Standing in a snaking queue for hours at the job fair organised by Nitesh Rane was fruitful for many in need of a livelihood. MiD DAY's Chetna Yerunkar was one of the applicants. She shares her hands-on experience
Standing in a snaking queue for hours at the job fair organised by Nitesh Rane was fruitful for many in need of a livelihood. MiD DAY's Chetna Yerunkar was one of the applicants. She shares her hands-on experience
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It was worth the wait, I suppose. After all, I did get a job with a known bank as a sales executive with a monthly salary of Rs 8,500. Not bad for a college fresher.
Fruitful wait: After a two-hour wait, Chetna managed to secure a job
at ING Vysya Bank
My mission for the job started at 12.30 pm outside Kamgar Stadium in Elphinstone (West). After getting off at the station, I was walking along the side of the stadium but police officers had blocked that route, and asked me to cross the road and walk till the end of the flyover where there was a huge queue for female applicants. I found myself thinking that I should have come from Dadar.
Anyway, I walked all the way, and arrived at the queue. I stood there, with the sweltering sun overhead, for an hour and a half, as the queue inched forward slowly.
I was one of the many female applicants who were being pushed in through the entrance hurriedly by the guards. The security was tight; our bags were checked thoroughly before we were allowed entry. I got a numbered paper token. It said 7,269, the female applicant number.
When I finally got inside the stadium, it was 2 pm. I wanted water, but the sole stall offering mineral and saada water was too far away, and I wanted to save my breath.
I looked around. There were about 100 stalls from different companies on the fair grounds. It was up to the individual to choose a job from the stalls, which were exposed to applicants who stood in the line until they came upon the job of their choice.
Interviews were held on the spot. I went and applied in the ING VYSYA bank, for the post of a sales executive.
I expected it to be a field job but it turned out to be a sedentary one: I had to call people and fix up their meetings with the bank manager. Like I said, the salary offered, for a fresher like me, was not bad. Though, not great either, for my resume did mention that I was a commerce graduate. I'd say it was okay if you needed it.
The only thing that bothered me was the refreshments stall in a corner of the stadium. Those coming from far-off suburbs and districts could not grab a decent bite because the food was expensive - Rs 50 for a small plate of biryani is not something someone with a freshly-scored offer of Rs 8,500 a month can afford. But then there was vada pav for the likes of those.
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