An employment racket thriving in the national capital

Ho Jayega, sir, Chinta Mat Karo (Don’t you worry, things will work out) is something that you hear often at placement agencies that dot New Delhi.

Sometime in May I created a profile for myself on Naukri.com. I was looking for a content writer’s job after completing a course in Mass Communication. Within hours my phone was ringing. Some suggested that I would have to take a test. Others said I could just walk in for an interview. But all of them were reassuring. Yes, jobs were there and my profile matched.

What is your preferred location? How much is the salary do you expect? Ah, so you don’t have any special skill? That’s fine. We will find you a job in the NCR region with a monthly salary of ₹20,000. Is that alright with you?

You bet, it is, I wanted to scream. Great, the lady on the other side of the phone told me. Please reach our office, pay a registration fee and come prepared for a job interview.

On the appointed day, I reached the office at Jhandewalan. The second-floor office in Sewak House appeared deserted but for a man wearing fancy earrings. I explained that I had received a message from Simran for an interview. He asked for the registration fee, filled up a form and led me to a cubicle where a young woman in a bright, yellow T-shirt sat with an Iphone-5 on the table.

Hi, she said brightly, “I am Bhoomi”. She asked for my CV, gave a perfunctory look before asking me to say ‘something’ about myself. My CV mentioned clearly that I had done a course in English Journalism. But as I started talking, she abruptly asked, “Do you know what is BPO, KPO, LP, In-bound call or Out-bound call ?”

I shook my head. No Ma’am, I have never heard these terms before.

She appeared to have overlooked my reply and seemed to be in a hurry to end the interview. “Ok, Vikas, we have a job for you with a salary between Rs 9 and 15 thousand, depending on your performance. Are you happy with it ?”

That’s great. Come for a one-day training that will cost you a fees of one thousand Rupees. And you can join the next Monday.

The next placement agency I visited had an office in Block M in Connaught Place. This was a more bustling office with three young women in three adjacent cubicles interviewing job seekers, all of whom seemed to be boys. There were also a bunch of well-built young men who looked like bouncers. Their primary duty seemed to discourage visitors from talking to each other. While waiting for my turn, I saw an agitated boy arguing with one of the women, complaining that though he had completed the training, he had still not been hired. But before the lady could pacify him, one of the bouncers whisked him away.

I was again interviewed by a slim, young woman dressed in black. She mechanically asked for my CV and then questioned whether I had any experience or if I was a fresher. Know anything about MS Word, Excel or Powerpoint? When I explained that I did, she seemed relieved.

“We can hire you as a Data Entry Operator for a salary of ₹15,000 a month. You have cleared the first round of the interview. If you clear the second round of the interview, we will send you for training first,” she declared. She also collected Rs 500 from me for clearing the first round of interview.

I couldn’t believe my luck. Getting a job looked like a breeze. The second round of the interview involved calling a number given to me. When the call was picked up by, yes, a soft-spoken woman, I was asked to give the code, GTS.

This time it was Neha who received the call. She too asked me to talk about myself but before I finished telling her that I had graduated in Economics before…she interrupted me to ask if I had applied for ‘Voice’ or ‘Non-Voice’. Without thinking, I replied, ‘Non-voice’.

Next, I was asked to say something about my family. While I was at it, she asked me to stay on line and not hang up. She would check how I fared. Around 15 seconds later, her breathless voice was back. Congratulations, you are selected. Please collect the training information from the office.

I was given a letter with an address, where I would have to pay one thousand Rupees in cash, I was told.

Most of the offices and training centres, I found, are close to Metro stations, possibly to allow unemployed youth to reach without spending too much on commuting. Talk of small mercies !

For the training I was to reach a school on the main Najafgarh Road, close to Uttam Nagar East Metro Station.

This time getting inside was more difficult. Show the receipt given to you at the interview, demanded a man at the entrance. I was not carrying it. “Then show me the message we sent you for the interview,” he said sternly. After satisfying himself that I had the message on my phone, he allowed me in.

It was an elaborate affair at the registration desk here. Documents had to be produced. Proof of birth, address, educational qualifications, photographs etc and, most important, the thousand Rupees. Once the formalities were over, I was handed over a certificate from Career Help Solutions.

To my shock, it certified that I, Vikas Kumar, had completed Call Centre Training Domestic/International conducted by World Learning Institute. Huh? I had just reached there.

I was then led to a classroom where I chose to sit on the last bench.

Our job would be to sell a company’s anti-virus software to both Indians and foreigners. After a short presentation on technicalities, the trainer began telling us about incentives and how to make more money.

It was an amazing experience. Why would a foreigner buy your software because international companies already supply many at reasonable rates ? So, you need to manipulate them. Call them after a thorough study of their facebook profile, collect information, hack their computer, send virus to affect their computers ; and then call them. This time, he said with a smirk, the foreigner would be more likely to accept your terms.

Most of the gullible youngsters who are being fleeced are from rural areas, youngsters who have cleared their XII exam but are desperate for jobs, unable to continue their studies for whatever reason.

Sadly, there is no check on this rampant racket.

To be concluded