"We are not looking only at traditional advertising people any more. We look at people from eclectic backgrounds" Benaifer Reporter Vice President (HR)/ Rediffusion Dentsu Young & Rubicam (India)

Help, Tarun!

Conscience Careers

These are the best of times for job seekers. There are, literally, thousands of new jobs being created every day; executives across the hierarchy are switching jobs every other day; and it's not uncommon for people in some industries to be juggling multiple offers at the same time. But the point is: what's the smartest way to take advantage of this boom?

"Ideally, an individual needs to set goals (learning, job satisfaction, challenges, growth, family) at different stages of his/her career and monitor achievements and accomplishments. Think of a switch when your employer does not provide opportunities to strike a balance between these," says Pramod Fernandes, Director (HR), EMC India and SAARC. Adds Ronesh Puri, Managing Director, Executive Access, an executive search firm: "You must look for companies that are most likely to help you achieve your career goals."

MNCs are queuing up to establish their presence in India; most senior management personnel at these companies focus on execution of strategies devised by their respective head or regional offices located abroad. "I wanted to focus on devising strategies rather than taking orders from someone in the us," says Rathi Dasgupta, 43, who moved as General Manager, Intec India, a telecom billing solutions firm, earlier this year, from his previous job as Director Engineering, Target. "There are relatively few opportunities at the senior management level and it's important to grab them when they come knocking," he says.

Hari Abburi, Director (hr), India and Southeast Asia, Baxter India, a medical products and services company and subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., says the smartest way for senior management personnel to switch jobs is to lend themselves and their names to industry associations and, thus, create a brand pull. "What is important here is professional networking and visibility in industry associations, forums and seminars. At the senior level, these are what drive your market value," he says, adding that more often than not, this visibility is enough for one to be noticed and approached by potential or desired employers. Otherwise, one will need to network with one or two premier executive search firms because most large recruiters today prefer to engage search firms that specialise in senior-level recruitments.

"A buoyant market allowed me to take a high-risk, high-return approach to my career" Jai Iyer Head (Sales & Marketing)/Magic Lamp Software

"Money is not the prime consideration when you make a move at a senior level; the focus is on job satisfaction and the role you play within the top management," says Shivashankar Vasanad, Director, QA, (Quality Assuarance) at EMC India, who moved from Symphony Services a month ago. The industry veteran, who has worked for companies such as Sun Microsystems, says he made the move so that he could work closely with top technical talent in a software product environment. His take on smart career moves: "Keep track of what is happening within your company and the industry and take note of early signs of job dissatisfaction; this may indicate it's time to make a switch. It is better to take a call early and switch jobs rather than remaining with a company where you are miserable."

Mallika Vyas joined TCE Consulting Engineers, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, as General Manager (hr) 14 months ago; this is her third job in nine years and she's very clear about why she took up each job and also why she moved. "I am now part of the leadership team here and play a part in formulating business strategy," she says. "One must always map one's priorities and see how they align with personal career goals."

"You have to be much more careful and cautious while looking for a job at the middle management level because the market has plenty of loose designations and loosely-defined roles. It's important for you to first zero in on the sector that you want to work in and, preferably, also the companies you would like to work for," says Abburi. Next, do some research on your prospective employers and on the role you can play there. Then comes the question of approaching them. Here again, the preferred channel is through headhunters. So, go to the headhunters with a good idea of the sector and the companies you'd like to work for. The other way is a simple cold call if you are certain that the company is looking for a person to fill the role that you desire.

"There are relatively few opportunities at the senior management level and it's important to grab them when they come knocking" Rathi Dasgupta MD/Intec India

"By and large, the kind of recruitment we are doing these days is different. We are not looking only at traditional advertising people any more; we hire people from backgrounds like research, marketing or consulting and there are people who have approached us from those fields," says Benaifer Reporter, Vice President (hr), Rediffusion Dentsu Young & Rubicam (India). The implication for the smart job seeker: conduct a brutally honest SWOT analysis on yourself and see if you can fit into another industry that needs your skill sets and decide if you want to move.

"There are, mainly, five factors an employee considers: quality of work, quantity of work, compensation, career growth and environment and "hygiene factors" like relationships with one's superiors. If any three of these factors do not work for an employee, then the smart thing to do is to explore other opportunities," says Anish Singh, CEO, Techbridge Networks, a Bangalore-based hr outsourcing company.

In early October, Jai Iyer, a 28-year-old code jock in Bangalore, decided to chuck a job with Sun Microsystems and move to Magic Lamp Software, a relatively unknown start-up in Bangalore. "A buoyant market allowed me to take a high-risk, high-return approach to my career," he says. It was the chance of working with a potential winner and that too with friends that prompted him to make the switch. "There are many opportunities to try out new things; and given the growth of the industry, it won't be very difficult to revert to a comfortable job if the switch doesn't work out," he adds. From a relatively junior role at Sun, Iyer moved into a more responsible position at Magic Lamp, where he looks after sales and marketing; since it's a small start-up, he also continues to be a code jock.

Arvind Mishra, Executive Vice President and Global Head (Talent & Change), Polaris Software Laboratories, has a contrarian take on this. "Companies are expanding aggressively and this is throwing up massive growth opportunities. If you stay on for five-to-six years in a company, and you're good at your job, there will definitely be additional responsibilities (and growth) coming your way."

"Always discuss options with your current employer before taking a decision," says Hari T., Director and Senior VP (HR) at Satyam Computer, adding that the smart executive will always weigh all the options before taking the plunge.

-reporting by Kapil Bajaj, Rahul Sachitanand, E. Kumar Sharma, Nitya Varadarajan, and Deepti Khanna Bose

COUNSELLING
Help, Tarun!

Q: I am a 25-year-old management graduate working with a call centre for three years now. I have little prospect of growth in my present job. Should I move to another BPO firm that offers better growth opportunities or leave the sector and look for a job in some other IT-based industry.

If you like working in a BPO environment then it makes sense to look for a job in another BPO company that will offer you better prospects. However, if you are in general dissatisfied with working in a BPO company, then you should look outside the sector, depending on what your long-term aspirations are.

Q: I am a 32-year-old chartered accountant working for an MNC bank. I have seven years of work experience. Since I am extensively involved in the HR practices of the company, I feel an MBA with specialisation in personnel management will help me grow further.

A specialisation in hr is not required for the kind of issues you are handling in your present job. But if you are keen on a career in finance, then do an MBA with specialisation in finance. This will also teach you facets of HR management. Since you already are a ca and if you do not wish to pursue a full-time MBA, you can do a part-time course on hr management to help you do your job better.

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..

Conscience Careers
There's a niche demand for CSR professionals.

India Inc. is taking its corporate social responsibility (CSR) rather seriously these days. Result: a niche, but growing demand for professionals who can drive projects in this space. There is demand for personnel to work in the areas of both planning and project implementation at the ground. "The scope of the job ranges from creating programmes with deep and sustainable impact on society and includes having to conduct extensive surveys, creating networks with important stakeholders, advocacy and lobbying, and implementation," says Badri Agarwal, President, Bharti Foundation, Bharti Enterprises' CSR Arm, which provides elementary and higher education to underprivileged children. Though the desirable professional degree for a CSR job is a Master in Social Work (MSW), Agarwal says people from various other fields can contribute significantly as well. "We see a large number of management personnel, economists and communications professionals entering the field," he adds.

-Shaleen Agrawal