own and that they have sent me unsolicited mail."
To this I got no reply.
The issue here is, I'm perfectly fine with them rejecting me because I don't have so many years experience and I have a little less. What bothers me is, if this is the most important criteria and despite the fact that they have my CV they have sent me a mail inviting me for an interview and on top of, they have the nerve to advice me to read my mail properly, when they don't bother to read CVs.
This arrogant attitude of the HR people of such MNCs is appalling. What was even more disturbing is, the queue for position I was applying for was totally empty. Other positions like "RDBMS", "Java" had loads of people but not mine. Despite this they did not want to interview me. I can now understand why so many technical skilled Indians prefer working abroad.
My previous job, with a German company, before hiring me they didn't even bother to know if I was qualified or not. They don't even know if I'm an M.Sc. or a B.Sc. and frankly they are not bothered. They saw what I had to offer. They talked to me about it and decided to hire me based on my work. In fact only after they even hired me I sent them my resume just for the sake of it. I'm pretty sure they didn't even read it. They are not bothered whether I did an NIIT course or whether I did a course in CCNA or whether I studied in an esteemed institution. All they wanted was knowledge not papers. They do not assume that someone who has 3 years 5 months experience will not suit the job than someone claiming 4 years experience. Like I said, I now understand why people want to work abroad.
REFERENCE:
The Teknomancer Chronicles: Attitude of HR recruiters in India
MY COMMENTS:
This has happened with me many times my personal experience, I am called to interview, and the HR upon seeing my resume , WAKES UP FROM SLEEP,, and finds something which DOES NOT QUALIFY and TELLS ME,,,
NOW I WANT TO ASK,, do u waste the candidates time only to call them and inform that U R NOT ELIGIBLE>.
MNC HR RECRUITERS HAVE 2 MUCH ATTITUDE,, is it RITE,, 
Linear Mode
