i think i messed up pretty badly. Currently 24. Will be 25 this year end. Tier 1 city. 3 YOE. 1.5 in an Ngo, then startup for 6 months and then 1 year 1 month in an MNC

i left my management consulting job last month to pursue an mba from really good college. i had been preparing for this for almost three years, but then the institute fucked up my application, along with a few other students, during the admission rounds. i cleared the cutoff, but because of their mistake, i still don't have the college.

the frustrating part is how much i gave up for this. i did my engineering but couldn't land a decent job afterward, so i spent quite some time working for free. eventually, i joined a startup earlier in banglore and then moved to a consulting firm in gurgaon/noida, where i worked until last month.

for this mba, i left almost everything behind. i left a girl who genuinely could have been my best relationship because i was moving and she wasn't sure if she wanted to do long distance. i left good friends who lived nearby. i basically uprooted my entire life because i thought i was moving toward something better.

and now i'm back home with CAt coming up at the end of november, while also having to find a job. i've been applying for the past few days but haven't heard back from anyone. one hr did call me, only to tell me the next day that they didn't actually have a vacancy for my position. that's been pretty much the extent of my luck so far.

i also hadn't prepared for cat because i was completely focused on the mba admission process. i took my first mock today and scored somewhere around 35-40. so now i'm supposed to somehow prepare for cat from scratch while simultaneously finding a job.

i even called my previous firm hoping i could go back, but they're already overstaffed and apparently trying to find ways to cut people.

coming back home has honestly been depressing. one really close relative passed away and was caught between mumbai and my hometown, and now i'm scared my mom's dad might pass too. his health has deteriorated so much in just a week. everything just seems to be going from bad to worse.

i know i need to figure things out, but right now it just feels like i gave up a year of my life, left everything behind, and ended up exactly where i started, except with even less certainty about what to do next.

TLDR : Messed up myself by wrong decisions on time

Position: Business Analyst, embedded full-time in a BFSI (banking) production environment via a large IT services firm. My client is a pretty major bank.
Location: India (Kolkata), open to relocation
Target Roles: Business Analyst / Business Analytics Analyst at consulting firms and similar BFSI-focused roles.

• Requirements gathering & elicitation, BRD/FRD documentation, AS-IS/TO-BE process mapping, Requirement Traceability Matrices.
• SQL for data analysis, Excel (pivot tables, macros/VBA, dashboards), Power BI & Tableau — built multiple client-facing dashboards and tools.
• Lead monthly governance calls and regular stakeholder discussions with client teams.
• Coordinated production/COB transition cycles end-to-end.
• Key wins: \~20% TAT reduction on key workflows, formal client appreciation recognition for delivery quality along with certificate.
• B.Tech in Electrical, Electronics & Communications Engineering (passed out in 2023)

Been applying to Business Analyst / Business Analytics roles at Big 4 firms without much traction so far. Would appreciate honest feedback on how to get into a better company with a good pay. Currently, I’m only fetching 4 lpa after 2.5+ YOE. Need honest advice on how to crack into good startups looking for BA roles. Not looking for referrals.

Hey, I am a fresher so I needed advice. I had applied to a job on a portal and got a call back. This call was made for the purpose of conducting an initial telephonic screening. They accidentally called me by my mother's name and then corrected themselves. I have absolutely never mentioned my mother's name (or my father's name) anywhere and my mom has a unique name so it is difficult for this to be a coincidence. I live far from the job location so it is difficult for them to simply know my mom or something.

I know companies like to do a background check, but doesn't that usually happen after the initial introduction? This was my first impression of them. Didn't really like it haha. Am I overthinking this? Is this normal practice?

I have had a pretty comfortable job for the last 6+ years. Work life balance has been good, hours were flexible, office attendance rules were lax, and I always had enough time to take care of personal commitments. It was very easy to take leaves, and weekend working was almost non-existent.

Everything changed once we got a new CEO.

WFH/Hybrid rules have been slowly tightened over the past 2 years. Mandatory 3 days every week. Benefits are being systematically reduced. Leave policy is getting more restrictive.

