R2I Job Hunting from the US

[r2i2010bang]

I plan to R2I to Bangalore in the next few months. I want to return back with a good job offer in hand.

I have 13+ yrs exp majority of which is in the US. Looking for Engineering Management roles in Product development companies.

1) Posted my resume at monsterindia.com, naukri.com etc. Got lots of emails from recruiters who ask for your latest resume, CTC, expected CTC, time to join but do not follow up. Some recruiters called me for specific positions and even landed me an interview. But realized this route is very slow.

2) Browsed job openings on my target companies web sites. Started networking with friends and sent my resume to contacts working in those companies and asked them to forward internally to the hiring manager. But havent got any interview calls yet after 3 weeks.

Typically, how long do companies take to get back to you if they are interested ?

I believe many companies outsource hiring to recruiters. So even you send the resume directly to the HR person, it gets sent to their recruiter.

Any other tips to speed up the hunt will be appreciated.

[KirKS]

Typically, how long do companies take to get back to you if they are interested ?

I believe many companies outsource hiring to recruiters. So even you send the resume directly to the HR person, it gets sent to their recruiter.
Any other tips to speed up the hunt will be appreciated.

Hopefully some of these tips would help you. Had written earlier for someone else looking for job from US.
http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/entry.php/285-India-Job-Search-Branding-Mode-Flavors-and-Tips

Good luck!

[mkitvp]

I am in the same boat with you there except I started my search back in Feb L I got almost 18 yrs (11+ yrs here in US). So many email responses with similar questions but very few calls. Ideally, don?t want to quit my current job and move back without an offer In hand. Not sure whether the delay is due to my skill set (or non skill set J) as I am in to IT mgmt for the past 8 yrs (with a Fortune 10 IT Company) here and looking for Sr. mgmt positions in South India. Any case planning to pursue the same root (Naukri, Monster etc.)

BTW, any help on my search will be appreciated. I am ok with any city (ideally South part of India)

I plan to R2I to Bangalore in the next few months. I want to return back with a good job offer in hand.

I have 13+ yrs exp majority of which is in the US. Looking for Engineering Management roles in Product development companies.

1) Posted my resume at monsterindia.com, naukri.com etc. Got lots of emails from recruiters who ask for your latest resume, CTC, expected CTC, time to join but do not follow up. Some recruiters called me for specific positions and even landed me an interview. But realized this route is very slow.

2) Browsed job openings on my target companies web sites. Started networking with friends and sent my resume to contacts working in those companies and asked them to forward internally to the hiring manager. But havent got any interview calls yet after 3 weeks.

Typically, how long do companies take to get back to you if they are interested ?

I believe many companies outsource hiring to recruiters. So even you send the resume directly to the HR person, it gets sent to their recruiter.

Any other tips to speed up the hunt will be appreciated.

[gurusw]

#3, I would say you have superb resume for Indian market. Doesn't your company have operations in India?

On a different note, if one decides to pack bags and go back, it should not take more than 6 months to find a job. At least that's what is said many times on this forum. Btw has anyone tried to take contract job in India at all? These jobs should be easier to get. Do they pay well? I realize that no one is going to offer you contractor job when you are in US. But if it's easy to get these jobs once in India, at least there is no fear of being jobless for number of months after landing in India.

[KirKS]

On a different note, if one decides to pack bags and go back, it should not take more than 6 months to find a job. At least that's what is said many times on this forum. Btw has anyone tried to take contract job in India at all? These jobs should be easier to get. Do they pay well? I realize that no one is going to offer you contractor job when you are in US. But if it's easy to get these jobs once in India, at least there is no fear of being jobless for number of months after landing in India.

I inquired about contract jobs with a few search firms sometime back. The standard response across the board was that this may be a good option if you are into hands on technical coding/testing job. I know someone who has worked with HP, Wipro, Infy kind of big names over the period of 12 years or so. She has moved from one contract to other and making handsome money.

Of course, once you get to management positions, it's very hard to find contract positions. When I say hard, I mean without credible contacts who have been with you or seen you closely. So when trying from US, it would be much harder to land a contract position.. that's my guess.

[mkitvp]

Thank you. Yes they have big presence in India (as it's global) but my position or similar mgmt positions are not available there at this time. May come in the future but don't want to wait till that. Never thought about contracting though..
BTW, like someone else mentioned before, I have almost become an addict of this forum lately.. :))

#3, I would say you have superb resume for Indian market. Doesn't your company have operations in India?

