Who’s the Boss!!

I was waiting for my turn in the Interview room. It was for a position in a big Marketing Agency. It seemed like a tough competition. For 2 positions there were around 25 people, who were shortlisted for the interview.

But quite strangely, most of them were coming out of the room looking dejected. It really scared me; I got up to take a glass of water. Just as I was wiping sweat from my face, a stocky looking person came closer to me, from the attire I could make out that he was a peon. “How badly do you want this job”, he sort of whispered in my ear. For once his voice was so convincing that I forgot that he wasn’t the GM of the company but just a peon, “It’s do or die, yaar”...I replied promptly.

“There’s no free lunch, Sir”, he came to the point. “One thousand”, he almost gave me the order. With just few minutes left to my turn, I couldn’t think much and handed him 10 green papers. (I felt a little ashamed, looking at Gandhiji on the Rs 100 notes, but thought he also wanted to help me!).

“Go to the receptionist and tell her, “Gandhi has ten heads”. I did the same. To my surprise, she smiled at me and asked for my resume. She put a star mark at the top of the resume and whispered at me, “First month’s salary”. For a moment I thought, she was my wife asking for my salary; but I controlled myself and said, “Its fine”. She wrote some code word on top of the resume and sent it in.

“Karan, come in”, It was my turn. I went inside and there was a middle aged HR lady sitting on the other side of table. She asked me some “Lollypop questions” about myself and my goals in life and in the end, came “the question”. Are you okay with the conditions? “Conditions..!” I almost asked in anticipation. The ones Mary told u, at the reception. She sounded like a high school headmaster, to whom you only say “Yes Ma’am, I agree”.” Okay we will get back to you by tomorrow; be prepared to join by next month”.

I got the confirmation call the very next day, with the offer letter. Friends called for a party, which I was so willing to give. “So how did you crack it Man”, asked Raj as he finished his 1st beer. “Bas Yaar, I was just too good for them”, I claimed proudly. “Acha, who selected you, there” asked Ravi. I just paused for a moment and said, “It was the Peon”!!