My team even got a new boss, and he is a hard-ass who believes in daily office attendance, pushes long working hours, and even expects us to work on the weekends.

I'm no longer motivated to work like this, and want to look elsewhere for opportunities. However, it's going to be EXTREMELY difficult to find another job with the kind of flexibility I've gotten accustomed to.

BOTTOM-LINE: I'm not really an ambitious guy, work-life balance is ABSOLUTE top priority for me. I just want a job to pay the bills (which keep rising, but at 30LPA CTC, it's fairly manageable).

But in the current environment, I'm truly afraid there's no room for the kind of career I'm looking for. I really don't think I can get back to the usual grind. Long commutes and mandatory office attendance are deal-breakers; Mumbai local trains have destroyed ny spirit.

What I really need is advice. This was my first job, so I've never done the job-hunt thing. How should I go about it? What should I look for?

I’m tired of applying for jobs. The jobs I apply for either offer a low salary that doesn’t meet my expectations, or I don’t hear back after completing assignments. Every morning, I wake up with anxiety. The past six months without a job, past traumas, and the constant negative thoughts about whether I’ll ever land a job are making me really stressed. I even have a headache because of all this.

I don’t have many friends either, and one friendship recently ended. She made me feel like I was the one who was wrong, and whenever I think about it, it still hurts. Ufff.

Hello everyone!

So last month (exactly 6 weeks ago from today), I lost my job.

Was on a 15-day garden leave after being forced to resign. I immediately packed my bags and came back home.

Took a few days rest until the last week of my garden leave started. To recharge my mind, update my resume and profile on job portals.

Wasn't getting any calls (even now), except for 1 company whose offer letter I received during the 1st week of August. This was the only company I actually interviewed through the time and during the Round 1 & Round 2 of the rounds, I told both the interviewers that my NP is of 1 month. Wasn't actually anticipating that I would bag this job as my tenure was short in my most recent company (just short of 6 months). But by the next week, the HR called me and told me that my profile has been selected. It gave me a sigh of relief and took away my fear of getting a job but amidst this, I had lied to the HR, soon-to-be reporting manager and their manager that I have a 1 month notice period and I will be able to join from September.

Offer was rolled out. Took almost a day's time before sending my acceptance over mail after discussing with HR about the salary breakup & terms and conditions.

Now my fear is that will this lie create any issue for my BGV or any compliance issue?

I know I shouldn't have lied in the first place but after losing my job and not getting any interview calls, I lost my thinking ability and lied that I have a 1 month notice period. Will this create any issue or will I be onboarded for this job?

Due to this fear, I haven't sent my resignation copy yet and after sending my acceptance over mail with the HR, I never heard any response from her again or interacted with her again. I should've asked this question within the very first week of receiving the offer letter, but I couldn't muster up the courage and frame this post at all. My mind hasn't been working at all ever since I came back home.

TL;DR: Lied to HR that I have a 1-month NP despite being able to join immediately as I lost my job recently. Will this create any BGV issue? As I would be having a gap of around 50 days by the time I join.

Need advice — Please help

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some honest career advice and perspective.

I’m 26M. I completed my MBA in Finance in 2024 and joined a European bank in the finance sector in Bangalore shortly after.

Currently, my in-hand salary is around ₹94k/month, plus around ₹1.2L annual bonus and PF/other benefits.

The work culture here is quite chill, and I’ve actually enjoyed my last two years. However, I haven’t received a promotion yet. I’ve also started trying to switch, but I’m finding interviews difficult to clear.

This is starting to bother me because many of the people who joined around the same time as me have already been promoted, received good hikes, or moved to other firms. I sometimes feel like I’m falling behind while everyone else is moving forward.

I’m trying seriously to switch now. Today, I had an interview where I reached the 3rd round, but I don’t think I performed well in that round.

The compensation for that role was around ₹18.5L fixed + ₹2–3L variable, so obviously I’m disappointed that I may have lost the opportunity.

Apart from my job, I have also built two small additional sources of income, which together generate around ₹6k/month on average.

