Top things HR won't tell about

Here is what happens behind closed doors of companies when it comes to hiring practices and preferences.

• Resume has to be one page is myth.
• Never lie to HR. Because there is always a background check.
• When it comes to getting a job, who you know really does matter. No matter how nice your resume is or how great your experience may be, it's all about connections.
• If you are trying to get a job at a specific company, often the best thing to do is to avoid HR entirely. Find someone at the company you know or go straight to the manager how is hiring.
• Trickiest question at a job interview is "What is your weaknesses?". No weakness is lie. "I am perfectionist" or "I work without work-life balance" answers are too dramatic. Being genuine with your weakness that affects your work will make you unfit for job. Best approach is to mention a weakness that has obvious solution. 
• You are judged by your email address also. talk2Rahul@ or Ritalikespizza@ kind of emails disqualifies you.
• One you are unemployed for more than 6 months, you are considered quite unemployable. HR assume that other people have already passed you over, so HR won't want anything to do with you.
• Avoid from mentioning your graduation year if you are above 50 years old.
• Most HR uses application tracking systems that scans resumes for key words. The secrete to getting your resume through the system is use key words from the job description and put them on. More matches more chances of your resume getting picked and actually seen by real person.
• Avoid colors in resume.
• Avoid asking about company, business etc. in interview which is obviously available on internet.
• Even though you know all and have all knowledge and experience, but your ability to fit in company culture is most important.
• It is harder to get a job if you are fat. It is truth.
• There have been cases where people have been rejected because they can't take call on Sunday due to weekend puja or church or you don't maintain clean, tidy and organized.
• You might be sick on interview morning or something else. But no one will believe you.
• Weak handshake will be noticed during interview.
• Just don't silence your phone but switch it off.
• If you are candidate and hiring manager spends lot time talking about himself/herself, let him/her. He/she is going to come out of the interview saying you are a great candidate.
• Never show off your skills on laptop through programming, PowerPoint slides etc. Your chances of getting hired are barely there.
• Be nice to everyone including admin person at front desk and security. If you are not that will be noticed.
• Never mention that you were fired from a job.  Your resume will automatically go into trash. In 90 percent of cases, due to company policies, new company will never find that out.
• Know how pronounce interviewer name, even if you have to call and ask receptionist before you meet the person.
• "Tell me little about yourself." should be short and crisp. Else you will never face question no. 2.
• Thank you note sent on next day sounds too desperate. A week later is kind of reminder about yourself, after other candidates have been interviewed, to showcase how great you are.
• Follow up once or twice is fine. But persistence will never pay off. In fact your frequent calls will annoy people.
• Don't insists for more details for being rejected. It gives impression of you are desperate. That doesn't help for future job openings with same company.
• Sometimes HR will lie you to get you off their back.
• If you are former boss hated you, never give his direct line for a reference. Instead give HR number. Most of HR will give dates of your employment and what your title was and nothing more.
• On salary, most companies lock you early with mention of budget range for the position. If you accept it, they will get you stuck in that little area.
• You all think you are great and deserve a higher salary, but HR knows the truth. Truth is that a lot of you are not very good at your job and not as good as you think you are.
• Worth of individual should increase along with rise. So expect your rise accordingly.
• If anyone other you negotiate for your salary, HR withdraws offer.
• If there was someone HR no longer wanted at company. He/she will be given worst assignments on impossible deadlines, set him up to fail and document that. After a few months, HR could terminate him/her safely.
• If you are laid off, there would be separation agreement with clause that you won't sue company. That document is for negotiation for asking severance money, and anything else you wish before signing it. Worst thing to do is say no.
• If you are put on performance improvement plan, you are being cooked. HR will say that they will work it out for you, but that would be lie. Get the message.
• Watch your words.  Because you said something that hurt or insulted someone, and you think that you will be excused. HR don't care how much loan you got to pay or you got four kids and this weekend it is Christmas.
• If you are senior employee and they have put you on "special assignment" and take away other responsibilities so you focus on "special assignment". Get the message and update your latest resume. You are on your way out.
• If you are sick, don't post on twitter, Facebook or chat that you are at movie theater or doing something else. That is just dump.
• During your initial days, don't get caught in cafeteria and multiple breaks. Last thing you want is for a senior to not find you at your seat when he or she trying to connect with you.
• Almost every company filters all kinds of bad behavior  by constantly searching your emails, chats and web behavior for key words that may indicate corporate espionage, abuse or worse.
• Having group interaction when you don't have much to do inside the company would be worst thing that can happen with you.
• Don't let someone find out or feel embarrassed because of your body odor or your bad habit of messing public utility or toilet etc. Because there are no nice ways to tell that you.
• Your petty claims or interpersonal issues can't be entertained by HR. 
• One of important job of HR is to protect company from lawsuits. So even if trainings on sexual harassment are not beneficial, HR will conduct them to reduce their liabilities.
•  Saying no to travel as your job responsibility can be career ending.
• Even tough you think trainings are boring, those must be attended even if HR agrees with you.

Accidental vs Choosen One!

"NO ONE HAS GIVEN YOU AN OPPORTUNITY! HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU TO CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOURSELF!"

Most of the cases we end up in a particular profession accidentally unless we were blessed with a mentor in the form of parents, friend or teacher etc. who directed us to choose or they choose particular career path for us.Quite often or not, either lure of glamorous pay-cheques or our exposure to friends, family or relatives who work at multinational technology companies, drives us to software career and not by choice. We rarely researched with personal SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis to evaluate and choose right professional career for us.Whichever are the reasons for our career choices, but all of us agree that we pursue the reasonable success from our given potential.

Here I am attempting to share few lessons taken from my own life experiences on how to plan & grow career in software profession.

Last two decades there has been tremendous impact of information technology on our lives. Specially India being one of the major producer of highly qualified engineering graduates which earned India  the World leader title in global software outsourcing industry. The fundamental reason being global businesses found more cost effective resources and processes to deliver to their IT needs using highly educated & skilled but low cost engineers of third world countries like India and China.

Fundamental objective for any business is to deliver their products or services and manage reasonable margin that adds profitability of business and stakeholders interests and nothing else. Here we as aspiring software professional need to understand is this.

"TECHNOLOGY IS A JUST TOOL FOR BUSINESS AND NOT VICE-VERSE". 

For centuries human being involved in businesses without help of technology.Unless and until we understand that, whatever we deliver must adds value to business profitability, we won't  qualify for any professional career leave alone career in software industry. This discussion leads to question what level of comfort we enjoy with numbers.

"ONE THAT GET MEASURED IS WHAT GET PLANNED AND IS ULTIMATELY IT GET DONE!"

On the other hand if you were among those few blessed ones who had dream and passion to excel in software industry and you have been coding since early days, you stand chance to be successful only if you could deliver and sell well what you know or learnt understand market demand and supply. You can always choose, how you wish to do this, either by building career with established firms in that space or launching your own start-up venture by catering some niche or untapped market needs.

"WHAT helped you over the great obstacles of life!" was asked of a highly successful man. "The other obstacles," he replied.