Chennai,  With memes/jokes going the rounds on social media about the graduates who had passed out during the ‘Corona years -- 2020 and 2021 -- a recruitment advertisement by a leading private bank has come as a real shocker.

Curiously, the advertisement also shocked the private bank which had to do the firefight.

An advertisement for hiring branch sales officers in Tamil Nadu issued on behalf of HDFC Bank by its vendor had landed the former in a piquant situation.

The ad with HDFC Bank and its logo at the top and the slogan ‘We Understand your world' below it, announced walk-in interview for graduates who are less than 28 years of age.

The work locations mentioned were Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar. The ad also proclaimed that "2021 pass out candidates are not eligible".

"I don't think #hdfcbank ‘understand our world'. Look at the job eligibility. Farewell to all 2021 graduates," tweeted a person by the name of Ramachan Shimray.

When contacted for clarification, a spokesperson for HDFC Bank told IANS: "This is a typo and we regret the error. Graduates can apply irrespective of the year of passing as long as they meet the age criteria. We have already issued the corrected advertisement."

The bank interviewed several candidates on Tuesday, including many graduates who passed out in 2021.