Recruitment is a ballgame played between perspiring HR managers and aspiring software engineers. The game is getting complicated with the number of coaches (ex-colleagues) and referees (placement consultants) outnumbering the players themselves.



SW engineer: Software engineer – generally believed to be the ninth wonder of the world.



HR Managers: Human Resource Managers – generally believe and pretend that they understand this wonder



Consultants – those who practice the "balanced scorecard" – that they must take away as many as they place.



Managers: those who secretly wish they had remained SW engineers. Some work hard at becoming one again and some succeed when exported to the US.



Delusion of adequacy - An often-noticed neurotic symptom in SW engineers.



Walk-in mantra – an epidemic often believed by HR managers to be the panacea for people shortage.



HIV positive: Can be deadly for an offshore-friendly SW organization



AIDS – HIV positive leads to this Acquired India Defection Syndrome.



Cutting edge technology – something like the flying saucer, everyone believes it exists but no one has seen it yet.



Laster-jet printers: those wonder machines that facilitate exposure to SW engineers by churning out a document internationally known as "resume." This is one of the visible and powerful employee benefits provided to SW engineers by both employee-friendly and unfriendly companies and utilisation varies between 98 per cent and 99 cent.



CMM: higher levels of managers in SW organisations mistake it to be capability maturity model but an average SW engineer has a better understanding of its as compensation monitoring model.



Consultants: these are the "coaches" or referees in the ballgame of recruitment. They also toss the coin but with a difference. Heads they win but tails they win too. And they get to keep the coin! Here are certain type of consultants, and the list is by no means exhaustive.



The Unemployed: The problem of unemployment in India has been mitigated to some extent by the emergence of the new profession – placement consultancy.



The umeployable: Here belong those college or school dropouts who were wise, they did not waste precious time looking for less lucrative employment.



Mrs. Senior Manager: In slant, it is known as "side business". In jargon, it̢۪s known as moonlighting. Experienced managers sometimes encourage their spouses to take to the placement profession. The contacts, knowledge base and access to industry information of the manager are well used.



Professional consultants: In this wonderworld, there are also placement consultants who are value-adding to the organisation. They integrate well in the supplier chain, ensure candidates are not traded off, and provide a bridge for the right people to reach suitable organisations. May their tribe increase. As for candidates, the SW engineers fail under different categories as well. The list is not exhaustive here as well.



Pen friends: These are candidates who are perennially in correspondence with HR folks. Some of the subjects are: Compensation, benefits for self, family and inlaws. Tools, technology, platforms, processes and processors. Internet connection at office, home, Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks. Quality of people, projects, infrastructure, canteen, library, lighting, cooling etc., Transport from office to home and vice versa. Gymnasium, tennis court, swimming pool. Once they get all the information, they make an informed choice not to join the company.



Cowboys: These are candidates whose primary objective is to "milk" as much from the company as possible. And use it (a) to negotiate within their current company; (b) renegotiate with another company; and (c) use it for credit rating of themselves.



Hobbyists: These collect "offer letters". They spend considerable time and effort interviewing with many companies and maintain meticulously a portfolio of offers that include imaginative service conditions and of course different titles.



Market researchers: These will measure high on CMM level 4. They are continuously looking for evaluating their market value and acceptability.

Tourists and members of frequent fliers̢۪ club: These are not content with the "leave travel facility" they enjoy in their company. They would like to avil of the hospitality of companies, especially those situated outside their normal place of stay so they make it to interviews but never join.



Auditors: Candidates who, having received an offer, want to

Visit office / place of work for a "recee" alone or with family

Meet future colleagues, subordinates and audit them to get more information

See balance sheet / P & L account

Explore possibilities of employee stock option scheme.



HIV (isa) positive cases: Those with 3-6 years of experience are the most susceptible. When you interview them, it is very hard to discover that the real reason for wanting the US posting is the dollar differential to the rupee. But symptoms of the following should be looked for: buying ET only on weekdays, not wanting to commit themselves for long duration projects, sudden concern for family, newly found and articulated interest in domain technology your company is not even remotely working in.



Genuine candidates: It is not too difficult to recognise these; they are known by their knowledge, interest values and words. May their tribe increase.