I am an analyst working with an Indian brokerage. I have been specialising in the FMCG sector for the past three years. The firm is now downsizing and I have been asked to look for another job. I am an engineer from Indian Institute Of Technology with a post-graduate degree in management from S.P. Jain Institute Of Management And Research, Mumbai. I have been talking to a few placement firms, but have had no luck in the last two months. I have an offer to join the firm I used to work for earlier. My salary will also be higher than what I used to draw earlier, but not as much as I am getting at the brokerage firm. It will be very embarrassing for me to go back, but I don't think I have an option. Please advise?

Your current firm is downsizing and the only offer you have at present is from your previous firm. I assume that in the last three years you have explored other avenues and discovered the general lack of opportunities. The conclusion, therefore, is pretty obvious. Before this opportunity goes, take it. It is unfortunate that you have to go back to the same company, but at least your salary will be higher than what you were drawing when you left it. Given all these considerations, the deal you are getting isn't all that bad.

I am a MBA student in a second-rung college in Pune and will pass out in June this year. I have an engineering background and a year's work experience as a trainee. I have taken up marketing as my specialisation. I am interested in market research as well, but not sure whether this field offers much scope in India. I am also interested in customer relationship management (CRM). What opportunities does CRM offer in India? Is it possible for me to specialise in both these streams simultaneously?

Market research is a well-developed field and offers major career opportunities in India. You could be a specialised market research professional or change to areas like marketing or advertising at a later stage. As far as CRM is concerned, there may not be too many jobs at the entry-level, but you could join a company with a strong CRM unit and grow into the function. However, that may not be a career goal in itself. How do you combine the two? Show your interest and take up market research projects that have customer relationship as their focus. Frankly, I think you know very little about working in either of these streams. You are probably just fascinated by the concepts. Try your hand at any one of these areas and see how you feel a couple of years later.

I am a 39-year-old consultant with an international management consulting firm. I have been with the firm for six months now. I was earlier working with a smaller consulting firm. The problem with my current job is that I do not have adequate work. It is a painful task filling up the time-sheets. What should I do? I am getting a salary that is nearly triple what I was getting in my old firm. Do I keep waiting?

You should try to do a good job of whatever task is given to you, so that people eventually give you more work once they are convinced of your abilities and competence. However, if things do not improve over time, you should explore other options.

I am a 22-year-old B.Com graduate from Bangalore University. I finished my graduation in June, 2000. I had planned to get a degree in management from one of the Indian Institutes of Management and appeared for Combined Admission Test 2000, but did not clear it. At present, I am pursuing a distant learning diploma in business administration from Symbiosis Institute Of Business Management, Pune. I do not have any work experience and am finding it extremely difficult to land a good job. I have been sitting idle for the last one year. Should I concentrate on the diploma for the present or devote my efforts to landing a job?

Keep trying for a good job. Doing a distance-learning course in management doesn't mean you should sit at home. You should be simultaneously accumulating work experience. Next year, you can apply to some second-rung management institutes, as career prospects are better for full-time MBAs. While you pursue the diploma programme and look for a job, you could even take some time out and prepare for management entrance examinations.