How does Pathvio find the right career for me?

You share your background, skills and goals. Pathvio analyses that against real role requirements and India-specific market data, then shows you the paths that fit — along with the reasoning behind each one, so you can judge it yourself.

Can I change my career path later?

Yes. Your roadmap is not locked. You can re-run the analysis with new goals at any time, and the plan rebuilds around where you are now rather than where you started.

Is my data safe with Pathvio?

Your profile and documents are used only to generate your own guidance. They are never sold, and never shared with recruiters or employers without you explicitly choosing to.

Do you offer job guarantees?

No — and be sceptical of anyone who does. Pathvio gives you a clear plan, honest skill-gap analysis and interview preparation. The hiring decision stays with employers.

How long does it take to get my career blueprint?

The first version takes a couple of minutes. It gets sharper as you add detail about your experience and what you actually want next.

What if I need help during my journey?

The AI mentor is available whenever you are stuck, and your weekly plan breaks the roadmap into steps small enough to act on around a full-time job.

What is a notice period buyout in India?

A buyout is when you pay your current employer for the notice days you will not serve, so you can join a new employer sooner. The amount is defined by your employment contract — commonly calculated on basic salary or on fixed pay for the unserved days, though some contracts use full CTC, which is significantly more expensive. Many employers hiring you will reimburse a buyout, but this is a negotiated benefit and is not automatic.

Can my employer refuse to let me buy out my notice period?

Often yes. Buyout is usually framed in employment contracts as something the company may permit rather than something you are entitled to. If the clause says the company 'may, at its discretion, accept payment in lieu of notice', then it is a request, not a right. Whether it is granted in practice tends to depend on your team's workload and your manager, not on policy.

Is a 90-day notice period legal in India?

Notice periods are contractual and 90 days is common for mid and senior roles at Indian IT services companies. What the contract says generally governs, subject to the applicable Shops and Establishments Act of the state and, for some categories of worker, the Industrial Disputes Act. If you are disputing enforceability rather than negotiating it, that is a question for an employment lawyer and not for a blog post.

Should I tell a new employer my notice period is negotiable when it is not?

No. Joining dates get planned around what you tell them — headcount is held, projects are scheduled, and sometimes a backfill is declined. Discovering in week eight that you cannot join for another month damages the relationship before you start, and in some cases the offer is withdrawn. Say the contractual number, then say what you will attempt.

What happens to my unused leave when I resign?

Most Indian employers encash unused earned or privilege leave in the full and final settlement, subject to any cap in the policy on how many days can accrue or be encashed. Casual and sick leave are usually not encashable. Some employers allow you to offset leave against notice days instead of encashing it, which effectively shortens the notice you serve — ask explicitly, because it is rarely offered unprompted.

When should I resign relative to signing the new offer?

After the new offer is signed and any background verification you can complete has cleared, not before. Verbal offers are withdrawn more often than people expect, and a resignation is very hard to reverse. If your new employer needs a resignation date before releasing the formal offer, that is a signal worth questioning.

Do notice periods differ between IT services and product companies in India?

Longer notice periods are more common at larger IT services companies, where 60 to 90 days is typical for experienced hires, driven by the need to hand off client-facing work. Product companies and startups more often use 30 to 45 days, reflecting smaller teams and faster hiring cycles. This is a general pattern, not a rule — read your own contract rather than assuming it based on company type.

What is 'garden leave' and is it common in India?

Garden leave means you remain employed and paid but are required to stay away from work and sometimes barred from joining a competitor during that period. It appears far more often in senior, client-facing or IP-sensitive roles than in typical engineering contracts. If your appointment letter or a separate annexure mentions it, read the exact wording — it can functionally extend how long you must wait before starting elsewhere, even though you are being paid.

Can my employer withhold my full and final settlement over the notice period?

Employers commonly adjust the settlement for a shortfall in notice served, buyout owed, or unreturned company assets — that is a contractual deduction, not a withholding of your entire dues. A blanket refusal to release any settlement is a different and more serious situation. Either way, get the settlement statement in writing and reconcile it line by line against your contract before raising a dispute.

What Indian laws actually govern notice periods?