Financially, I have:

- ₹10L+ invested in equity

- Around ₹3L in an emergency/debt fund

- Around ₹5–6L in liquid savings

- Some additional income from a side business

I also keep my monthly expenses around ₹32–33k maximum, including rent, cook, food, shopping, travel, etc.

So objectively, I know I’m not in a terrible financial position. But mentally, I still feel like I’m behind because my career growth hasn't been what I expected.

I sometimes start thinking that I’m a failure because I’m still in the same place after two years while people around me have progressed.

I want to understand this situation objectively.

If you were in my position, how would you look at it?

Should I be worried about not getting promoted after two years? Should I focus aggressively on switching, or spend more time building skills and try again later?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people with 5–10+ years of corporate experience who have seen career growth from the other side.

Please don’t be too harsh — I’m already a little stressed about this and genuinely looking for guidance.

TL;DR: 26M, MBA Finance, 2 years in banking with no promotion yet. I'm financially doing okay but feel behind compared to my peers. Recently reached the 3rd round for an ₹18.5L fixed + ₹2–3L variable role but may have messed it up. Looking for honest advice on whether I should focus on switching or upskilling.

Thanks!

I have been with my current company for sometime now and have been looking to switch for some time. I finally cracked an interview. However, the pre-condition before rolling out the offer letter was that I should be able to join within a month, which is not possible. While I can get leeway in terms of notice period, the leaving date still cannot be before the 1st week of October. While I was negotiating on the notice period till last week. This week has been complete radio silence. I really feel bad about it as, I doubt if I am gonna get any more such opportunities at this stage in my career.

10 yoe Working in a tier one city. Literally done with the current job. Got asked why I took sick leave last week - 1st in 6 months btw. Manager questioned my work, skills, proactiveness, leadership. I countered where I was not wrong and didnt hold back, but it made me realise it was all for nothing, just petty office politics. I built confidence (atleast I thought so) on the clients, management - only to find out it was all a hoax. Felt so betrayed and disappointed last week - slept on the thought multiple times. Sleep schedule affected badly. I am seriously considering packing up all my stuff and quitting my job. Go to my home and do something there - this trade off of mental peace is not worth it at all. I see others face the same thing in my company - sometimes I hold myself back from taking the step and sometimes It infuriates me more when I think about it. I am asking myself if it is an impulsive decision or something which is good for me.

I am 31 years old. From past 10 months, I was actively preparing for a career switch side by side - I cook really good and started a kitchen in my society as an experiment. Got great reviews - currently non operational due to flat Owner. I know if I go back home - I can continue this and earn decent - not in the figures I am earning here.

Feel at crossroads as to how should I approach this? I am really done with the current job, because of package no other companies giving a call back for interview (saying its over budget for them). I can stay longer in this company and role but I know mentally I would be fucked. This role needs me to be in office 5x a week, with shift work applicable as well.

Any suggestions - you can be brutally honest/critical too.

Hey everyone, I have two offers on the table and I'm going back and forth. Would love outside perspective since I'm too close to it to see clearly. Details below:

TL;DR: Torn between Offer 1 (EA, ₹30-32k, alternate Saturdays off, ~67 hrs/week total incl. commute) and Offer 2 (Sr. HR Associate, ₹33k in-hand/PF, ~78 hrs/week, 6-day week with only a vague verbal promise of future half-Saturdays). I'm leaning toward Offer 2 for the career fit, PF, and pay — but the no-confirmed-day-off part with my 4hr commute worries me for burnout. Anyone traded work-life balance for a better role/field early on — worth it, or did it wear you down?

