Choosing the right company

As a candidate, you attend a lot of interviews and as a result, tend to have quite a lot of offers in hand. But before choosing one among them, there are quite a lot of things to be considered. You may be looking for a change for a variety of reasons like monetary hikes, different role, escape from a management you consider sucks, etc.

Check with the people working in the company about the company, its work style etc. Ask a few questions to the interviewer during the interview or to the people after the interview. The question can be: 

1. What do the company specialize in. 

2. Why would he/she want you to work for them instead of his/her company’s competition.

3. What will you be your role and responsibility in the company if you take up the offer.

You would need to know about the average intelligence of the people working in the company and how they find the work. This is more important than it appears to be. Always people tend to grow in a company where the average intelligence of the people working around them is a little higher than them. They are into a challenge where they are supposed to perform better, thereby getting a chance to improve oneself. Also ensure that the intelligence is not too high, because you will find left out in a race between the rabbit and the tortoise. Find a company where the challenges will appear realistic.

Ensure that the company work offers you a good work-life balance. “All work and no play” is not what you expect. You must find your job fits in properly in your life. (I say, your job should fit into your life, not your life into your job). Everyone wants to work for a living and not live to work. This should be taken into consideration while making the decision. All companies say that they work from  9 am and 6 pm and their employees stretch if necessary. What if the stretch is on everyday. Then you tend to lose interest soon, tired and wanting a change. Talk to people in the company and in the project that you will be allocated to and make the decision. The company should be flexible enough on the timing, to accomodate your needs.

A good company provides its employees the best environment to work in. A clean and nice looking workplace is one that brings the mood set for any developer to start work. A separate cabin, comfy chairs and a powerful system is what everyone expects. These are the things that make you look forward to working. Ability to express ideas, easy people and a feeling that your voice is heard in the management is what makes one to continue with any company.

Lasty, a good compensation. Money is one thing which drives people, but it is not the ultimate goal. You tend to be first attracted towards a company by the salary they offer, but it is not the only thing that will sustain your interest. So keep monetary gains as the last reason when choosing a company. What if, they pay you lots and you are supposed work 16 hours. What is the use of earning, when you have no time to enjoy?

So decide wisely! So that you don’t start regretting the decision after joining!

In the hot seat… in IPL, Chennai

One more post on IPL!

I was there in Stadium to watch the match live! Chennai Vs Mumbai. The match was slated to start at 8 pm IST. I and my friends, we were all in at 6 pm itself. The crowd was swinging to Hariharan’s songs. He ended with his ‘Krishna nee…’ from Colonial Cousins album. Then came the ambassador for Chennai Super Kings, Actor Vijay. He was received with a standing ovation.

Then there was a half an hour show of drumming. Who else can drum than ‘Sivamani’. He was rocking. We danced to his tunes! It was a nice show. After this the match started. Hayden and Raina slammed the balls for fours and sixes. It was raining scores in Chennai. For each four and between overs, Sivamani had his drums on and had the cheer leaders dancing. It was great to watch the match live among the crowd. The crowds started the Mexican wave as usual, cheering the players.

Nayanthara was missing as usual. Very close as Mumbai finished 6 runs short of the target. Altogether it was a nice experience

What’s it about IPL?

IPL. If you are in India, you should have recognized this word by now. Everyone speaks about it. It has been the headlines for a week now. What is so special about IPL? Let me try to figure it out.

• In IPL, the players are not playing for the country. So there is no must-win situtation.
• Cricket is being seen as a game, entertainment sport rather than as a war between the teams.
• It is the shortest version of the game. Must similar to street cricket to which each and every kid in India can associate to.
• It provides a place where you can see Ponting (Australia) providing tips to Ishant (India) on how to bowl.
• It crosses all boundaries and lifts the spirit of the game.
• It has also brought Sharukh, Preity, Karan and all into the game to add value.
• It has provided BCCI, the stadiums, the local cricket board, ad-sponsers with more revenue.

What more can one ask for a complete entertainment. Enjoy watching cricket! Enjoy the stars!

IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

The big gala event of Cricket started yesterday in Bangalore. Lalit Modi (Chairman IPL) and Vijay Mallya (RCB Owner, UB group) must have been happy with how the crowd responded. There was a grand cultural extravaganza before the actual ‘Karmayudh’ started.

Surely, there was glamour, high decibel scream brought in by the dancing girls, acrobatics, Shankar Mahadevan, bollywood stars and King Khan himself. The crowd should have enjoyed a lot.

IPL had a theme for each team. Bangalore was all Red (Why doubt, KingFisher man), and my favourite team for this IPL, Kolkatta were truely attired as Kinght Riders in Black and Gold. Even the helmet was Golden colour. After all the cultural openings faded, the match started.

Ganguly collapsed for 10 and Ponting for 20. Then came McCollum. He made a massive 158* runs consuming just 78 balls. An innings expected out of Twenty20. There was great cheering for each six he sent out to the gathering. What more could Sharukh ask for.

Then came the RCB innings, though the local crowd expected a lot, the first blow itself showed what was in store. Ishant Sharma took the first wicket of Dravid in his very first ball. Deadly! and the story continued. Nice game play by KKR and the match was theirs.

Every news channel, screams the head lines. IPL, IPL, IPL. Just tune in now, you could read something on any news channel about IPL, exclusive interviews …. Indeed Cricket is India’s National Game. We have it in our mind and in our blood.

Indian Premiere League

India – though not the land where Cricket was born; has unofficially become the capital of Cricket. This is the land where cricket is closely debated to religion. Cricket is one thing that brings all the people in India together. People here criticize, celebrate, worship cricket and cricketers. We have a lot of cricketing icons in India. I feel proud when my team wins; and I get upset when Team India loses. This is one feeling common to many people here in India, though we have some few people who love the game over the team.

A cricketer in India earns more money than any other in the world. ‘If Cricket is religion, then Sachin is God’, ‘Dada is the best’ are some slogans that keep reverberating in every nook and corner of India. Such is the status of a cricketer. They also suffer a lot in the hands of the public when they fail to deliver. Why not! when there is such a huge following, it is the duty of the leaders to deliver. And if the game is against India, then it is not a game; IT IS WAR.

Each cricketer endorses a brand and earn a lot. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is one of the largest money making boards in the World. To add to this craze, Indian Premiere League has been started. A move to have large corporations to run business with cricket.

It is more like the English county, but a lot bigger in terms of money. I like the idea of having county like cricket in India, and corporations involved in promoting the game further, but should it mean the players need to be auctioned? A price for the head and skill, won’t that spoil the spirit of the game? What would Gilchirst think about his talent? Is he not a better player than Dhoni or Symonds. Is it not creating inequality between members of the same team.

Why not pay everyone the same amount of money within the teams. Why not distinguish with  the prize money for the winning teams? Won’t that be a better solution to create better cricketers?  Just a thought!

Republic Day!

26th January 2007 – India celebrated its 59th year of Republic. I was not in the city but in my town neyveli.

It is traditional in neyveli that during the independence day and republic days, the Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD) hoists the national flag at our stadium. Following this is accepts the parade honor. This is followed by felicitating people who made significant contributions to the growth of Neyveli Lignite Corporation. After this there are cultural events (drills – as we call it there) performed by school kids. With the announcement of the winner of the cultural events and the singing of the Tamil Thai Vazhthu, the programme is complete.

I went this year to the stadium after 5 years (all these 5 years i was in my college and last year i was in chennai) to attend the Republic day parade. It brought back old memories of my school days when i used to go with my friends. None of my friends turned up this year for that and i was all alone completely lost in thoughts. It was not quite interesting to watch the events as it used to be in my childhood. We used to fight over whose school will win the first prize and we boo and encourage each others school. That was missing. I have lost that childhood innocence.

When I came back home at 9 a.m., the republic day celebrations were being telecast on NDTV. I just spent the rest of the day  sitting before the TV and watching all the programmes being telecast.

NDTV Indian of the Year program was worth a watch.

Long live Indian Republic! Long live our Heros who got us it!