Q: I am a 29-year-old woman and a BCom graduate. I have also completed an ?A? level degree from DOEACC. I have three years? experience in an office administration job. But there has been a two-year gap in my career because I had to look after my child. At present, I am pursuing MBA (finance) from a leading private B-school. What will be my chances of landing a good job in Calcutta or in Bangalore after completing this course? Please advise.
Name Withheld
A: It is likely that on the strength of your MBA degree itself you will have reasonable chances of getting a good job. Your IT exposure will be considered an added advantage.
The two-year career gap is unlikely to be a serious concern. However, your past work experience may not be valued too much when you get a job post MBA.
Q: I am a 28-year-old BCom (pass) graduate and I have now enrolled at IISWBM, Calcutta, for the postgraduate diploma in finance management. For the last two years, I have been working with a tea company as an accountant. Previously, I had also appeared for CA exams (1998 to 2002) but I failed to clear them.
I have four years? experience as an articled clerk and audit clerk in a CA firm. What is my future prospect and will my degree be equivalent to an MBA? Please advise. In my CV, can I say that I have six years? experience in the field of accountancy?
Name withheld
A: Although failing to become a CA should not hold you back, the PGDBM at IISWBM is an evening course and has its own merits and limitations. You should focus on the fact that it is enabling you to learn even amidst your work pressures and put it across in your CV. Also, I would recommend that you do not hide any part of your career, because an interviewer will surely probe what passed in between. In writing your CV as well as in interviews, you should draw attention to your competencies and strengths rather than focus on your failures.
You should look towards completing your degree before applying elsewhere. Although working in a tea company provides industry specialisation, some people prefer to have a more broad-based experience so that they have a wider choice of alternate employment opportunities.
Your functional specialisation is less industry specific than many others, so you could potentially shift to the manufacturing industry or the booming ITES/ telecom sector once you have completed your course.
Q: I hold a masters degree in HR from a reputed Indian University. My university has a placement system where, if you refuse the first job offered to you, you are put out of the placement system. Due to this problem and also since my father passed away at the beginning of this year, I had to accept a position in an organisation where I have been appointed in a sales job. I have tried applying to other places for HR positions but it seems to me that everyone wants an HR professional with experience.
In the meantime, I had appeared for two telephonic interviews in two reputed companies but when they heard that I am working in sales at present, they backed away. What do I do under these circumstances?
Name withheld
A: It is unfortunate that you had to be eliminated from the placement system. Under the circumstances, you took the right decision by accepting the offer that came your way. I do not think that your current sales job will adversely impact your ability to get an HR role eventually.
Industry is seeking HR professionals who have actual experience in the field. This is valued because an HR manager who has worked in the field is able to appreciate the business ground realities well and is able to relate to the aspirations of the people and the challenges faced by them.
There are senior HR managers in many leading companies who have started their careers in sales or operations and worked in these functions for many years before switching to HR. I would therefore advise you to invest more time in your sales job and gather experience and then switch to HR in a company that is sales focussed. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
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