Feeling Stuck After Job Offer Due to Past Employer Ties – Any Advice on Moving Forward?

Hi, Recently, I was interviewed by Infosys Ltd., and they selected me for the position. However, they mentioned that the offer letter would be rolled out within a time span of two weeks.

After a few days, they contacted me, stating that my previous company, Vodafone, is their client. Therefore, they requested a signed Declaration form confirming that I was not bound by any contract or bond with Vodafone and had no association with any accounts/projects related to Infosys. I promptly sent them the declaration form. I left Vodafone a year ago and have been working for a different company for the past year.

Subsequently, Infosys did not respond, so I reached out to inquire about the status. They informed me that my application was still in progress but facing delays due to legal formalities. As Vodafone is their client, the company has restrictions on hiring employees from client companies. Although they acknowledged receiving my declaration, there have been no positive indications. The HR department stated that they are not rejecting my application but are not issuing the offer letter at this time. They mentioned that the process is ongoing and may take longer.

I am currently feeling disappointed. Despite being selected for the position, I am being judged based on my previous employment at Vodafone from October 2016 to October 2017, which is no longer my current workplace.

Could anyone advise me on this situation? Is there any possibility of receiving the offer letter? Are there any exceptions made in such cases? How can I access the policy for more information?

Regards, Vaibhav

In my opinion, this is an unnecessary issue created out of ignorance or an excess of enthusiasm exercised by someone in your prospective employer's organization. When it is abundantly clear that you are no longer associated with Vodafone and have been employed by another organization for the past year, where is the question of your source of recruitment being from a client company of Infosys? Such a question would be pertinent to some extent if your current employer also happens to be a client of Infosys or Vodafone. Even otherwise, complete discharge from any contractual liabilities under an employment bond with the current employer by a serving employee aspiring for a new job elsewhere is a general precondition for formal relief from the current job. I do not think that such vital information pertaining to the recruiter's employment policy would have escaped the attention of the recruiter in the initial stages of recruitment itself. When you have submitted your declaration stating that you have no ongoing contractual liability with Vodafone, how could you be held responsible for any delay in the clearance of positive cross-references due to no response from them?

If I were in your position, I would simply write to them politely that any further delay in the confirmation of my appointment would lead to practical difficulties in complying with the notice conditions of my current job. I would not be able to comply with the joining conditions and therefore request them to issue the appointment orders within a reasonable time. Failing this, I may have to reconsider my joining.

It is the policy of the organization. No outsider can question it.

@Umakanthan.M, this is exactly what I told the Talent Acquisition Lead of Infosys. However, as per them, it's their policy, and they need to follow the process. I don't see why there would be any problem as I am no longer associated with Vodafone. I even informed them that the position and department I used to work in at Vodafone are completely different from the position you selected for me here at Infosys.

They also mentioned that no further documents or anything are required from your side. We are trying at an internal level, but the process will take a longer time. A shocking thing I heard from them is that there is currently no positive sign on this.

So, why would they shortlist candidates in the first place and select them? After selection, we go in with the mindset that everything will be smooth. We hope for the best, and then they hit you with these things.

As of now, I haven't resigned from my current organization, and I will not resign unless I receive any concrete update on selection in writing and an offer letter. Companies as big as this judging you on things you are not even associated with anymore is more disappointing.

I hope the end result will be positive, and they will release my offer letter soon. I don't have any option other than waiting.