I am 47-year-old, and work as Senior Vice President (Marketing) in a Delhi-based pharma company. For many years I was given to understand that I would succeed my boss as the head of the department, once he retired. My boss retired recently, but I have come to know from reliable sources that the search for his successor is on. In the past year, I received a couple of very lucrative offers, which I turned down as my careers prospects in my present company seemed extremely bright. Do you advice me to take up the matter with the CEO?

The first thing you should do is speak to the CEO. Find out what career plans he has outlined for you and why you are not being considered as the head of marketing. The discussion may give you the chance to clarify your doubts. If you are not happy with the outcome of the meeting you can always look for other opportunities. You can meet with some recruitment consultants too. Don't panic; after all, your job in the present company is still secure and you can take your time hunting for another good one.

I graduated in 1994, and am 28 years old now. I was unable to complete my masters as I suffered from a major depression. In 1998, after recovering completely, I went back to my studies and did a diploma in Computer Science. Later, I worked with a firm for six months, and for the last two years, I have been pursuing a management degree. My problem is that I have a gap of four years in my resume. I have started applying for jobs but don't know how to handle this shortcoming during the interview process. Please advice.

A gap of four years will reflect badly on any resume, especially in India. Here, depression still carries a kind of stigma, and chances are that most recruiters will react negatively to you. My advice is that in case the topic comes up during the interview, the best way to tackle it would be to say that you had a personal issue to clear up and would rather not talk about it. It won't be easy to explain the matter, but if you are confident you will be taken at face value. If you are fortunate in getting an employer who values absolute honesty and understands your plight, you can be candid with him. That again would be extremely tricky. Good luck.

I am a mid-level manager in a software company. When I joined the company, the offer letter stated that I would be confirmed after six months. But it's almost nine months now, and I am yet to be confirmed. Although I have taken up the matter with my superiors, both verbally and in writing, they have not responded. How should I deal with this? Should I start looking for another job? I was even supposed to get an increment upon confirmation. Does this imply that the management is not happy with my work and is waiting for me to leave the company on my own?

You first have to answer a question honestly: has your performance been up to the mark? If you think there is a valid reason for the delay then pull up your socks and work harder. You can always look for other opportunities, but in the current environment that may not be easy. If you think that the company is just using an under-handed tactic to get rid of people, you should find another job first. Since you don't seem to have much of an option and still have this job, you should stay on till you are able to find another job.

I am now 37-year-old and have been employed for most of my working life as a secretary. I went back to college several years ago, earned a degree in management, and now wish to make a transition to a white-collar job. My managers have always recognised my skills as a secretary, but sadly, none of them encourage me to take on more responsibilities. Do I need to become more aggressive in my career management or is it my age that is the hurdle?

I am not too clear as to why you went back to a secretarial job after getting a management degree. What you need to do now is to ask for a different job profile within your company-you can speak to your boss or to the hr department. Look out for opportunities outside your present company as well. Your lack of experience as a manager will be a hurdle. If you have to compromise, weigh the pros and cons and take a decision. Remember, your new job profile will be absolutely different. Age and experience, in this case, will be working against you. But if you are committed, it's worth a try.

Tarun Sheth, a 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-110001.

How much will you earn in 2002?
The annual Hewitt survey is in and it isn't full of good news. A quick catechism.

What's the bottomline?
Salaries could increase from between 9.7 per cent and 11.7 per cent in 2002 (depending on the management level), as compared to from 10.2 per cent and 14.5 per cent in 2001.

Great, that means my salary will surely increase this year?
Not so quick: 11 per cent of respondents projected a possible salary freeze in 2002. Oops!

Is there no good news?
Actually, there is, but only if you belong to the automobiles/ancillaries, consumer durables/electronics, and healthcare/medical products and services domains. Salaries in these sectors are expected to increase by more this year as compared to 2001.

What's this thing about variable pay I keep hearing?
Nothing much-except that the proportion of variable pay across levels has increased. It is the highest for senior managers, for whom it will increase from 16.3 per cent of their salaries in 2001 to 19.1 per cent this year.

A Singular Furrow A roster of some illustrious names shows it may make sense to stick with one company.

Switching jobs was popular, even fashionable, in the late nineties. But the slowdown that has accompanied the turn of the century, and the general retro-wave that is sweeping through the fashion industry has seen the re-emergence of some old values. Among them is that old thingamajig about sticking to one company and growing with it. Here are some people who have done so, and we think it is a list you can't argue with. -moinak mitra Joydeep Sengupta Joined as Management Trainee in 1995 Exec. VP, Treasury, Bank of America Rajan Bhat Joined as Management Trainee in 1975 M.S. Banga B. Muthuraman S. Ramadorai Sanjay Jain VP & Head (Travellers' Cheques Group for India & Area Countries), American Express M.S. Banga Joined as Mgmt. Trainee in 1977 Chairman, Hindustan Lever Ltd Chanda Kochhar Joined as Mgmt. Trainee in 1984 Executive Director, ICICI Bank B. Muthuraman Joined as Trainee in 1966 Managing Director, TISCO Dipankar Sanwalka Joined as Mgmt. Trainee in 1993 Executive Director & Head (Forensic Accounting Service), KPMG S. Ramadorai Joined as Trainee in 1972 CEO, TCS Sanjay Jain Joined as Mgmt. Trainee in 1986 Country Managing Director, Accenture India Zarir Cama Joined as Mgmt. Trainee in 1968 CEO, HSBC India