Wow! I have finally started blogging!!
And what should i start with? Few moments of my life which changed my world, unbelievably? I do not know what i should call this as but surprisingly it was a miracle? No, Lady luck dawned on me? No, hard work? Not at all. then what was it? I m still confused. But the end result! I'm damn happy and lucky. I'm talking of the 1st anniversary at THE IBM, (Hinjewadi Pune).
I happened to read a post on Facebook about Walkin for SSO operations on 11th Dec, Saturday at Hinjewadi location. I searched and searched for more on SSO but couldn't find anything about it, I was confused, hesitant to go for it. I was so confused and excited at the same time to know about IBM walkin. As we dreamed of being an IBMer in college days and now it was here. Following my instincts I went to take big decision of my life.
I stay in a area far away from the Pune City, on the outskirts where technology is known but never touched by or used. So here I was on that day running short of all sort of help. First i didn't have a copy of my resume to take with nor did I know the timings of bus to reach Hinjewadi. I wasn't aware of Cyber cafes' working status in and around my place nor the power status of those areas. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it in time for the walkin. Only thing i could do was to not loose hope and have faith in God.
I started packing and left for the cafe which was a 2km walk, 20 mins and then a bus from there which would take me to phase 2 of Hinjewadi. It was 11 am when i was finally ready with my resume copies and waiting for the Hinjewadi bus eagerly, i craved badly for a bike or hitchhiking or hoping some known person drop me there. Poor me!
After some wait, I got a bus which dropped me at Dange Chowk Bus stop and another 1 hr I thought to IBM. I didn't even know where in the world IBM was in Phase 2. I asked autowalas for direction and kept praying to be in time. I had almost forgotten that i was very late for a walkin interview since from past interview experiences i knew we should be very early standing in Q for walkin of any company and look at me it was midday!
Unfortunately the share autos dropped at Hinjewadi Bus stop and I had more distance to be covered in short time. Another share auto to Wipro Circle and i come to know that IBM was located further up in the arms of hills and Autos charge Rs 50/- to drop all the way to the campus. It was costly for me at that time. So I walked all the way to security post of IBM campus and met many IBM aspirants on their way back, inquiring what SSO and interview process was all about. Many replied huge crowd, short time for test and top of all toughest test ever seen. The moment i heard this, my mouth fell open. Tests, aptitude, i hadn't practiced at all for this and i would be damned if i failed for IBM, a golden opportunity I would have to miss. But i didn't loose hopes and convinced myself, I would clear the test, come what may!
I reached the Security Post, signed in and just as i was signing I heard the HR calling the guard to stop entry for the interview, I felt lucky as I was just in time. I clicked the pics of IBM at the entrance. I hurried to the building, Congo, didn't know where exactly it was but I just followed all the young crowd headed over there. I didn't even know from where the entrance to the building was so I entered the building from a door where a page had notice: only 60% and above B.E. and etc..
God i found the door to future.. :-)
Along with me were few other aspirants entering the building and there i was, inside IBM.
How happy I was to enter the lobby itself! I felt so lucky, felt like jumping! For the moment i forgot everything, who I was, where I was staring blankly. Tears came in my eyes, I was in IBM but sad all alone. I realized, of my friends who were also looking out for job, i felt sad, now i had lost the time to bring them to IBM, i felt guilty and started staring all around.
People all around were worried, anxious, tired waiting for hours, just for the results.
I found the queue for entering the test near the reception area and joined it. Only 20-30 people after me were in the queue and around 300-400 people waiting outside the entrance door of the building. HRs were inside the building and crowd on the outside. That was the entrance for candidates to enter and I had entered through wrong gateway nevertheless happy, haha I was in. The HRs were forced to use Lathi charge on people waiting outside sending them back home asking them to come next day.
Ghosh i was lucky....
listening to Pitbull..... Aie aie aaa... Let it Rain Over Me... Aie aie aaa..12.12.2011 10.23AM
I heard people saying test was very tough, you cannot clear it at all, 5 min 40 questions, 20 min 40 questions and so on. I was surprised, what kind of test this is? Lets give it a try, was the only thought coming to my mind. After a long wait in the Q, i was in and was given the access card for the ground floor of the building where the tests was conducted. A very smart, handsome guy, HR started giving instructions, made us sit in the revolving chair and I was trying to sink in the moment, ignoring the instructions : I M SITTING in IBM office. Amazing, I'm going crazy, I'm in IBM office! I said to myself, this is it, this is where i want to be, i would give anything to be here. And the papers were distributed and sure the time was short all calculations and all maths, 5 min 40 Qs, 20 min 20 Qs, etc and over all only 45 min test. I was done within the time frame, I knew I just had to answer as fast as i can.
TIME over...
We were back in the lobby, all of them waiting eagerly for the results. And hours passed, one HR came out, announced result, first announced the names of those who were not selected which would be 40 in number then would announce those who were selected and this would be 2/3! This happened many times and i started feeling that i would have lost but i still didn't loose hopes.
Waiting for few more hours.
At around 4.30 pm or so one of the HR came out again with yet another list and all people gathered around him with sharpest ears, eager to hear their names, he again announced 35/40 not selected and then announced 3 selected....
2nd was my name....!!!!!
I was thrilled, all the fatigued thoughts n hopes materialized! I ran back to him, asked did he take my name, just to confirm and yes indeed! God Thankyou, I was in halfway through where 1000 had lost! I had no idea what was kept in store further. All the selected candidates had to wait in the area where test was conducted few hours ago, there were only 10 guys waiting for their next rounds and I the only girl next to come in!
After few minutes passed by, one of the HR took us for telephonic round and a lady from Bangalore conducted them. Luckily I got through to the next round which was a PI round. The last round of the day for all those who were waiting. By then another girl came in who had cleared the test, we discussed IBM and all questions that could be asked. Some guys who had given their PI were informing what was happening inside. Some questions related to installing apps, OS, partitioning, formatting and other basic windows stuff and some about their project. I was getting tensed as the number of interviewees was reducing in number and my number coming closer, the heartbeats started racing faster.
The wait was finally over after half an hour or so, I was called in and some guy in his 30s was the one to take my last round of interview. Later i came to know that he was the First Line Manager in IBM.
as of today we never do any of those things which were asked relate to OS, formatting and etc.
I was quiet confident while answering all his questions, the tell me something about yourself, the background, Pune, the project, the IT field and after all that was over he started telling me about the job, passport and travel time, compensation! Was i selected? I was saying YES to everything he asked for under the word 'condition' and he said "the HR would give you a call, provided you are selected be ready with your passport!"
luckily i had applied for the passport just weeks ago..
And the interview was over, yes it was. Still astonished, i discussed with others waiting outside for their turn, they said, you are in don't worry but i wasn't so sure until i get the Offer letter in my hand. The day was over, all was done by evening. It was cold, breezy outside the building when i left all alone, no jacket to wear, walked all the way from ETZ to wipro circle around 7pm. I didn't even know bus route or any mode of transport that would drop me to my house but i was super excited of giving an interview in IBM! In that excitement, I boarded a wrong bus, got down at Chinchwad, chapekar chowk, walked till another bus stop and boarded bus for Bhosari and waited patiently for Alandi bus.
It was dark in the evening and no sign of Alandi bus, its risky to take lift from someone considered the lonely road ahead risky to take a jeep but what could i do, I had to reach home, my mother was so worried, she called me from neighbor's phone to check about me. Alas i got a bus after 20 minutes. I reached home safely, very late but safely. Home sweet home!
