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The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.

Hop [p] ing for the best!

Imran Shahnawaz
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Imran Shahnawaz
Job-hopping as an issue has been at the center stage in the volatile IT industry. Increased opportunities and rocketing pay has added to trouble and the trend of job-hopping has reached alarming proportions, causing problems for both the consultants and the industry.

High attrition rates are seen not only in junior levels but also in middle and senior levels. The trend of no-shows or quitting the company within a few months of joining has become very frequent and everyone complaints and yet have no suggestion.

Two years ago, Sanjit Singh Saluja stepped into the IT industry through Wipro, Mumbai, as a software programmer. The stint lasted for six months and Saluja jumped to Hyderabad based TNS India, where he now holds the position of Team Lead. “I believe my market value has gone up, so why not to cash in on it,” says Saluja proudly.

According to consultants, reasons for job-hops vary depending on the position (junior, mid and senior level) that one holds. Junior level software professionals swap jobs mainly for monetary benefits. Technology and non-software work are other reasons why they jump. Mid level professionals, who most experts say are a confused lot, switch jobs either because they work for small companies or are responsible for executing low-end work. Money is a third priority for them. For senior level professionals money is not a dominant factor. They are keen on the type of work and technology they handle.

The perceptions of turnover amongst software professionals and HR mangers differ substantially. HR professionals believe that people at all the three levels switch due to seven reasons-money, onsite opportunities, higher studies, shortage of people, technology, peer pressure and personal reasons. A research conducted by Dr. Nandkishore Rathi, a former professor of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and now with Oracle India, shows that there is a significant perception gap between what HR professionals think and what software professionals feel regarding reasons for someone to leave a job. [See illustration]


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