Career Today: Best Jobs; Ask Tarun!!!

Arun Maira, Chairman and Director, Boston Consulting Group, lists the critical success factors for a start-up.

The most important factor needed if a start-up is to succeed is the right chief executive. For a start-up, you need a leader who is an entrepreneur at heart, with loads of passion for the core idea. Simultaneously, he must have the ability to scale-up the organisation. Often, a CEO does not have the executional abilities needed to build his start-up. In such cases, the CEO needs to recognise his shortcomings and hire competent managers. Further, a start-up team needs 'full learners'-people who are open to continuous learning. A start-up is not just about having an idea and then putting money into it. It is about creating an organisation.

Create the environment:
A start-up has to be innovative, and for that the internal environment has to be creative. In many cases, the top management asks the employees in a start-up to be innovative, even while putting pressure on them to be consistent and play safe. This confuses the team, and impacts performance. This is a dilemma that can be sorted out if the CEO adopts a creative approach, and is able to draw a fine line between innovation and reliability.

Zero in on the right areas:
Choice of the industry is most critical for the continued success and maturity of a start-up. The obvious ones are retailing and new-technology businesses like it and pharmaceuticals. A host of services based on community activities, education, and leisure are likely to come up, offering great start-up opportunities.

CEO; UAE-based white goods transnational; Dubai; Post-graduate in management; 20 years experience with three years on an equivalent level; age 40-50 years; The Concept, 67, White Hall, 143, August Kranti Marg, Kemps Corner, next to Shalimar Hotel, Mumbai-36;
e-mail: concept@bom3.vsnl.net.in

CEO; Marketing firm and customer service provider; Mumbai; Graduate, MBA marketing; 10 years experience; IFCM Counsellors, 721, Tardeo Air Conditioned Market, Mumbai-34;
e-mail: ifcm@homeindia.com

CTO; US-based company; Chennai, Bangalore, & Hyderabad; 15 years experience; Netresourz, 117/B, G.N. Chetty Road, T. Nagar, Chennai-17;
e-mail: chennai@netresourz.com

Head (Technology); New Delhi; Graduate/MCA/BE; 8-10 years experience; Ross D'Silva & Associates, Management Consultants; C-192, Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi-17;
e-mail: rjdsilva@netkracker.com

V-P (Software Development); Software export house; Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad; Engineer (Electrical/Electronics) with MBA; 35-45 years; The Concept, 67, White Hall, 143, August Kranti Marg, Kemp Corner, Mumbai-36;
e-mail: concept@bom3.vsnl.net.in

Director (Technical); Asia/Pacific; BE/MS in CS/EE; two years experience; Virus Technology Pvt Ltd, 36, New Mandakini Enclave (NRI Complex), GK-4, New Delhi-59; Fax: 3730189;
e-mail: careers@virustechnologies.net; web: virustechnologies.net

Director (Technical Mktg); US; BE/MS in CE/EE; two years relevant experience; Virus Technology Pvt Ltd, 36, New Mandakini Enclave (NRI Complex), GK-4, New Delhi-59; Fax: 3730189;
e-mail: careers@virustechnologies.net.

Investment Manager; Financial services company; CFA/MBA/CA; Five years experience; P.O Box-21, Ruwi, Postal Code 112; Sultanate of Oman;
e-mail vijayk@ssbahwan.com

Jobwatch

Start-ups may start up your career! For it is the organisational life-cycle that often determines the premium that a specific skill or a set of competencies command at a particular time and at a certain level. Firms in the start-up stage pay far more for specialised skills and knowledge since they are critical to their success. Besides, no qualified and experienced professional would join a start-up unless offered a hefty risk-premium.

Usually, an organisation can be described as a start-up between its inception and about three years of its existence. Typically, start-ups are characterised by a high degree of ambiguity, a relative absence of structure or hierarchy, and, at times, irregular supply of resources such as capital. Further, there always is a risk of failure. But as most start-ups are in sunrise industry sectors like software, insurance, and healthcare, the chances of hitting pay dirt are also equally high. While the uncertainty factor may not make a start-up an easy career option, it could be a very rewarding one, provided you choose the right company and have the right basket of skills.

