Name: Arpana Chaudhary (*name changed on request)
Company/Sector: Architecture
Work experience: 6 years

Background:

I went to Dubai in November 2008 to work for a Hong Kong-based design firm. I was in talks with them since June 2008 and was delaying things because of the global economic slowdown. By September they had convinced me that the UAE was doing fine and the global crisis would not affect the gulf economies. I trusted them and left a very secure job in New Delhi to go to Dubai. Once there, I started working on one of Dubai's biggest builder group's projects. The new office was good. Work was good. My new colleagues from different nationalities were good. And the money was good too. Everything was going well and I was planning to call my family to Dubai, until the most unimaginable thing happened.

How I lost my job:

The Dubai market was on a downturn since the beginning of the last quarter of 2008, or maybe even before that (I got to know about it after going there). People had started losing their jobs in other architectural firms. Everyone in our office was being extra-cautious -- working till late and trying to look cheerful all the time. Even I worked very hard for a presentation, working on weekends and through the Eid holidays without a break. After the presentation, suddenly there was not much work to be done. Our biggest client (who had laid off over 500 of its staff) had asked us to freeze further work on their projects.

And then one fine day, my boss called me to his cabin and dropped the bomb on my head. I argued with him for over an hour. He said sorry a hundred times, but that didn't help me. My big dreams of living in the City of Gold were shattered. More than that, I had never imagined I would ever face such a situation in my career -- it hurts your ego bigtime. It's like somebody telling you that you're no good for work. But slowly, I understood. I was on probation so I had to leave on just one day's notice. I kept calm and said goodbye to everyone at the office. I gave flowers to my colleagues (and to my boss too) while bidding adieu. I started applying to various firms but everywhere, recruitments had been frozen.

Job hunt:

Luckily for me, our company's head in the Hong Kong office had liked my work very much and he offered me a position with his team in Hong Kong. I jumped at the idea and completed all the paperwork for my Hong Kong work visa. I was told that it would take 4 to 6 weeks' time. So I decided to come back to India and spend that time with my family. After 6 weeks, I got to know that my visa had been approved, but that the Hong Kong office had also started losing projects and they were facing a difficult time surviving in today's 'challenging' market. I was shocked and disheartened. I could not believe that a company would do such things with to an employee twice. They could have told me about this before, but I was given the excuse that they were hoping the market condition would improve by the time my visa was approved.

I was shattered. My family tells me that they noticed a very drastic change in my voice and body language the evening I found out. I caught fever that very day -- could not believe all this was happening to me -- could not sleep that night. But then, when I woke up the next morning, I thought about it. I thanked God for my family and my health. The worst was over.

I started applying to Indian offices immediately. That phase was the real test of my patience. There were very few jobs available and the responses had been fewer. I went for 2-3 interviews, fully prepared -- determined to outdo anyone and everyone else. Luckily, I landed a job soon enough and I was back to work without wasting much time.

Lessons learnt: