This is a poem about my Recruitment struggles in 2022. Here is the content:

2022 was a pretty eventful year on the whole

There were a lot of ups and downs

And of course, twists and turns

However, as far as Recruitment was concerned

It was almost as barren

As the plains of the Rayalaseema region

There were a lot of mandates

With a variety of clients

Work kept coming, without any let up whatsoever

However, all the progress that was made

Couldn’t be translated into results

I don’t ever remember working as hard

As I did in 2022

Every day was a struggle

Especially as far as Investment Banking roles were concerned

But it was mostly in vain

Because, at the offer stage

The candidates would develop cold feet

And consequently back out

Sometimes, the client would mess up

Nevertheless, the fact remains

That I have drawn a blank

At least as far as the financial year is concerned

Whereas, with a teeny-weeny bit of luck

I might have had a few joinings

Because, there is a mandate

Which should have been closed long ago

But is still open, and inexplicably so

I have spent close to six months

Doing my very best

To try and close it

However, at the eleventh hour

The backout jinx would always strike

And this has happened five times

Moreover, every time a backout happened

The worst part would not be the backout by itself

But finding a suitable replacement

It is a small world indeed

Anyway, perhaps 2022 was destined

To be a year of bad luck

It is time for a fresh start

One good thing about 2022

Is that it has made me battle-hardened

To face whatever 2023 decides to throw at me

Because, as the oft-repeated cliché goes

“Failure is the stepping stone to success”