Want to join a start-up, or better still, lead one? Check out the list of dos, before you sign on the dotted line.

First and foremost, start-ups demand a high level of energy and a can-do attitude. They often have to sidestep roadblocks-legal, financial, or people-related, not to mention the problems linked with creating product and market categories. A certain amount of positive energy, perseverance, and even stamina is required, to break through these entry barriers. And of course, long hours are mandatory.

A start-up artist needs the ability to handle ambiguity, change, and fluctuating fortunes. If you are not comfortable with handling changes, or have a problem with flattened hierarchies, you would be better off in steady-state organisations.

Most start-ups need a mix of critical functional and generic skills. Translated, this means focused expertise in your own functional area, along with the ability to switch roles. It is not unusual for the hr person to oversee a portfolio like infotech in a start-up, or the CEO to handle corporate affairs.

Start-ups usually have small teams. Strong inter-personal skills are needed to make the most of such teams and propel the company forward.

Infotech
The new-age infotech economy makes this an evergreen sector for start-ups.

Dotcoms
Despite gloomy predictions of stockmarket gurus, the internet space is likely to throw up a range of job opportunities in the years to come.

Insurance
The sector has just opened up, attracting a host of blue-chip foreign and domestic players.

Healthcare
Health is wealth in career terms as well, judging by the number of new entrants here.

Shooting Star
The star is gone! Mahendra Swarup, the high-profile hr Head of PepsiCo India (Pepsi), who had a fair chance of stepping into CEO P.M. 'Suman' Sinha's shoes, could be leaving the environs of the peppy beverage company. Swarup is reported to be looking at a bevy of offers. Already, there is buzz about Swarup joining the media behemoth Bennett, Coleman & Co as the head of all its non-print businesses. His job is expected to be strongly focused on the internet interests of the media conglomerate. Swarup also has a long-standing offer from Pepsi to join its global headquarters in New York, but he is reportedly not too keen on the assignment. Known for his strong operational skills, Swarup would probably make a good CEO-a transition not many hr functionaries can make easily. But his departure would be a loss to the hr fraternity, not to mention Pepsi itself. Perhaps his dil mange more...

Joining In Haste
He is a man in a hurry, or should we say jaldi? R.K. Caprihan, who headed marketing of scooter-major LML, and later played a critical part in consolidating the Samsung brand as the transnational's Deputy Managing Director, has quit to start his own thing some time back. Which, in his case, was windows2shop.com, an e-commerce venture offering a multi-brand choice in consumer electronics segments as well as unbiased product reviews. Now, he is the newly-anointed CEO of e-tailer Jaldi.com, which took over his company. The earlier incumbent, Rajiv Puri, left three months ago. Given the state b2c sites are in, it will take all his marketing acumen gained over 30-odd years in business to make Jaldi a success. Faint-hearted he is not, our Mr Caprihan...

Crosswinds
This company clearly considers India its talent pool. Carrier Corporation has just hired a key executive for its Asia-Pacific operations from India. The position is that of Chief Information Officer, is to be based in Singapore, and have responsibility for the entire region. The incumbent is Punit Sood, who was head of it in GE Capital. Great cross-border move! Meanwhile, Carrier Aircon has a new hr head-R. Surinarayan. For Surinarayan, coming from the WelcomGroup, it is a cross-industry leap. All part of the new career wave that encourages such shifts...

Big Hit
A medal for the 'subtle salesman', no doubt! Well, R. Suresh, CEO, Stanton Chase India, who considers such salesmanship his core skill, has been made the global it Practice Head for executive search heavyweight Stanton. Given the fact that Stanton specialises in it, Suresh now has one of the most coveted positions in the firm. And with his multi-faceted profile-he has experience in systems & it specialisation (NITIE), sales & distribution (Colgate), manufacturing (Kirloskar Electric), and management consultancy & executive search (ABC Consultants and Stanton Chase)-he is sure to do justice to the new position. This cricket freak who used to open for his university has just hit a sixer...

