'Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted': Acid test of a govt job

Deferred exams, cancelled recruitment drives, delays in the declaration of results, and pending court cases are among the few hurdles students must cross to land their 'dream' jobs

“The posts have been cancelled due to administrative reasons. The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted....” reads the latest notice on the staff selection commission (SSC) website, informing Vasant Kumar and his friends of the cancellation of the five recruitment exams scheduled to be held in the coming month. 

Kumar, a 22-year-old ITI graduate hailing from Bihar, has been preparing for the past year to land a job as a drill operator in the Department of Water Resources. A fortnight ago, he was shocked at the notice, but not surprised.

“It’s nothing new. It’s good that it got cancelled so early.