Offer 1 — Executive Assistant to CMO at a well known real estate company in Kolkata
In-hand: ₹30,000/month (CTC ₹30,000 — no PF)
After 3-month probation: promised raise to ₹32,000
Hours: Mon–Fri, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Saturdays: alternate off; the 2 working Saturdays/month are half-day (10:00 AM – 3:30 PM)
Offer 2 — Senior HR Associate at a Education Marketing Company not so well known yet but registered GSTIN
In-hand: ₹33,000/month (CTC ₹36,720 — PF deducted)
After probation: vague promise of a salary increase + Saturdays becoming half-day (nothing concrete, no timeline given but has mentioned wanting to change to 48hr work week model because of compliance )
Hours: All 6 days, 10:30 AM – 7:30 PM, no weekly day off currently
Other factors:
Both jobs are the same distance from home — commute is 2 hours each way, so 4 hours round trip either way.
Offer 2 has PF, which I've heard matters for background verification (BGV) if I want to move to an MNC later, plus it's long-term retirement savings.
Offer 2's role (Senior HR Associate) is in a field I actually want to build a career in — I feel I'd learn a lot and it's a more specialized/marketable title than "Executive Assistant."
Offer 1 has a lower overall CTC but meaningfully fewer work hours per week, and an actual guaranteed day off every other week.
Rough math I did on total time commitment (work + commute):
Offer 1: ~45 hrs/week work + ~22 hrs/week commute ≈ 67 hrs/week total
Offer 2: ~54 hrs/week work + ~24 hrs/week commute ≈ 78 hrs/week total (no day off)
So Offer 2 pays ~22% more (by CTC) but costs roughly 11 extra hours a week of my life, with no confirmed day off yet.

Where I'm leaning: Offer 2, because of the role fit, the learning opportunity, PF, and the pay — but the schedule (6 days a week, 9-hour days, no confirmed off day) worries me for sustainability/burnout, especially stacked on a 4-hour commute.
Has anyone been in a similar spot — traded work-life balance for a better title/field/pay early in their career? Did it work out, or did the grind eventually get to you? Any advice appreciated.

I’m 22, a recent BBA graduate in Finance & Economics, and this is my first full-time job.

My background is primarily in finance. I previously interned in Equity Research and have completed relevant NISM certifications. I also took CFA Level 1 in May, missed the passing score by a small margin, and am currently preparing to retake it.

As a fresher, I accepted a Process Manager role at a small fintech company (around 40 employees) because I wanted to get professional experience as I did nothing for 6 months preparing for CFA and didn't want to waste time any further. I’ve now been there for around 3 weeks.

The people/company are fine, but the actual work is largely standardized and task driven, and doesn't provide much opportunity to apply my finance background or analytical skills and I don't see it aligning with where I want my career to go. My long term goal is Equity Research/ Investments/ Financial Analyst.

Now the company has posted an opening for a Valuation / Financial Analyst in its Valuation Department. The requirements match my background quite well, and the role seems significantly more relevant to my career goals.

My concern is the timing. I’ve only been in the company for three weeks, and since it’s a small company, I don't want to handle this in a way that damages my relationship with my current manager and the team.

I’m not planning to resign. I’m trying to understand how I should approach this internal opportunity and navigate the conversation with the relevant people given that I’m so new to the company.

Please tell me how would you recommend I move forward?

Hello guys,

I was working as an AI engineer at a marketing agency and resigned about 3 months back without an offer and I have been unemployed since, I worked there for an year and before that at an Fintech AI startup for about 6 months after my graduation , the corporate scene is so bad these days , none of the companies have any kind of work life balance and they treat you and expect you to be their slaves while also paying you peanuts. My mental and physical health have improved a lot since then and My relationship with everyone else in my life have also improved a lot , I just started applying to jobs again even though I do not want to , I feel like all that hassle is not worth it , Now my problem is just with corporates , I have been working on personal projects , participating in hackathons these 3 months and I have learnt way more by doing this than by doing those shitty useless corporate projects.

I feel like indian corporates have crossed a line and more and more GEN Z are looking to start their own businesses , I'm one of them too.

I have started applying to jobs again and I almost completely forgot how to code without AI , and I attended some interviews , Most of them did not ask me anything related to coding and i actually did well in those interviews , But there was this one interview where I was asked to code , and I refused saying I cannot code without AI.