Postscript
A merry-go-round or a railway station? Neel Chatterjee, the corporate communications veteran, who has done the rounds of PepsiCo, Ranbaxy, and Seagram India, has just taken over as the Head of Communications at the merged entity-StanChart Grindlays. With such large-scale integration of people, businesses, and networks, Chatterjee should have his plate full. Meanwhile, V. Krishnan, the former Head of Communications at StanChart, too is moving on, though he is at pains to point out that his departure has nothing to do with Chatterjee's arrival. Krishnan is joining the venerable Tata Group as the Chief of Corporate Affairs from December this year.

I am a 41-year-old mechanical engineer with a post-graduate degree in industrial management. I am employed with a transnational in the machine tools industry as a marketing manager. My experience in the industry spans 15 years. However, the company I am working with is in the doldrums and faces closure. What options do I have? I have good computer skills and am currently doing a course in e-commerce. Where should I look?

It is not easy to change fields at this age. If you feel that your prospects are bleak in a company that may shut down, the first option is to switch over to another industrial products company. Though you may not find a company as high profile as your present employer, it will provide you a steady job. Moreover, you are not likely to face too much difficulty in mobility in terms of location. You could, of course, try for any other job that you fancy-but at a practical level, they would entail more problems than the first option.

I am a first-year MBA student and want to specialise in marketing. I want to make a career in advertising. Would my MBA degree help me? Or do I need an additional qualification? Also, should I have gone for a specific advertising course? I have equal affinity for creative work or client-servicing. Which one should I choose and why? Or should I opt for a sales and marketing job?

You could definitely get a job in an ad agency with an MBA in marketing. There are specialised courses in advertising too, but since they are very few, ad agencies hire quite a few recruits from MBA programmes. You could start with a client-servicing job and, once inside the agency, get a flavour of other functions. One word of caution: your fascination for advertising seems to be largely based on what you have heard from the outside. Once inside, most veterans would tell you, Einstein's rule of 99 per cent perspiration and 1 per cent inspiration holds true. However, the experience will definitely be helpful and you could always move to a more conventional sales and marketing role later.

I am a 21-year-old commerce graduate studying to become a chartered accountant. However, I think that in today's competitive scenario, a mere CA degree will not be enough to insulate me from career risks. I think I may need additional qualifications. Should I supplement my CA with a MBA degree? Or should I look to acquire expertise in emerging fields like software or e-commerce?

A chartered accountant with a MBA to boot belongs to a rare species. Having said that, a CA qualification alone should be good enough to get you a job and you really don't need to supplement it with a MBA. If you are interested in software and e-commerce, you could do part-time courses. Even if you do not pursue a career in these fields, the knowledge will help. You can then decide what you really like doing and what you have a flair for-before plunging into a field for good.

I am 26 and have a diploma in mechanical engineering with seven years experience in maintenance and production in an engineering concern. About a year back, I relocated to Pune for better prospects, but am still to find a suitable opening. What should I do and where should I look? I am also thinking of doing an on-the-job MBA course. Should I change my field altogether and seek openings in sales and marketing?

It is difficult to find engineering and maintenance jobs. There is also the disadvantage of not being a degree engineer. Assuming you have the skills, you could shift to sales and marketing in your current company. The company may agree to it since it knows you. After this experience, you would be better able to judge whether sales is the function for you. It would also be easier then to move to another company. An on-the-job MBA is good, but will not instantly change your prospects. My advice is not to get disheartened. A good, stable job in a growing and profitable company is what you should look for.

Tarun Sheth, the senior consultant at the Mumbai-based recruitment and training consultancy firm, Shilputsi, addresses your career concerns every fortnight. Write to help, Tarun!!! c/o Business Today, F-26, Connaught Place, New Delhi-1.