I am an assistant manager (sales) with a reputed consumer durables company. I joined the company as a management trainee eight years back and have since worked my way up the ladder. A colleague of mine was hired a few months back. Although he's my subordinate and reports to me, he draws a higher salary. Should I take up this issue with the head of my department?

Of course, you should talk to the head of your department-assuming that your information on his salary is correct and your own overall performance has been satisfactory. When people are poached from other companies, they are often offered higher salaries as incentive. You are well within your rights to speak to your superiors and your company's hr department about it. However, you do need to go about it keeping in mind your organisation's and your own options. Chances are you will be told to wait till the next increment. Figure out if you want a specific commitment. If that is not forthcoming, are you planning to quit? If so, what options do you have? These are some of the things you need to consider. But first, have an informal chat with your boss to get a clear measure of things before taking any decision.

I am a 31-year-old diploma holder in chemical engineering. I have worked with some leading companies in the industry for five years. In 1999, I left my job to study for a degree in management with specialisation in rural marketing. After getting the degree, I landed a job with a consumer durables company. But I could not meet the sales target there and had to quit. At present, I am jobless. Should I stick to sales and marketing, or should I return to engineering?

Have you tried to figure out why you were unable to perform in your sales assignment? Perhaps you don't have an aptitude for sales. An honest introspection should give you the answer. With your qualifications, you could give sales and marketing in the chemicals industry a shot. Your knowledge of the industry and your recent qualifications could both be useful there. However, if you are more comfortable with the technical aspects of your job, then you would be well-advised to return to your earlier line of work.

I am an insurance professional working with LIC for the last four years. I have a degree in management from a second-rung B-school. I have also cleared the Associateship examination conducted by the Mumbai-based Insurance Institute of India in anticipation of better job prospects. Now, with very little happening in the sector, I am getting anxious. Should I opt for a part-time degree in management with specialisation in hr and try to change my field or should I stick to the insurance sector?

Insurance has a bright future in the country. You have a degree in management from a second-rung B-school and four years of experience. I have a feeling you are getting impatient too soon. You already have a secure job and with your qualifications are well-placed to take advantage of a boom in your industry. Changing your field by doing a part-time course in hr is not going to put you in the fast lane. Maybe you should consider careers closer to insurance like financial services, banking, and healthcare-related services. Don't go about doing miscellaneous part-time courses and changing tracks impulsively. You will find yourself spending more time moving horizontally than vertically. Change careers if you want to, but have a plan based on your interests, aptitude, qualifications, skills and experience.

I am a graduate in humanities and am currently studying for a post-graduate diploma in information management from Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi. My course is a blend of human resources management and the systems approach. I have a strong inclination towards hr management and have worked as an intern with a reputed organisation. How should I go about looking for a job? Do I need to get some additional qualification?

You already have enough qualifications. Your campus must be having placement services for students and that is the first thing you should avail. Then, of course, there are companies that have employed your seniors and they may be inclined to accept you as well. Ads and plain cold calling could be your next option. With your qualifications, it should be easy for you to land a hr information systems job. Failing that, you could look at other areas of HR.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055.

The Insurance Gravy Train
Experts say this is the right time to join the insurance bandwagon.

De-regulation, entry of global heavyweights, a massive untapped market, and a regulator who's, surprise, surprise, the toast of industry. A combination of these makes for a happening sector, and even its critics will have to admit that insurance is happening.

Though agents form an insurance company's frontline, it also needs actuaries, surveyors, underwriters and other professionals. The opportunities are enormous. ''For the new insurance firms, talent is at a premium. People are looking at fast moving consumer goods and banking sector for recruits,'' says Ronesh Puri, Director, Executive Access, a Delhi-based search firm.

With such a skewed demand- supply equation, salary levels in the insurance sector are higher than those in other sectors. ''The available talent is precious and with increasing competition, companies are willing to retain the good ones at a premium,'' says Shailesh Shah, MD, Watson Wyatt India. (See Looking Up). Take the case of actuaries-the ones who design the insurance policies. Thanks to the historical monopolistic nature of the business in India, there are only a handful of actuaries around. But with more than a dozen new life and non-life players, the tribe is set to grow. "Starting salaries can be as high as Rs 70,000 a month," says R. Kannan, CFO, SBI-Life and VP, Actuarial Society of India.

SBI-Life has recruited close to 1,000 agents in the last one year and has been scouting for talent at top B-school campuses. ICICI-Prudential too, has tripled its employee strength in the last one year.

''But,'' cautions Puri, ''the key drivers of this industry are very different from those of others. After all, marketing insurance isn't the same as marketing consumer durables or FMCG products." So we've heard.

-Mily Chakrabarty

"Life Insurance Is Always Sold, Never Bought"

MNYL's Rajit Mehta: Bullish on life

Rajit Mehta, Head (HR), Max New York Life (MNYL) spoke to BT's Mily Chakrabarty on career growth in the insurance sector.

On insurance as a career option: The opening of the insurance sector is expected to generate about 500,000 jobs in the next five years, especially in the area of selling policies. Life insurance is always sold, never bought. With the market being underinsured and having low penetration levels by Western standards, a career in this sector offers tremendous opportunities.

On the making of an insurance agent: As per the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) regulations, an agent needs to undergo a minimum of 100 hours training. But we, at MNYL, offer 152 hours of training to our agents. Training is a continuous process at MNYL and an advisor goes through 500 hours of training in the first two years. This equips them to effectively understand customer requirements and tailor life insurance solutions that meet varying needs and means.