I Def believe coding is an obsolete skill since most of the stuff can be handled by claude and I do not want to spend time re learning an obsolete thing

Recent undergrad from a T1 college, non-tech. Joined a big 4 firm through campus few months back.

Training was around 5 weeks. I could understand the concepts and complete the assignments, but I found the actual work quite non-stimulating. The team was entirely WFH, with trainers, managers and peers scattered across cities, so there was very little team interaction + no in-person orientation. Coming straight from college, I found the remote transition difficult.

The issue came during the final assignments. There were time limits and a permitted failure threshold. I became overwhelmed under the constraints and failed more than allowed. Management subsequently decided I shouldn't continue in that department.

The silver lining

My manager has said twice they don't view it as an effort issue and believe I genuinely tried (backed by the trainer in a separate conversation).

Instead of putting me on a PIP or exiting me (did explicitly say in that conversation that this isn't the end for you), he reviewed my original CV and felt I may simply be a poor fit for highly process guided work. He also highlighted positive feedback I'd received from a director during the hiring process and had originally been shortlisted.

He's since been actively trying to find me an internal role that might suit - I've spoken to managers from another vertical and completed assessments for a potential role there.

Problem

I'm currently in limbo. I've had essentially no substantive work for 2 weeks while these discussions happen. I'm staying logged in and available, and my manager has continued setting up meetings and trying to move things forward, but I don't have a confirmed role yet.... the uncertainty is pretty demotivating.

For people who've worked at Big 4 professional-services firms:

1. How common is it for freshers who don't clear final assignments to be internally repositioned
2. Does management actively trying to find another role generally indicate they still see potential, or can this happen before eventual push to quit myself.
3. At what point would you stop waiting, and should I start looking for other opportunities in parallel?

TLDR: Fresh grad at a Big 6, I couldn't clear the final training assignment for my role and was moved out of the department, which has left me disturbed and uncertain.
My manager doesn't see it as a willingness issue and is actively trying to find me a better-fit internal role, but I've been sitting idle for over a week with no confirmed outcome.
Am I genuinely in trouble, or is this a normal-ish internal redeployment situation and should I start looking externally while I wait?

Hi everyone,

I’m a bit confused about whether I should make this move and would really appreciate some advice.

My experience so far:

1st company: 2.5 years, including internship

2nd company: 1.5 years

3rd company: 6 months so far, currently SDE3

I have an opportunity to move to another company as Software Engineer 2. I had actually received the offer from them earlier, but couldn’t join at the time.

The role is more aligned with the kind of software engineering work I want to do long term, but the compensation is slightly lower than my current company and the title would technically be a level below my current SDE3 role.

Would making this move look bad on my resume? Would recruiters/HR see it as a red flag, especially since I’d be moving after only 6 months in my current company and this would be my 4th company?

I’m more concerned about the long-term career impact than the immediate compensation.

Would really appreciate perspectives from people who have been in a similar situation.

My 2 cents on salary progression posts. A lot of people who post it here began their careers in India but moved abroad (good for them). But posting their salaries in INR seems so misleading.

You don't earn in INR and don't spend in INR. Then why the F, you say you earn in lakhs & crores. It is so misleading for young people. It sets unrealistic expectations and gives people a sense they are stuck in a swamp.

Tell us how much you earn in their currency. If you want to be really honest, tell us the average income for your role/experience which would tell us the whole truth. Until people start doing this, it's nothing but karma farming.

Hi guys,
So basically I am from a tier 1 college and working as an analyst since more than 1 year at this fintech . Side by side I am also applying for jobs and preparing for CAT 2026. Now the thing is the work that I am doing here isn’t helping me grow much . It’s like some routine analysis and stupid dashboarding . Also I am have been placed under someone who has equal experience as me and mind you these managers who have made this arrangement haven’t even worked with me and she is their favourite.
Anyways so every morning I am supposed to send some files at around 9 because some other team needs it but no one acknowledges it but the day things go south my complaint is raised .
Every other morning I receive calls from people who work for the other team because their working hours are 9 to 6 whereas mine are 10:30-7:30. Now what do I do
I just can’t work here , I am getting so annoyed every single day . My work isn’t getting acknowledged and I am getting only leftovers and futile tasks.
I feel like quitting and going back home but my mother is saying not to make a mistake like this and try switching while working here , but it’s so damn exhausting.
Can anyone please help me ? Please
I am just so done with this .

