‘Have long-term strategic view of your career’- Nandan Nilkani

While i was having tough time in deciding my next move because of external pressures and insisting, i saw an inetrview in ET. It seems so real to me and so relevent when he answered a question in the tough time of Financial tsunami. I thought its the most apt and readymade solution of my problems. Whenever one get a new good offer, (better than the exisiting one), compare the future prospects, if its better again, compare what dividend will you get and forsee what everyone cannot. Once you are done with this, you'll get the answer of million dollar question. True implimenting that is again a herculian task but think think and think and then decide. :) if you couldn't figure out what i am talking about till now, forget it and see the reproduced interview here... his advise wud be helpful to all of us at one point of time or the other.
Infosys cochairman Nandan Nilekani’s word of advice to the young B-school graduates: ‘Have a long-term strategic view of careers.’ Tech bellwether Infosys, as part of its academic initiatives, held the finals of its B-school quiz under its ‘Incorporate’ programme. This year’s edition saw six teams competing for the winner position selected from 1,700 students across 15 business schools. Mr Nilekani, in an interview to ET,dwells on the various facets of his company’s engagement with the campus. Excerpts:
As a first-generation entrepreneur, what advice would you give to B-school graduates today?
I personally feel people should have a long-term strategic view of their careers. There is a bit of a tendency to say who is the highest salary payer and I feel that can be a bit tricky. When we started our career, we focused on how we can learn and become better in our jobs. That I feel—our early investments—is now paying dividends. Take a long view of life and do not merely take the best paying job coming out of campus.
In the current economic environment, what role can B-school graduates play?
One good sign is that there are a lot more entrepreneurs from B-schools. Today, the world is much more integrated, globalised and complex. The graduates who understand this, can provide their organisations the right kind of leadership with the ability to take bold decisions in challenging times.
What about Infosys’ academic initiatives?
We are constantly holding several events and all are part of enhancing engagements with B-schools. We have many alumni willing to participate in these relationship building efforts. It also gives these graduates the chance to acquaint themselves of the various opportunities we provide. Infosys is an attractive place for the young business graduates as they can play various roles in the areas of consulting, project management and client-facing activities. For all these, the Bschool graduates are very suited.
Besides, we have other programmes like ‘campus connect’ involved with faculty training. We are part of the Knowledge Commission and have worked with AICTE. In general, we have engagements at multiple levels to build good relationship with educational institutions and raise their standards.
What challenges do you see in the area of higher education?
Higher education—which is under-governed and over-regulated—is desperately in need of reforms. We are at a point, where India is going to reap its demographic dividend but a very small percentage of the students are getting access to higher education. We have to move urgently on this, otherwise, we are going to miss the boat.

Market Reserch a lucrative career option

These days when some of my college friends were doing a live project in one of the good Mrket reserch firm i was wondering if these firms are worth enough for a longterm career option. Do they really fit into a good career path for long? or they are just to gain experience and to move on. While i still wonder what could be the answer of these question got a good piece of interview of ORG IMS research HR head, Max D’souza,in ET so reproducing the same here...

MAKING a career in market research for long was not considered as a preferred option by the best of brains. However, with the entry of MNCs in India, and thereby improved HR practices, firms like ORG IMS are now getting premium slot in leading institutes like the IIMs and IITs. ORG IMS research HR head, Max D’souza, spoke on the changing paradigm of market research field in India. Excerpts:


How would you compare HR practices in Indian market research firms with that in the UK and US?

The gap in HR practices between Indian market research companies and those in the West is significant. Since there is a scarcity of talent and people with analytical bent of mind (the ideal talent) in the West, the priority on HR practices is very high. In India, the scenario is completely reverse. There is immense talent that suits the requirement of the industry and historically, market research was not rated on a high scale in the market. However, MNC market research firms like ORG IMS have laid down adequate systems in place which help HR practices to be the driving force in managing people expectations, talent attraction and retention strategies. The MNCs have changed the historical perception of market research as a career option.

There is a perception that entry-level salaries are not too lucrative in Indian market research firms. Your comments.

