There are many options open for Satyamites

BANGALORE: Minutes after Ramalinga Raju���s resignation hit the headlines, employees of Satyam began looking to exit the company like mice on a sinking ship.

Vinay A (name changed) counted himself lucky that his cousin at an IT firm in Kenya let him in on an opening. ���However, a lot of my colleagues are really worried. Clients are pulling out of projects and we���re expecting aggressive downsizing by next month,��� he says. ���So people are looking for opportunities right away, but with the current slowdown, the hiring scenario looks bleak.���

However, there are companies that are hiring in the current scenario and depending on the job profile, one could land a job at companies like Tesco HSC. The company is looking to add around 1,200 people to its existing workforce of 3,000 plus. ���We would certainly be open to hiring anyone from Satyam.

The company is known to have some very high quality talent and we would certainly respect that,��� says Sandeep Dhar, CEO of Tesco HSC. ���We have seen a sharp increase in the number of resumes in the past few days from people from various companies , including Satyam.���

Headhunters say that IT companies like MicroSoft, IBM and Oracle are hiring, though this is primarily only in niche areas . ���Financial houses like J P Morgan and Fidelity and BPOs like FirstSource are hiring . Insurance companies like HDFC Standard Life, Max New York Life and ING Vysya Life are looking for sales managers ,��� said a top executive in an HR firm, who requested anonymity.

Opportunities are also present in lesser known companies , especially those in the SMB sector. ���We���re looking to increase our workforce from 160 plus to 250 in the next 12-15 months and we have noticed a sharp spurt in resumes from employees in Satyam on job portals,��� says Vani Sathvik, VP (HR) of Eka Software.

���We would certainly not discriminate against Satyam employees while hiring as the capability of an individual is unrelated to the deeds of the company���s ex-chairman .��� Headhunters say that for those with technical expertise, the tarnished Satyam brand name will not hamper opportunities.

���The good guys will still stand as good a chance in the job market as before the scandal. But it will be tough for those with no specialised skills to land a job, given that hiring is slow,��� says Pravin Tatavarti, MD of Allegis India, a hiring firm. HR experts advise that it���s best for Satyamites to stick to the company for some more time, instead of panicking, since Satyam might not downsize immediately.

���In the current context, those leaving Satyam should be prepared to take a salary cut. And while no company might want to admit it, those coming from Satyam will be subjected to extra scrutiny,��� says B S Murthy, CEO of Leadership Capital. ���While bottom and mid rung staff with technical expertise might be considered, leadership positions are not likely to open up for Satyam staff.���