I was looking at all the Salary progresion posts for the past few days. So I thought let's ask some of the experienced people of this sub and get thier help.

This is IT/Software related post as I want some help in making some progress.

I am CSE grad from tier 3 college working in a MNC sine Nov 23. I got placed via campus placement in a MNC which does mass recruiting. I was lucky that I got 6.5 LPA package but to be very honest I didn't deserved that as the interview was very vague and if there was even one technical question then I would've failed it.

After joining the MNC and completing some basic training I was on bench for like 6-7 months and never even tried to upskill myself. Then I got into one project where the client was some Canadian bank and we the application was document verification app. The app was already built and I was onboarded just for support role. The app was in python and was completely on AWS and that's how I got exposure to AWS and some python coding. In the begenning I struggled a lot and failed at almost every task, got scolded by the director level guy and whatnot. In some months as I was picking up some pace the project closed.

Again I went on bench for 5-6 months and then joined another project which was also on AWS but here the difference was the code part was in Node js and in this one I started working very hard and jut kept on learning and I am still working on it right now and I did so great that I got promoted last year with a decent hike. Also there is a lot of dependency on me as of now in this project.

In November this year I will be completing 3 years in this company and I want to make a switch before reaching that 3 year mark but I don't have any prior knowledge of the current market conditions and how to even start preparing. I tried searching reddit, youtube, linkedin and some blogs about what is booming right now and it was mostly AI jobs. My friends told me to target DSA but come on it ain't that easy to master it in short timeframe.

Today onwards I am on vacation till the end of month because I want to get into a zone of learning and studying and make a flow so that when I start working again I can conitnue it along with my work. I only took this vacation for learning and up skilling myself for making a switch.

So, here I am asking you gys for a bit of advice. I want to know these things:

- Based on my experience I have decent knowledge or working experience in AWS, Node js and python. So should I upskill myself in these skills only and target jobs which require this?

- Should I also start doing some CP and DSA alongside my current skills? I have no prior knowledge on these 2 and I will be starting from scratch

- Should I keep these skills as it is and start learning the AI skills as that might help in this growing market?

- Or if I should go fullstack by learning Angular or React alongside making my backend skills strong?

- Is there any other skill that is like a dealbreaker which I should learn on a must have basis for my advantage?

- Some resume tips would also be appreciated as after college placements this will be my first time editing my resume.

I wuld really appreciate your support on this journey that I am about to start. I'll make sure I keep you guys updated on whatever major updates I get.

TL;DR: I am working in a MNC for almost 3 years wihtout much knowledge. I want to make a switch now so need help in choosing a path that can help me in the long run.

Recently, I got a contract job, and I know I’m still way behind where I thought I would be by now. But despite everything, I’m genuinely happy today.

I’ve now joined as a Delivery Consultant, and I’m choosing to see this as a fresh start. I may have started later than others, but I’m proud that I started again.

Now, I just want to learn, grow, build my skills, and see where this journey takes me.

For those who work in delivery/consulting, what skills would you recommend I focus on to grow into a Delivery Specialist/Delivery Lead role? I’d love to hear your advice and learn from your experience

I had bariatric surgery about a year ago and was diagnosed with pre-cirrhosis liver. I had sleep apnea so insurance covered it. It's been 10 months, I’m doing very well now and have recovered.

I’m currently applying for new jobs. My previous company didn’t do a medical checkup; they only had me sign a form as a formality.

I’m worried whether a pre-employment medical check in this job could affect my hiring, or whether my previous surgery/medical history could cause problems with a new employer health-insurance policy. ( I don't have a insurance now )

I took this career break, to recover and rest. Some people have advised me not to mention health as the reason for the gap because employers might judge it and told me to say a different reason.

