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TCS finally gives promotions in Ultimatix (2009)

correction:

It appears some have already got their promotion letters and for most getting a ITA promotion the change in Basic is Rs 1500 – Rs 2000 based on current salary. This has changed their Food coupons.

For those who havent received promotion letters : (update 3)

Dont lose heart, after speaking with HR it is learnt that there are two more batches which are pending with corporate HR due to various reasons.

Case 1 : Say if you arent eligible as of July 2008, but still if your PL has recommended for Promotions then it is still pending with coporate HR.

case 2 : Many of my friends who had got D band in 2007/2008 havent receieved letters, I believe their cases is also under review.

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Update 2:

For all those who were recomended but originally not eligible wil get their promotions or grade changes after corporate hr review by next week. And for those who got their promotions rejected will receive explanation letters.

A new promotion letter should be available by 31st and as others who commented in the forum this can also be viewed by searching under the people section and checking your designation.

This month salary wil reflect ur promotion/grade change.

Please let us know your experience, whether your VA got changed or any information about your promotion.

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TCS planning to restructure onsite Salary

TATA Consultancy Services is planning to restructure its onsite Salary Structure and it is most likely that higher grade employees will lose out their extra perks and benefits, though a total reduction in salary is not possible as per US Govt law the minimum wages should be 60,000 $ per annum.

The company is also trying to find ways to bring back of its onsite resources who have been spending way too long in financially lucrative locations, preventing any concept of rotation. There is thought in the lines of restricting promotions for employees who are in onsite for longer periods.

But it is learnt that this thought process is still in the early stages of conception and it may take few months before a solid decision is arrived.

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Do Sun/IBM certifications really help?

I recently happened to interview a candidate boasting of SCJP 5.0 (Sun Certified Java Programmer 5.0) and I asked her few basic questions in java regarding String and StringBuffer and she didn’t have a clue about it. She wasnt even aware of the basics in Java, but she said she had a score of 95 , and well I was shocked that shes got a better score than mine 🙂

Same thing happened with a candidate who had newly joined the company (though with 2+ years of experience) ,  and he boasted a SCJP and SCWCD , and still didnt have a clue with writing a JSP.

On the other hand I have been working with these technologies for quite  a few years and when I eventually took these certifications, I felt  confident that I can answer almost anything in any interview. But probably the interview panel who sees my certifications will treat me just like the above mentioned candidates, afterall passing these certifications (which require 70% to pass) doesnt guarantee anything.

It could be very well with the way you prepare for facing these exams, if you solemly try to learn the questions in the dumps by heart, you might end up with nothing but a paper which says you are certified, on the other hand if you thoroughly go through books and specifications it will make you a expert in the area. So its upto you to decide what you really want.

My conclusion is these certifications do help individuals taking  them in gaining valuable knowledge , but it doesnt really help employers to gauge a candidate.