I am a 32-year-old textile engineering graduate working as a middle-level manager in Nigeria since 1995. I have also worked with several Indian textile companies. At present, I am managing the company's purchasing and imports division. I feel my career has come to a stand-still. The ongoing global recession has worsened matters as there aren't many good openings coming my way. I want to continue in the purchase function and the location of the job is not a problem. Should I approach placement agencies?

Yes, approaching placement agencies would certainly be the right thing to do. The textile sector has been among the worst affected by recession. So getting the kind of jon you want in the same industry may prove to be extremely difficult. Your experience in textiles could be seen as too specialised; you must be prepared to convince potential employers that your skills are transferable to other industries as well. In the meanwhile, try to equip yourself with an additional qualification to offset your single-industry experience.

I am a 27-year-old assistant production manager with more than six years of experience with a top publishing house. But despite my experience, I find that my lack of an engineering degree is a major handicap with potential employers in the industry. I had enrolled in an engineering college, but had to drop out for monetary reasons. How can I effectively sell my experience to potential employers in lieu of a degree?

To a certain extent, experience can be a substitute for formal education. But when you are competing with people who have both, you are likely to lose out. You are still young and if you excel in your field, chances are that after a few years your lack of a technical degree will matter less. You still have the option of pursuing that degree. There are a lot of distance-learning courses, and you could do something relevant to your field-possibly a diploma in printing technology. You need to accept that you do have a bit of a disadvantage but should be determined not to let that come in your way.

I am a 36-year-old senior executive working with a foreign bank. My branch head often asks me to do a lot of his personal chores. Having been in the banking profession for more than a decade, I feel humiliated. I am also often forced to work beyond office hours to keep up with my own work. How should I deal with this problem? Is there any way I can discreetly bring this to the attention of my boss' superiors? Or should I start looking for a new job, even though this bank does pay me well. What are the options before me?

What kind of personal work is it? While, in theory, you are well within your rights to refuse to do personal work your superior may give you, that rarely happens in practice. If the work is something grossly unacceptable, you could either directly tell your boss or just somehow avoid doing it a few times and hope he gets the message. Chances are that your boss will not be too happy with your action. Taking up this matter with his superiors will also elicit a similar reaction. The best way would be to tell your boss' superiors about this at an informal setting. Even so, make sure that you are talking to the right persons. But quitting a well-paying, reputed organisation for this reason would not be a wise move on your part.

I am a final-year student at one of the top five B-schools in the country. I have been interviewed by a few potential employers as part of the campus recruitment drive, but have not received an offer yet. Would it be appropriate for me to contact the companies to find out why I wasn't selected. Are there any etiquette issues involved that forbid this? Or will this be tantamount to professional suicide? Please advice.

There are no written rules that forbid such an inquiry. It also doesn't really affect your chances since you haven't got the job in the first place. But keep in mind that such queries often cause the companies involved a lot of embarrassment and end in bitterness on both sides. Even if you do get an answer, chances are that it will not be very helpful as organisations want to be politically correct. At the same time, it would help if you did some reflecting on what went wrong on your part as well. Try to get a frank opinion from your friends and peers. But do this as soon as possible so that you don't miss out on other opportunities.

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.

"Every Crisis Is An Opportunity"

Gopal Jain, MD (India), The VIEW Group

The Boston-based Venture Investors in the Emerging World (view) is a VC firm with a difference. Where others merely provide capital, view believes in helping entrepreneurs negotiate the whole learning curve involved in building a business. Gopal Jain, Managing Director (India), The view Group, speaks to BT's Mily Chakrabarty on what makes entrepreneurs different from executives and what it takes to make the transformation.

What does it take to make the transition from an executive to an entrepreneur?

At the core of every successful enterprise is a value proposition, for which consumers are willing to pay a premium. The ability to think and develop this proposition into a business opportunity is what it takes to make the transition from a mere executive to an entrepreneur. An executive executes the proposition. An entrepreneur conceives it.

How is your entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) programme helpful to those starting their own ventures ?

The EIR programme lowers barriers to entrepreneurship. Apart from capital, it offers entrepreneurs access to a global network of business relationships and a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure.

What qualities do you look for in a prospective EIR?

True entrepreneurial spirit is a must. One should have proven entrepreneurial ability. We seek exceptional ethics and integrity. Strong and deep domain knowledge is essential and so is the ability to sell abroad. Given our focus on the global markets, we look for people with global experience.

Tips for wannabe entrepreneurs...

Every great entrepreneurial story is unique. But all entrepreneurs are similar in many respects. They work hard and are not afraid to be the first or to do it alone. What separates them from others is how they react to failure and disappointment. To them every crisis is an opportunity.