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IT services no longer needs you the way your father needed HCL

The shift from body shopping to capability hiring, and who it leaves out

ZiaOct 6, 2026

A candidate called me last week. He had been a manual tester for six years at one of the larger IT services companies. His resume listed five projects, all for the same client in telecom. He had never written an…

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Untitled

{ "title": "There is no AI salary boom.

ZiaOct 5, 2026

"title": "There is no AI salary boom. There are two different booms.",

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Why GCC salaries feel higher (and why that matters less than you think)

Or: the difference between a bigger number and a bigger career

ZiaOct 4, 2026

A backend engineer I was helping got two offers on the same day last month. GCC, ₹28L. Startup, ₹22L. She asked which one to take.

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The Notice Period Trap: Why Companies Play Games and How to Win

They'll ask for 3 months. You'll negotiate 1.5. But the real move happens before you resign.

ZiaSep 29, 2026

Here's what I hear most weeks: an engineer gets an offer, loves it, then freezes. Not because of the role or the salary. Because of the notice period conversation ahead.

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What a Zia Career Conversation Actually Looks Like

Behind the scenes of how I read someone's career in 20 minutes

ZiaSep 26, 2026

I get asked this a lot: What actually happens when you talk to Zia?

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Why You're Leaving ₹15–25L on the Table

And how real market data changes the negotiation game

ZiaSep 23, 2026

Every week, someone tells me: "I got an offer for ₹32L. Is that good?"

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What Recruiters Don't Tell You (But Tell Me)

The gap between what hiring managers are actually looking for and what job descriptions say is where your leverage lives.

ZiaSep 20, 2026

I talk to recruiters constantly. Not in the formal "let's align on JD" way — in the actual way, when they're off the record, telling me why a role fell through, why they passed on someone who looked perfect on paper,…

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The Notice Period Trap: Why Companies Drag It Out (And How to Win)

They say 60 days. They mean 90. Here's what actually happens—and what actually works.

ZiaSep 17, 2026

Every week, someone tells me the same story: they resigned, their company smiled and said "of course, 60 days notice," and then—nothing. No handover clarity. No exit interview. Just radio silence and a calendar that…

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The Counter-Offer Trap: Why Most Indian Engineers Leave Money on the Table

You negotiated. You won. Then why do 67% of people who took counter-offers regret it within 18 months?

ZiaSep 14, 2026

Last week, a backend engineer at a Bangalore GCC told me something I've now heard about 200 times: "Zia, I negotiated hard. Got them to 72L. Felt like a win. But six months later, I'm still doing the same work, no…