The perception is, in fact, the reality! This has come into existence due to past practices and talent attraction being a challenge. This drastically dropped the quality of talent at the entry level and hence salaries too were low. Today, sectors like BPO and KPO have raised the entrylevel salary bar significantly which too has changed the compensation philosophy in market research companies. The leading firms now source their talent from leading B-schools. Many candidates aspire to pursue their career in good market research firms. The salary gap between market research companies and those in sectors like FMCG is no doubt bridging.

Is it possible to have a long-term career in market research in India?

Youngsters are getting attracted to market research since it gives a first-hand view of the whole industry. This learning curve gives a potential employee a defined edge to perceive career as ‘market experts’. It also enables them to be thought leaders in a specialised area since a market research background gives a very strong fundamental base.
There are hardly any academic curriculum in India which is specialised on market research. Any plans in this regard?
There is a dire need for a specialised curriculum in market research, which will help to build the future talent pool. Many B-schools have indeed started encouraging market research in their curriculum and I am sure we are not far from having a dedicated specialisation in market research. Currently, we do face a lot of difficulty to find the right talent, but this is compensated by our initiative in investing among students through internship programs. Though right now there are no plans for rolling out any market research course, we are quite active in partnering with B-schools to assist and develop curriculum in market research.

Phelps the phenomenon

At 23, Michael Fred Phelps has become an international sporting sensation.
The young American swimmer has smashed seven world records and won eight gold medals at the Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images], the first athlete ever to secure first place so many times at a single Olympics Games.
Given his success, it's easy to slot Phelps into the 'born achievers' category -- at 23, he's established a glorious career doing what he loves best, he's a millionaire, a world record-holder and the pride of his nation.
But hold on a minute -- is Michael Phelps [Images] really a born achiever?
He may beg to differ.
At the age of seven Phelps, the youngest of three children, was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. For those not familiar with the condition, ADHD is a childhood condition characterised by constant activity, impulsive behaviour and the inability to focus one's attention on anything for a short span of time.
ADHD is treated with therapy and medication, but is not classified as curable -- as per information on the website WebMd.com, about 60 percent of afflicted kids carry the condition into adulthood.
To help release his pent-up energy and to emulate his older sisters who were also accomplished swimmers, Phelps took up swimming, starting to outshine his peers right from the start.
At the age of nine, Michael's parents divorced. His mother brought up all three children single-handedly, encouraging them to follow their dreams at all costs -- one middle-school teacher even told Michael's mother he would never be a success.
But successful Phelps is, and how.
Yes, there are the occasional set-backs. Like the time back in 2004 when Phelps, then 19, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was under the legal drinking age limit of 21 in any case and to top it he was driving in an inebriated state. A repentant Phelps pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation, saying in court, "I recognise the seriousness of this mistake. I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life."
So who is Michael Phelps? He was a regular kid who struggled with an irregular condition and the divorce of his parents. He's young, he excels at what he does and like the rest of us, slips up once in a while.
And what life lessons do his struggles and successes hold for us?

Deal with your own issues effectively -- Michael certainly dealt with ADHD and his parents' divorce that way. His mother helped him cope up with his condition and channeled his energy into what he loved.
Cut out the drama -- Michael's story is inspirational but at the same time, neither the young man nor his family have exploited their experiences to sensationalise his life. They've told it like it is.

Zero in on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses -- He was less than an average student at school, but Michael was a passionate and dedicated student of his sport. The young swimmer is known to have studied tapes of his races over and over, zeroing in on mistakes and working towards bettering himself constantly. Excellent is still not good enough.

Remain focused on your goals -- At the Athens Olympics back in 2004, Phelps was beaten by teammate Ian Crocker beat in the 100m butterfly. He put up a poster of Crocker in his room to motivate him and keeps a list of his career goals beside his bed.

Pursue what you love with passion and put in a genuine effort -- Phelps' dedication to swimming was apparent back when he was nine and began to break national records in his age group. His commitment to what he does has grown with him. It's not just his career and his unbelievable performance at the Olympics that classify Phelps as a winner -- it's his story of inspiration that makes him a real champion, a youth icon, somebody to look up to.

Courtesy {Rediff}