There is no single central statute — notice periods are primarily a matter of contract, sitting on top of the state-specific Shops and Establishments Act that applies to your employer's registered location, and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 for employees who qualify as 'workmen' under it (most software engineers and managers do not). This is background context, not legal advice for your specific situation; an employment lawyer is the right resource if you are disputing enforceability rather than negotiating within it.

Notice Period in India: Buyout, Negotiation and the Clauses That Bind You

Your notice period is set by your employment contract, and whether you can buy it out usually depends on a single discretionary sentence in that contract. Most people read that sentence for the first time on the day they resign, which is the worst possible moment to discover it says "may" rather than "shall".

This guide covers the mechanics — how buyouts are calculated, what to check before you resign, and how to give a new employer a joining date you can actually keep.

What is a notice period buyout?

A buyout is a payment you make to your current employer covering the notice days you will not serve, releasing you to join somewhere else sooner. The amount is whatever your contract defines, and the definition varies far more than people assume.

The critical variable is the base. A buyout calculated on basic salary for unserved days is a very different number from one calculated on full CTC, and both wordings are common. Check which one your contract uses before you promise anyone a joining date — the gap between them can easily be several lakhs on a 90-day notice.

"May, at the discretion of the Company"

If your buyout clause is worded this way, buyout is a request your employer can decline — not a right you can exercise. Plan your joining date around serving the full notice, and treat an accepted buyout as upside.

Which clauses actually decide what happens?

Six clauses, usually spread across an appointment letter, a leave policy and an annexure you signed on your first day. Find all three documents before you resign, not after.

Clause	Where it lives	What to ask
Notice period length	Usually in the appointment letter under "Termination" or "Separation"	Does it differ for resignation versus termination? Asymmetric clauses are common — 90 days from you, 30 from them.
Buyout / payment in lieu	Same section, often one sentence	Is it calculated on basic, fixed, or full CTC? The difference between basic and CTC can be three times the amount.
Discretion wording	Look for "may", "at the sole discretion of the Company"	If buyout is discretionary, you have no fallback if it is refused. Plan the joining date around the full notice.
Leave adjustment	Leave policy, sometimes a separate document	Can accrued leave offset notice days rather than being encashed? This is the cheapest way to shorten notice.
Garden leave	Termination section, or a separate confidentiality annexure	Can the company require you to stay away but remain employed? This blocks you from joining elsewhere even though you are not working.
Non-compete / non-solicit	Usually a separate annexure you signed on day one	Non-competes are generally difficult to enforce against employees in India, but non-solicit clauses on clients and colleagues are taken more seriously. Read what you actually signed.

How do you negotiate a shorter notice period?

Four levers, roughly in order of how often they work. None of them are guaranteed, and all of them work better before you have formally resigned.

Offset accrued leave against notice days

The cheapest option and the most often granted, because it costs the company nothing it had not already accrued. Frequently not offered unless you ask.

Offer a clean handover plan

Managers approve early releases for people who make the release painless. Bring a written handover doc and a named person to hand over to, before you ask.

Buy out the remaining days

Works when the contract permits it and the amount is defined on basic rather than CTC. Ask your new employer whether they reimburse — many do, but only if you raise it before signing.

Ask for a partial release

Serving 45 of 90 days is a much easier approval than serving none. A partial release is often available when a full waiver is not.

What joining date should you give a new employer?

Give the date that assumes you serve your full contractual notice, and tell them separately that you will attempt to shorten it. This is the opposite of what most candidates do, and it is the reason so many joining dates slip.

A date you beat is a good start. A date you miss means headcount was held, onboarding was scheduled and sometimes a backfill was declined — all on the strength of your estimate. The cost of being conservative is a few weeks; the cost of being optimistic is starting a job having already broken a commitment.

Before you resign: a short checklist

New offer signed, not verbal, and any background verification you can complete already cleared.
Appointment letter, leave policy and any annexures located and read — specifically the six clauses above.
Buyout base confirmed: basic, fixed or CTC.
Accrued leave balance confirmed in writing, and whether it can offset notice.
New employer asked, before signing, whether they reimburse a buyout.
Joining date given on the assumption of full notice.

Frequently asked questions

The clauses above sit in the same document as your compensation terms — our guide to reading an Indian offer letter walks through the rest of it. If you are still deciding what to move to rather than how to leave, start with how to answer the expected CTC question — the number you give there is what your notice negotiation is ultimately buying you.