I am a 32-year-old engineer with a diploma in business administration. I work in a Mumbai-based company that manufactures capital goods. I have spent the past seven years in the direct marketing division of the company. However, I am increasingly frustrated by the lack of career prospects in my present job. I want to remain in marketing, but am not very sure about what to do next. What kind of companies should I approach? Will the fact that I have spent the past seven years in direct marketing be a negative?

There are lots of companies, especially industrial marketing ones, which are always on the look out for good marketing people. You could try for a job in any company that makes capital goods or other goods and services that require direct marketing. These include selling computers, software, even banking and financial services. Marketing commodities like building materials or specialised goods like medical equipment would also fall in this category. So would products involving sales to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). You really have a large field to choose from.

I am 20 years old and have just completed B.Com (Hons) from Calcutta University. I would like to work while simultaneously preparing for the MBA entrance tests. Do you think this will give me an advantage post my MBA? Of more immediate concern-what areas should I look at while applying for a job? I am not interested in joining a call centre like everyone else seems to be doing.

You could take up an audit or accounting job at an accounting firm-that would be most relevant to your MBA. The catch? In large audit companies you will be hired as a trainee, even an intern. You could also work in a tax consulting firm or brokerage. Other options available to all graduates are also open to you-such as advertising or media planning, for instance-if you are so inclined, but that may be a stretch considering your specialisation. All said, my advice to you would be to pursue a higher qualification, since a B.Com degree is unlikely to take you very far.

I'm a 36-year-old wireless-and-networking engineer. I worked in the US for the last eight years with telecom major Nortel until I was laid-off. I was the second-in-command in the wireless application R&D division of the company. I came back to India thinking it was one of the fastest-growing telecom markets in the world, but haven't got a decent offer yet. Do you think I would be better off going back to the US even if the salary I get is much below what I was drawing at Nortel?

The telecom market is opening up in India. However, it will be some time before the sector gathers full steam. The players in the country are also limited in number and, therefore, there aren't that many jobs at the moment. I am surprised that you haven't found a job yet because your kind of technical expertise is scarce in India and usually in demand. You must explore all options open to you at present-including that of returning to the US. I must warn you though, that the US market is not doing too well and you may not be able to land an exciting opening there. Another piece of advice-don't be obsessed with your previous salary. You should be prepared for the eventuality of having to settle for less.

I am a commerce graduate with a degree in finance from one of the top 50 B-schools in the country. I have been working as a banking assistant for the past two years in an old private sector bank. The bank is making huge losses and is showing a negative net worth; I see little scope for growth in my present organisation and want to shift to corporate finance. What qualifications do I need to boost my chances? How can I shift from banking to corporate finance?

''Top 50 B-schools'' seems to indicate that the B-school you've studied in is not a premier institute. One easy way to deal with your situation is to shift to another bank-probably a multinational that offers scope for growth and learning. You could then move to the bank's corporate finance wing or to a finance job with another corporation. You could also try to get a job in the financial services area. Keep in mind that with your background and experience, you will have to slog your way up the corporate ladder. You could take up a chartered financial analyst programme or enrol in short-term courses in banking and corporate finance to enhance your qualifications.

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.

"MNCs Are Less Paternalistic"

Watson Wyatt's Bob Charles: focussing on productivity

Retrenchment and voluntary retirement schemes (VRS) are no longer the dirty words they used to be in India Inc. Watson Wyatt's Benefits Practice Leader in India, Bob Charles, talks to BT's Bhaswati Chakravorty on the current trends in downsizing and how to maintain productivity post layoffs. Excerpts:

On how the retrenchment schemes offered in India are different: Indian schemes are more generous to the employees being retrenched than countries where labour legislation is less restrictive.

On how to keep up productivity after layoffs: The key to productivity from an operations standpoint is to ensure the reduced workforce's efficient deployment. An excess workforce often creates a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, so introducing measures aimed at operational efficiency should also prove easier after layoffs. Another factor key to productivity is the non-financial aspect of retrenchment schemes. If this is handled well, employee morale will remain high.

On why a large number of MNCs in India have opted for retrenchments: MNCs have a more aggressively commercial focus. There is a global trend towards downsizing and the Indian units of MNCs are under tremendous pressure to justify their headcount. MNCs also have a less paternalistic culture.

On current trends in downsizing: The non-financial aspect of retrenchment packages is becoming increasingly important. A scheme in the IT sector not only gave cash compensation to employees, but also helped them look for new jobs. The company had closed its network consulting business. When it recently chose to re-enter the business, 60 per cent of its previous employees were ready to rejoin due to the sensitivity with which their separation was handled.

In Dogged Pursuit Of Fun

If you ever get a chance to share an office with Matt Weinstien or Luke Barber, dont pass it up. Their fiendish creativity in the book Work Like Your Dog-a guide for making your professional life pleasurable-sounds hilarious, but at some places could pass off as plain ridiculous. For example, they suggest decorating co-workers' shoes with plastic flowers and wearing the 'fun shoes' to work-something that won't get you too far in a straight-laced, uptight corporate environment. Maybe you could apply them if you are Sir Richard Branson.

Still, the authors argue that in lean times, even absurd ideas can be great stress relievers. So, if you want to be a top dog or are looking to hire one, some of the book's suggestions might prove quite handy.

-T.R. Vivek