Job hunting.....

is a pain.

I went to a job fair organized by an Indian outfit recruiting for jobs in India as well as here in the US. So I went to test the waters and see if something caught my eye.

At the registration desk, I was checked in and handed a badge with my name on it. I was asked to stick it on my shirt so recruiters could see my name. I walked in to the ball room hoping I wouldn't run into someone from my present employer - it's not a smart thing to let your company know that you are looking for a new job. Fortunately I did not. Or perhaps we just did a good job of avoiding each other.

There were about thirty employers who were hiring and they had tables set up all over the ball room. I had gotten there about an hour after the event started and already there were huge lines in front of the Microsoft and Google desks. Most employers though were looking for folks with hardware skills. There were only a handful looking for software professionals which was a disappointment.

I walked around the room trying to make myself comfortable and searching out companies that I was interested in. Having made a mental note, I went and stood in my first line of the evening.
It took me about 10 min to get to the head of the line and for my first handshake of the evening. I met an earnest looking guy clad in a suit and we went through my work history and experience. After a while, I got the feeling that the dude wasn't all that interested in what I was saying. Perhaps I was babbling too much. Anyway I passed out my resume of the evening.

The dude at the Accenture desk was however the most earnest guy I met the whole evening. He was polite to a fault. He didn't interrupt or cut me off while I spoke; just listened to me attentively till I finished. When you are used to being cut off and interrupted, this purposeful and diligent behavior can be off-putting. Again I got the distinct feeling that I had been long-winded or maybe chatty. Note to self: brevity is appreciated!

I left after an hour having passed out four or five resumes. Thank God, I didn't listen to the email from the event organizers who advised each attendee to get thirty copies. That would have been a total waste.

It's been a week since the event and I haven't gotten a call or an email yet. That of course is not a hopeful sign.