Hares in March are not thought to be nuts for nothing. They have an awful lot of choice to ponder. So it is with rookie graduates on the lookout for that first job that gives them butterflies in the stomach just daydreaming about. Ah, nice feeling, isn't it? The beginning of a career. The start of the future. The lift-off of an epochal voyage.

Okay. Time to snap out if it. Reality has started intervening a lot earlier than it used to, and you should be glad for it. The reality here is that every job in every sector is not the same path of limitless opportunity. Fresh entrants to the job market now have the advantage of enhanced information on business to help them pick the winning fields. The sectors, that is, which offer the best hope of a nicely inclined career path. Sure, you may switch career lanes midway, or even zigzag, but you're likely to live a mono-sectoral existence for most of your life. As laughs G. Ramesh, Vice President (hr) at Hyundai, "the hop, skip and jump mentality is not good". So which might the winning sectors be?

Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs)

For all the misgivings about anaemic growth, it is still an exciting field, showing signs of revival. Equity analysts are bullish too. Expect key players such as Hindustan Lever (HLL) and Procter & Gamble (P&G) to get into high activity mode. The big attraction for MBAs is the intense meet-real-India training module, and the first-hand chance to have a go at engaging customers. "We have a very strong business leadership training programme," says Devrajan Harish, Vice President (HR), HLL. Market leader HLL alone will snap up some 30 b-school grads this year, each earning an annual Rs 7.5 lakh (up 6 per cent since last year). The biggest numbers recruited in this sector, though, may be for sales jobs, going by the findings of a recent Mercer Compensation Outlook Review.

Automobiles

The passenger car market is at the magic one-million-unit figure that is said to make viable the existence of several local manufacturers. India's two-wheeler industry is already among the world's most vibrant. Engineers would be needed in large numbers. Several companies have announced capacity expansions. "If you have the right aptitude then this is the place to be," says G. Ramesh, hr Head at Hyundai, which plans a new plant that will create many new jobs.

Telecom

The telecom industry is growing amazingly fast. By one estimate, telecom has created a heart-stopping 3.6 million direct and indirect jobs (the latter, mostly) already, and further investment could see many more. And that, despite the high levels of manpower efficiency claimed by leading players such as Bharti. The thumb rule: one extra employee for every 25,000 customers. Demand for new telecom services is such, that this ratio is enough for Bharti to generate 2,000 jobs every year, be it in the form of management trainees, sales agents or customer care agents. Says Anil Nayar, Corporate Director at Bharti, who oversees hr, of the sector: "It's high growth and it is in the public eye."

Information Technology And Related Services

The sector is absorbing youngsters in large numbers to sustain the growth that has come to characterise its fabled success story. Wipro, one of the largest private sector employers, with 44,000 employees, expects there to be no let up in the pace of job generation. "The kids today are smart, they know the hot sectors and join companies that provide high growth and assurance," says Pratik Kumar, Corporate Vice President (HR), Wipro. As many as half of all the people hired every year by Wipro are fresh first-time job seekers-be it in programming, analysis, design or quality. These are typically graduates of top engineering colleges. The money in these roles is not as high as in management jobs, but the industry average for beginners is in the annual Rs 1.8-2.2 lakh range.

Banking And Finance

Going by the Mercer report, sales and retail banking are the two areas that will witness the most recruitment this year. "As the retail side of banking sees itself moving to B and C category markets, the employment will increase," reveals K. Ramkumar, Senior General Manager (HR) at ICICI Bank. ICICI hires management trainees (Rs 6.5 lakh per annum) as well as plain graduates (for its back office, earning some Rs 1.2 lakh per annum). Housing finance is in boom too, with Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) looking to take in around 30 MBAs. "We don't go to the IIMs, we need people who can interact with the domestic market and not work in some kind of void," shrugs Manju Malkani, Head of hr at HDFC. The salaries: Rs 3-3.5 lakh. Finance sector jobs, of course, are spread across investment services too, which is displaying buoyancy helped along by the secular bull market.

Pharma

This sector is witnessing a churn on account of the new adherence to global product patents. The big skill set in demand, predictably, is R&D expertise. Beyond that, the industry looks buoyant because of the growing opportunity for contract research in India. "Entry-level opportunities have emerged in the areas of research, patents, regulatory and emerging markets, clinical research, global marketing, and business development," says A.H. Khan, Head of hr at Sun Pharma. Entry-level salaries in the industry are about Rs 1.5-2 lakh for researchers.

So those are the six job sectors that ought to top your consideration set. Of course, there are other sectors you might want to try. But opting for an unconventional career takes plenty of daring. It's enormously risky. But not as risky as ignoring the 'big picture' in making your decisions.

COUNSELLING
Help, Tarun!

I am a journalism school graduate working as a trainee at a travel and tourism publication. The field of work I am engaged in is interesting, but its reach is restricted. Kindly advise if sticking to my current job, which involves niche interest journalism, will put limitations on my long-term career when it comes to mainstream media. I am worried that staying for a long time at this job might cut me off from where the action is. On the other hand, getting into a top-bracket newspaper or magazine is not easily done. What are my options?

If you want to be in the travel area, you could enter the television and internet media. If you want to be in the mainstream, then you should change your job in the next year or two at the most. This would allow you the flexibility of changing without getting pegged to a special area. It also might be worthwhile looking at the features section in a mainstream publication. This way you could still touch on travel related topics once in a while and yet diversify.

I am a senior research associate with a clinical research organisation and although it is an emerging field, I need to move on to further my career since my company is small. Also, it's the marketing aspect that interests me, which is completely different from what I am doing now. How should I make this switch? How do I convince potential employers that my marketing skills are just what they need?

It might be difficult for you to get into the marketing/business field since your experience is mainly in research. However, you can do an MBA, which will give you the required educational qualification to enter the business arena. Alternately, try for a job in the product support/technical support area, as these will be relatively easier to get. Once you prove yourself, you could ask for a transfer to marketing.

I am a 24-year-old law graduate. I also possess an additional (graduate) degree in economics. For the last one year, I have been working as an intern with an advocate of the Delhi High Court and have acquired a reasonably good knowledge of the procedures and practices of a civil court. Now that my internship is almost over, please guide me on the course of action I should take to chalk out my career. Are there any unconventional fields where I can utilise my legal knowledge? What are the prospects in the corporate world?

One option would be to join the corporate legal team of a company. It would surely enhance your prospects to have a CS (Company Secretary) qualification under your belt. Financial firms also have a need for specialised legal personnel. Another good option is to join a law firm that has corporate clients. Mergers and acquisitions, taxes, labour laws, trademarks and patents, company laws, contracts, etcetera are some of the specialist areas that you could go for.

I am an engineering graduate working as a web developer with a software company. When I had entered the market, the IT sector was at its peak and I did not have much say in the choice of employer. Since my company is not too old, with a small team, it has very few good projects. Now that the industry has picked up, I am seeking better prospects. I want to become a management professional, but am not sure what to do. Please advise.

Getting an MBA degree would greatly enhance your prospects. But that is not the only option, as many software management professionals have grown from the technical stream. You could try and get a job with a larger company where prospects of growth in project management are better. This is one way you could eventually get into management.

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