Most students who graduate from academic institutions like the University of Texas in Austin do not think of applying for jobs based in India. But Joao Almeida took a different approach.
By Sananda Sahoo
Joao Almeida wanted to take a different path with his electrical engineering degree after obtaining it from the University of Texas in Austin.
So he went to India.
Infosys, a tech giant from India, set up a booth at a career fair while Mr Almeida was still at university, and he decided to interview. The IT firm became the first company from India to recruit directly from campuses in the United States.
Mr Almeida was among its first batch of recruits. He spent half-a-year, in 2006, at Infosys' campuses in Banglore and Mysore, and he was among a group of around 100 other students from the US who were hired to serve as liaisons between American clients and Indian developer teams.
"The chance to learn about a new culture and business model was enough to lure me," Mr Almeida, 28, said.
He also came away with some unexpected cultural lessons. One included understanding what is known as the "head nod".
"The head nod that looks like a 'no' - but really means 'yes'", said Mr Almeida. "It led to some interesting interactions between US trainees and Indian employees," he added.
As India's economy grows, the country's private sector is hiring foreign talent to add value to its job pool. Tech firms are among the leading recruiters.
But is the experience worth it for new graduates?
"I would recommend this type of experience for any new graduate looking for a somewhat different experience that will give him or her some global perspective," said Mr Almeida, from Georgetown University, where he is getting an MBA degree. "I came away knowing a lot more about the Indian culture than I did going in."
ssahoo@thenational.ae