Career Today: Help Tarun!!!

CAREERS TODAY: COUNSELLING
Help Tarun!!!

I am a 26-year-old MBA from a second-rung business school. I am also a law graduate. I was working as a recruiter for a software company in India for one-and-a-half years. The company closed down due to the slowdown in the US economy. Now I am working with a HR consultancy. My new firm is basically a one-man shop but it has quite a few blue chip companies as its clients. I handle recruitment for the firm. At this stage in my career, will such an experience be beneficial or will it be better if I join a larger and more organised firm?

Whatever work you take up at present should be in sync with what you want to do in future. In order to be more organised, you should write down all your future career plans. Do you have a goal in mind? Is there a particular post or designation that you wish to attain within a couple of years? What kind of work would you like to specialise in? These are some of the questions you should be asking yourself. Your answers will help you chart out a plan of action, and that, in turn will help you decide whether to continue in your present profession or to move on to something better.

I am an IIT and IIM (A)-graduate, working with a leading Indian software major in the business development function. I have been working with the company for a year. Prior to this, I worked for a year with another software company. However, I have discovered that I am not very interested and enthusiastic about the software industry. I feel that I have made a wrong career-move. I am thinking about working for a consulting firm. Would it be fine to switch to a consultancy? At what level can I enter a consulting firm? How can I leverage my work experience in the best possible manner? Please advise.

A consulting job should not be too difficult for you to get, but you must understand that two years of experience is not too much to leverage! You will begin at a junior position in the firm (I am assuming that you do not have any pre-MBA experience). But that should not deter you from joining. You should join a firm where you can utilise your work experience in the software industry. This would give you an advantage. Your educational background should stand you in good stead.

I am a 32-year-old MBA from a second-rung business school. I worked for three years in a reputed transnational and before that worked in an Indian company for one-and-a-half years, and in Mexico for a year (I have a qualification in ERP). Early last year, I was recruited by an US-based software company, to recruit people in India. I made a lot of money in this project. However, with the slowdown setting in, there's not much work for me. I have an opportunity to go to the US and join the company's US-operations or become an entrepreneur in the tourism industry. I have keen interest in the tourism industry. In fact, it's a dream project for me. What should I do?

You are fairly young, and have two options open to you. Choosing the first option will not only send you to the land of plenty, but also allow you to continue in a job. But, if you plan to embark upon an entrepreneurial project, the timing couldn't be better. Take it up if you are passionate about it, so that you never regret not having tried something close to your heart. A journey of a thousand miles always begins with one small step! However, make sure that you have more than just a dream, and are being realistic about it. Remember, an opportunity to go to the US may not come again.

I am an MBA from a second-rung B-school. I worked in the media industry for three years, and then for a dotcom for one year. After the crash, I joined a technology company as a project leader in its Internet division. The project however, is going very slow. In fact, I feel it may even be a non-starter. The company is playing a wait-and-watch game. I find this extremely frustrating, but after one bad experience in the dotcom industry, I am not very confident about leaving this job and moving on. I have no offers at the moment. Please advise.

It seems to me that your current company or job is going nowhere. You can always go back to media or another software firm (though keeping in mind the current job scenario, this is easier said than done!). As you have already had a couple of bad experiences behind you, try and look for a stable company. The appointment column is a good bet. Make sure you send your profile to recruitment consultants as well.

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.

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