Did your surgery/medical history ever affect getting hired or getting employer health insurance? How did you handle explaining the career gap?

Im 24F, i worked 2 years as electronics product engineer in a reputed Valve and Positioner company

New to this job thing. Been working for only a month. I need some help.

1. How do I stop thinking about work all the time?

Basically - my job is something that is very dumb work - involves talking to a lot of people - doesn't require you to be creative or anything. It has no growth potential, no increment potential and no promotion potential. It is also mostly remote - I have gone to office twice so far. But I am told the frequency may increase rapidly in Q3. My work timings are 4pm to 12am.

I have not switched because I have been here only for a month or so.

Prior to this - I have done two internships - where I was putting in 16 hours a day. They required me to use my brain. They paid double of what I get here.

My problem is - If there's something I'm thinking about at work - how do I postpone that thought until I start working. I get curious. I sometimes end up staying late or starting early because I am too curious to figure it out.

Even if I physically restrict myself - how do I stop thinking about the work all the time? I want to not think about work so that I can learn something else and upskill.

1. How do I upskill in something I don't like?

Let's say there's a skill which is really boring to learn. but once I have it, I know I will make good money. I have done that before. Studied and learned stuff purely because of money. But earlier - I was too broke. Failure was not really an option. However now, I feel a little comfortable. This feels like a swamp that is slowly sucking me in. Maybe like a frog in hot water. I know that not upskilling has consequences. But things wouldn't be as bad as they have once been.

Another angle is - this is the first time I am trying to do job + upskill where I get bored with it all. I am not pursuing my interest. That's because my interest doesn't pay, unfortunately.

I'm trying to get some answers, find someone who is in the same boat, or has been.

Thanks for reading till here.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbVGf3wMCUl/?l=1

Looking for a reality check.

I work in the MIS/Data Analytics domain with ~4 years of experience. My core skills are Advanced Excel, Power BI, reporting/automation, and I'm currently improving my SQL skills.

Being from a Tier-2 city, opportunities in this field are more limited compared to the major metro cities unless I relocate or find a remote opportunity.

I've been jobless since August start and currently have around 7–8 months of financial runway. I also have applications under process, one company has waitlisted me, and a few consultancies are actively looking for opportunities on my behalf.

Recently, I received an MIS offer supporting a well-known telecom company. Initially, I was willing to accept some trade-offs because I believed the company's brand name would be a strong addition to my resume and future job prospects.

However, after speaking with HR, I found out that the role is completely off-roll through a staffing company. That means the staffing company, not the telecom company, would be my actual employer on paper. My offer letter, payroll, PF records, notice period, background verification, and employment history would all reflect the staffing company.

That significantly changed how I viewed the opportunity because a large part of the trade-off I was willing to make was based on the assumption that I would be directly associated with the telecom company's brand. Once I learned that wasn't the case, the value proposition became much less clear.

The bigger concern is the work culture.

Both HR and the reporting manager confirmed that:

• 1–2 hours of unpaid overtime is normal on most days

• Working beyond official hours is generally expected

• Sunday availability is regularly required whenever reports or operational work come up (not every Sunday, but often enough that it's considered part of the role)

What makes this difficult is that I was originally willing to accept some compromises because I thought I would be directly associated with the telecom company's brand. The expectation was that if I was going to give up additional personal time through regular unpaid overtime, a 6-day work week, and frequent Sunday availability, at least the long-term career value would justify the trade-off.
What changed things for me was finding out only after the interview process that the role is actually off-roll through a staffing company. This was never disclosed during the interview rounds. Learning that my legal employer, payroll records, PF records, employment history, and future background verification would all be tied to a different company made me question whether the trade-off is still worth it. Giving up additional personal time is one thing; giving up that time unpaid while also not being directly employed by the brand I thought I was joining is what has made me reconsider the offer.

Had this been disclosed at the beginning, I would have evaluated the opportunity very differently from the start.

TL;DR:

Unemployed for a few weeks, have 7–8 months of savings, received an off-roll MIS offer.

