NOIDA: What begin as a LinkedIn post seeking help for a recent engineering graduate has snowballed into a wider conversation about the fragile state of entry-level hiring in the technology sector.
Shailesh Misra, Director of Program Management at Adobe, recently turned to his professional network after his son’s campus placement offer was reportedly withdrawn as part of a broader revocation by a leading technology company. His request was simple: if anyone knew of software engineering openings, he would appreciate a referral.
But the post struck a nerve.
“My son, a Computer Engineering graduate from Thapar College, was among the impacted candidates after a leading tech company revoked all campus offers,” Misra wrote, adding that his son was now actively searching for a full-time software engineering role.
The appeal quickly gathered hundreds of reactions on LinkedIn before finding a much larger audience on X, where a screenshot of the post amassed hundreds of thousands of views. The discussion soon shifted from one graduate’s predicament to a much larger question: what happens when companies walk away from promises made to students?
For many graduates, campus placements are more than job offers, they are the bridge between university and professional life. Students often decline other opportunities, make career plans and enter their final months of study believing their future employment is secure. When those offers disappear, they are forced back into an increasingly competitive market with little warning.
The uncertainty became even more apparent in Misra’s replies to commenters. Responding to suggestions that the college should intervene, he said the institution could only formally take up the matter once the company issued an official communication regarding the withdrawal – a process he suggested had been delayed.
That left affected students in limbo, waiting for clarity while restarting their job searches.
The episode also highlighted the wider hiring slowdown across the industry. When one user questioned why Misra was not referring his son directly to Adobe, the executive responded that he would do so once suitable openings became available, a remark many interpreted as evidence of the cautious hiring environment across major technology firms.
As the story gained traction online, reactions ranged from sympathy to frustration.
Some professionals offered direct assistance, promising referrals and introductions. Others focused on the broader implications of companies withdrawing campus offers after recruitment drives have concluded.
One recurring sentiment was that the real issue was not the identity of the student’s father, but the fact that a confirmed opportunity had disappeared.
Several users argued that if the son of a senior executive at a global technology company was facing such challenges, it reflected the difficulties confronting thousands of graduates with far fewer professional connections.
However, not everyone agreed with the attention surrounding Misra’s role at Adobe. Responding to the growing discussion on X, he stressed that he had reached out as a parent rather than as a corporate executive.
“LinkedIn is a platform to reach one’s network and as a father I reached out to mine,” he wrote, adding that where he worked had nothing to do with his son’s career and that his son would earn opportunities on merit.
That response only broadened the conversation. While some debated the role of networking and referrals in modern hiring, others argued that referrals merely open doors and do not replace the rigorous technical interviews required for software engineering roles.
At the heart of the discussion, however, remained a deeper concern: trust.
For many observers, the story became a symbol of the uncertainty now surrounding graduate recruitment. In an industry once known for aggressively competing for young talent, students are increasingly finding that an offer letter may no longer guarantee a job.
What started as a father’s appeal for help ultimately evolved into a reflection of a tougher reality facing an entire generation of graduates, one where landing a job is difficult enough, but keeping a promised one may be the bigger challenge.
