The company rating has shot up from 2.6 to 4.4 in a matter of months (check the historical ratings). This is generally impossible for any company unless there was massive internal restructuring, especially of upper management. But that is not the case. This should be a red flag to you, dear reader. Consider the following points an honest review of what you can look forward to if you join.
- You sign a 2 year bond with penalty ranging up to several lakhs (seriously) for breaking it. This means you're at their mercy for this period and they can deny you raises, overwork you, etc and you can't get away.
- It is a family company with a large number of their relatives in various roles, creating an extreme amount of preferential treatment.
- You are not even allowed a phone inside, effectively cutting you off from friends and family 5 days a week (assuming they fail to coerce you to come on weekends). If you are family, you are allowed to carry your phone though (did I mention preferential treatment?)
- The systems are not connected to internet (they claim it's for security). But what that means for you is that your learning is significantly hampered and simple tasks can take hours. Good luck standing out in an interview for your next job since you learnt so little in your last.
- Ever heard of sandwich leave? Google it - trust me, it's worth it.
- The office is in an industrial area with no decent place to eat nearby. You can't order food (no phone, remember?) so your best bet is to suck it up to a family member who will order for you.
- The "you serve the Indian Army" statement they keep throwing around is a lie. Sales are often determined by contacts and backhanded deals, and not the merits of the product itself. Corruption is rampant.
- They can't get a stable head of software . Besides, the company suffers from massive attrition in software (since most people leave after 2 year bond). Compounded with the above point, most software projects involve everyone hacking something together to make it look presentable since no one really knows anything and management doesn't care. This is not what you should be learning as a fresher.
If this review kept you from joining in Zen Technologies, you dodged a bullet. For real. If you only knew what I saved you from, you'll name your first child after me.