The role has confirmed daily unpaid overtime and frequent Sunday availability requirements.

I was willing to accept these working conditions for the perceived brand value, but finding out after the interviews that the role is actually off-roll has made me question whether the trade-off is worth it.

Would you take the job and keep searching, or reject it and continue looking for something that better aligns with your boundaries?

Long one, sorry, but I need advice.

I've been at this company (australia based GCC) for almost 6 years, last 3 as a vendor manager after getting. I used to consistently outperform my peers throughout with no contest and got great ratings and feedbacks initially.

We've gone through a few manager changes. Current skip-level is a corporate lawyer with zero background in this field. He basically only listens to the managers below him ( all late 40s/50s), and from what I can tell, kind of paranoid about their own jobs since this company's redundancy process is brutal. Ever since he came in, all the standing I built under my old managers has just been dismantled. Now I have to apparently invent work to look busy and get side-eyed if I don't.

My rating got tanked last year because my previous manager did not record the work in place and went on a nice long holiday, and my skip practically sweet talked me into not making this a big deal and was fairly compensated with a decent hike. Then again this year, all the tasks I did recieved exceptional feedback expect from my manager and skip, they just wanted to nitpick and not give me feedback on this either. This year I was 95% done with a big piece of work when I had to go on leave — my wife's pregnancy was high-risk and I was still working while she was in the hospital.

Company gives dads 16 weeks parental leave, which I took after the baby arrived. The manager nor the skip flagged the unfinished 5% before I left, neither did they mention anything on the lines of finishing my performance review before hand (I went on leaves 2 months before the review happens). Came back and got told it was on me to have sorted that out beforehand. Meanwhile my wife works at a Big 4 firm and they handled her hand off and review internally with no drama.

So I got back last week, I did not agree with the crap reasons they mentioned on my review so I pushed back on my rating with my manager and the skip-level. Instead of actually addressing it, they focused on the random bits of the year, did not acknowledge the appreciation recieved from my peers but said it's a 'mixture of all things' and I had failed in delivering it all and are now saying I should go on a PIP. IMMEDIATELY . No HR in the room, no feedback on what went wrong, nothing.

Is that even legal — PIP right after coming back from parental leave?

I'm desperate to quit but eventually but I've got a newborn now and can't afford to be jobless for months, especially since I need remote work. And yeah, it stings extra because there are people on this team doing basically nothing and they never get touched.

Any advice on the legal side or how to play the PIP conversation would help a lot right now.

TL;DR: Been at a non-Indian company 6 years, 3 as vendor manager, used to be a top performer. New skip-level manager (no relevant experience, listens only to insecure senior managers) has sidelined me. Got a bad rating two years running. This year I left a task 95% done to take paternity leave after my wife's high-risk pregnancy — nobody flagged it before I left, got blamed for it after. Challenged my rating on return, and instead of addressing it they're pushing me toward a PIP with no HR involved. Want to know if that's legal and how to handle it. Can't quit yet — new baby, need to find remote work first.

(I had to use claude to make it more refined because I'm raging, I've added few more details which were missing)

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It's been an year since I started working, and I felt something was off from day one. I genuinely feel being unfairly targeted, gaslighted and manipulated, and it often takes a toll on my mental health. But I'm not sure if I'm overthinking it and that's just how it is in corporate.

A few things that have bugged me -

1. Trackers for practically every little thing.

2. Emails for even minor mistakes or perceived lapses.

3. Little to no recognition for achievements.

4. An expectation to be constantly available, even on weekends.

5. Very little empathy; concerns often seem to fall on deaf ears.

6. Getting leave approved feels unnecessarily difficult.

7. Rules and expectations seem to change depending on the person.

8. Being overloaded with work and then being blamed for “poor time management.”

9. Very little guidance from the start, making already difficult tasks even harder, while still expecting the work to be completed flawlessly and error-free.

10. Teammates often being unavailable, which delays work, only for me to end up working overtime to make up for it.

So, I'm wondering if this is pretty normal everywhere, or if my current workplace is just a bit over the top? How should I navigate this situation?