K. Sridevi is an MBA. Yet, it did not deter her from applying for a telemarketing job. She is trying to identify a stall that could well hold the key to a better future for her family struggling with limited resources. She is also open to night shifts.
“A company asked me to come tomorrow for another round of interview. The pay is just Rs. 6,500 per month but at this moment it will do. Jobs are hard to come by,” she shrugs, walking into another stall. Along with her friend Valli, Sridevi was one among over 5,000 aspirants who turned up at the second GHMC Job Mela in search of placements on Tuesday.
Many like her were clearly overqualified for the jobs on offer. Still, they were willing to take up jobs needing lesser qualifications. “I can’t afford to sit at home. I need to support myself and not depend on my parents. I am applying in all companies hoping somebody notices me and calls me later,” says Syed Mujtaba Ali, pursing MBA in marketing.
Scores of youths thronged the Banjara Function Hall filling it to the brim to try their luck. There were long queues for registrations and equally lengthy ones for interviews as traffic piled up outside. In the end, the wait was worth it, as 1,844 aspirants got shortlisted by 55 firms.
For 18-year-old Prakash Rao, an Intermediate student, it was a big day. “A pizza outlet and a security firm have shortlisted my name. I need a job to complete my degree, hopefully I will get selected,” he says. Mayor Mohammed Majid Hussain, the person behind the initiative, inaugurated the event. “Close to 14,000 aspirants registered with us. A majority of them are from B.E, B. Tech and MCA background. We will not disappoint them and a Job Mela for IT sector will be held in January,” he said.
Along with hope, there was bitterness too. “Jobs here were for the unskilled. We did not have any prior information on the participating firms,” says M.D. Nayeem Khadri, a B. Tech graduate. Companies on their part tried to do the balancing act.
“Engineers and MBAs look at telemarketing as a stop gap arrangement but I encourage them because I understand the present job scenario,” says Satya Narayana, Director, Intact Solutions, marketing credit cards of top banks.
Hiring executives were happy to be part of the whole exercise. “We need 70 skilled ITI or diploma holders in mechanical but none have come. We are happy to participate because it makes us visible. We have shortlisted a few and asked them for another round of interview,” says K. Chandra Shekhar, Senior Executive HR, Talwar Group.
