Well, this is no discussion about Sprite, if the heading made you thirsty. I am going to talk about a larger meaning of the Sprite commercial punchline - as it appeared to me today. This is not a write up about "General advice on job sites" either, but I found no better place to post this. Ab har review ko to mukammal jahan nahin mil sakta na!
My niece, who has just graduated as an engineer is looking to start her career in as a software engineer. I understood that the market is not so rosy for youngsters currently as it was a couple of years back. She has been using websites like Naukri, Monster, timesjobs etc to look for jobs.
The first surprise to me was that she came across a few companies that are willing to hire fresh graduate engineers, provided they deposit a security (INR 50 K types) for 1 year. She did appear in a couple of such Gurgaon based based companies just to find that everyone who walked in walked out with an offer letter. Is that the new business model? The background and the foreground of such employers leaves little doubts anyway.
If the above paragraph made you raise eye brows, this one is going to make your jaws drop. She forwarded me an email from a prospective employer via Timesjobs.com. I am pasting the fraudulent email below in ITALICS, before I take on it:
"
Dear Candidate
Ref: Selection and Initial Response of Resume online. Information for Selection of final Stage in new plants of H.C.L Group of Industries Ltd. The Company deals in Software and Electronics System Manufacturing Business. The Company has been appoint the Candidates for HR, Engg. project Mgmt./site Engg./Civil Engg., Fresh Graduate-No Functional Area exp., Front Office Staff/Secretarial/Computer Operator, IT/Telecom - Hardware, IT/Telecom - Software
You will be pleased to know that Company has advised us in the selection panel that your Application CAN be progressed to final stage.
You will come to our Corporate office in Delhi Next week after recd. the call latter with Air Ticket by Company HRD. with photocopies of all required documents. First you have to deposit the (Cash) as an Security in favor of Company HRD of Rs 5.350/- in any (ICICI Bank) Branch from your Home City to Company Sr.HRD. Account NO.629101508597 (ASHOK BAJAJ).) It will be refundable at the time of Company interview. Your offer latter and Tickets or TA/DA will be send to your Home Address by courier after recd. the confirmation of security deposited in ICICI Bank. The company required all Staff for Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chandigarh Units. The company offered salary 21, 000/- to 62, 000/- (HRA Extra + D.A + Conveyance + Laptop + otherBenefits) for these requirements. The Job profile and designation will be fix by Company HRD. at time of interview.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BY THE COMPANY HRD.
(1) Photo-copies of Qualification Documents
(2) Photo-copies of Experince Certificates
(3) Photo-copies of Address Proof.
(4) Two Passport Size Photo-graph
(5) Bank slip scanned copy through attachment please
The Job Profile, Salary offer, and Date -Time of interview will be mention in your call or offer latter. Your latter will dispatch very shortly after recd. the confirmation of (cash) deposited in ICICI Bank. Last date of confirmation is on Saturday 05-07-2008 To- 07-07-2008 on Monday We wish you the best of luck for the subsequent and remaining stage.
H.C.L IT MANPOWER MANAGEMENT.
hrd.call.hcl@gmail.com
C-145, Ambika Tower,
Race Course Road, Bangalore
Contact No. 91-9759051083 91+9917113263
sms :- 72729
"
Here are the reasons why its a fraud:
1.** It has tried to use the HCL name to it advantage. It has nothing to do with the HCL Technologies we know so well. The H.C.L. Industries has no website of its own. I Googled it out. I discovered something else out too which I would discuss in the end.
2.** The grammar of the person who wrote this mail makes it evident that he /s he did not have good schooling. No good company would hire a placement consultancy that can not recruit a good communicator in a job that deals primarily with communication.
3.** It asks the candidate to deposit some money into an ICICI a/c before it does anything for them. The account belongs to one Ashok Bajaj , not the company. Alarm!!!
4.** It lures fresh graduates to an air ticket for the interview. No genuine company would do that for start up positions simply because the number of candidates will be very high and the number of actual positions relatively low. Most of the fresh graduates would look at this as their first time on a flight - believe me this psyche works over logic and reason!
5.** Why would a company want money in advance , if it plans to refund it later to everyone? Any guesses?
6.** Look at the salary band - INR 21K - INR 62 K for fresh graduates. This exclusive of so many things. I hope other benefits do not include an automatic revolver.
7. The language, for lack of schooling of the writer, does not make it clear if he is talking about the past, present or the future.
.....and here's what I stumbled upon while googling the company name -*
https://citehr.com/67859-fraud-process-beware.html*
This is the final nail on the coffin!*
If you are thinking why I wasted time writing the entire analysis before this, here's the answer. One may not always be lucky to get someone else's opinion on such issues. One must keep his / her eyes and ears open to what all's happening around him and decide for himself / herself. Besides, I felt this was my responsibility as a good citizen.
Anyone receiving such a mail from even a reputed jobsite should realise the nefarious intentions of the sender.
By the way, how's my write up for a job in a detective agency? This software stuff is so boring at times. Maybe I can think about another career.