On a different note, if one decides to pack bags and go back, it should not take more than 6 months to find a job. At least that's what is said many times on this forum. Btw has anyone tried to take contract job in India at all? These jobs should be easier to get. Do they pay well? I realize that no one is going to offer you contractor job when you are in US. But if it's easy to get these jobs once in India, at least there is no fear of being jobless for number of months after landing in India.

[krishnak]

While I think it is definitely easier with the logistics if you go to India and interview, most of us in the US find this to be a little difficult (I mean - leaving current job for a few weeks ago going to India for job search alone is quite a challenge, and probably not too effective).

I have been trying since February/March as well - and I have around 15 years experience. I have landed a few interviews both from applications to job sites and through peer networking, but nothing has yet translated to an offer. In fact - in 1 company - I did 2 interviews, and the recruiter said - "I am not sure where to go from here" - since they didn't want to pay for me to come from an interview, and I was not ready to go before being further along the process. In hindsight, I think I would have gone if I could have arranged a couple of other interviews...so could have bought time.

I never responded to any email from Naukri or other recruiter who says "Dear xxx ... Please respond with your expected CTC etc.". Go ahead and delete them immediately - if there is nothing specific about their email where they say why your resume interested them, it is obviously a broad mailing list.

I would say - Don't lose heart. Remember - we are probably looking for mid-senior level positions. Companies usually move slowly on those (2-4 months) unless there is a dire need. It really comes down to 2-3 things:
1. What is it that distinguishes you from someone they can already find in India?
2. What is the urgency of their requirement?
3. What is your commitment to go back i.e. why do you want to go now and the urgency.

The answer to #1 needn't be anything extraordinary. It can be anything that makes you catch the eye of the hiring manager - including reference from a person from that company.

For #3, I would say that when you are desperate and start turning things up a notch by actively looking for a job - by doing a combination of all techniques - networking, jobsites, company web-sites, talking to your relatives etc...something somewhere will
click.

Above, all - have trust and faith in GOD.I think if the time is not right - you will not get it. I have seen people that did not even want to go back, suddenly get fabulous offers out of the blue and they decided to go back for good, or on a temporary basis. It's never happened to me! :) But doesn't mean it won't happen to you.

Regards,
Krishna

[KRT]

One approach is to plan a short trip to India about two months in the future and mention that to your contacts/recruiters. This may help you move from phone interview to face-to-face interview stage. If you have zero interviews scheduled as the date of the trip approaches, you can either postpone the trip or just visit India thinking of it as a personal trip. Recruiters are usually happy to interview you if they don't have to pay for the trip, assuming there is some initial interest. I have used this approach to find jobs in a different city within US.

[MakarandKashikar]

Hi, I am in the same boat. I started looking in early Feb 2010. I thought by May I would have something. I17 years IT experience mostly in Finance and Capital Markets. I posted my resume on Naukri.com in Feb. Guess what next morning I get the first call for XYZ company. And I started wondering if I started too soon. But that same position took about 2 months and I finally hear without no interview that the person is travelling and not-responsive to not just my resume but in general. After that I got calls and also talked to HR people. In most cases for senior roles they expect you to handle anywhere between 50-200 or 500 people. Which of course I expect. I have managed a peak team size of 25 people in India in 1998. Peak size of 12 in US and 10 offshore (so 22 in US). Recruiters insist their client expects to see minimum 30 people handled. I had to let a few positions go just cause of this - which I find a little ridiculous. I told them when I say 12 people in US, they are really senior minimum 10 years experience - unlike in India where a lot of them would be our of college or 3-4 years experience. Story is I am still looking and now at a stage where I am sending my family ahead. As someone said, I cant leave the job here and go. Once in India and learn the game there, I might even find something in 4-5 months. But again affordability is not an issue. The gap in experience will also become another -ve point on resume which you have to explain wherever you go. Even with 4-5 years of senior IT development management experience, I am thinking if I should get a formal PMP to add more value - personally I believe experience matters more than a formal certificate - but if thats what is needed, I might take it up. Its little frustrating at this stage.

[r2i2010bang]

Thanks to the recommendations from KirKs - http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/entry.php/285-India-Job-Search-Branding-Mode-Flavors-and-Tips
Very useful

Another thing I learned is not to use one generic resume that has all your experience crammed into it.
Modify your resume to highlight the items very specific to each position you are applying to. Its more work to maintain many copies of resume, but gives you a better chance at landing interviews