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 In
today's time, when the job market is booming and
in particular sectors it is exploding. In such
a dynamic environment, it becomes important for
any professional or an individual to carve a career
plan for himself or herself. It is easier said
than done, but if you think ahead, we will realize
that momentary lure can land you into an orbit
of uncertainty. I will further clarify it and
amplify it.
Let us say radio as an industry, which is an evolving
one and there is a dearth of experienced professionals
and there are too many players in the market.
Now, where do we get the talent from? The talent
comes from within the industry having little or
no experience. But again, the catch is plain "financial".
I have seen individuals having not more than 3
months of experience, who have been offered double
the salaries in a new company. Again, after 3
to 6 months the offers further double because
it is the need of the hour, and the employers
are not ready to experiment. Suddenly, you will
find an immature and upstart individual heading
a location, who has just 3 to 6 months of background.
Though he is a kid but wearing daddy's gloves.
Such individuals are splashed around and I can
compare their meteoric rise and their salary structure
to the sensex boom where the share prices of a
company do not confirm to the financial position
of the company. It is the market forces which
decide the price. The same thing is applicable
to the retail industry.
Logically, there is nothing wrong with that as
every individual is entitled and is within rights
to have a better lifestyle, and why not if someone
is paying for it. So far so good, but do these
individuals really think about their future and
career path? In my opinion, the strategy is very
short-term, and sooner or later the bubble is
going to burst. It has happened in the past, and
is likely to happen in future that these individuals
are unable to justify their salaries and become
non-performers for the simple reason that they
are not competent in doing the job what they are
expected to perform. In a competitive environment
where the players are many and every employer
wants an experienced individual (not competent)
of their segment or trade, these things will occur
and the salaries will spiral upwards.
To amplify it further by examples for a better
understanding, let us take an example of Mohandas
working in an "A" radio company is a sales executive
drawing a salary of 3 Lacs per annum. Remember
that Mohandas has just spent barely 3 months in
the organization and has not really performed
in the real sense. Now, a new player, say "B"
radio comes in town and offers him a position
of a Sales Head with double the salary which he
gladly accepts and joins "B". Now, after 3 months
another player "C" enters and offers him a Station
Head position at 9 Lacs per annum. Remember, Station
Head is a bigger profile like a location head,
and besides sales he has to coordinate cross-functionally
and lead a team. At this point of time, the incumbent
is jittery yet he needs the money and he joins
"C". The outcome could be tragic for the company
as the job is daunting and since the individual
has no exposure, he gets stretched and becomes
a non-performer. Though he might have had a 200%
rise in his salaries in a span of mere 6 months
but what has he done to his career? It is not
the radio or print industry alone where this is
happening but every industry where there is a
close competition with similar product range and
similar client profile.
The objective for this entire write-up is to communicate
to all youngsters to plan their career and leave
only when you have contributed significantly to
the organization and the industry, i.e. when you
leave the organization there has to be a definite
value addition in terms of your professional knowledge
and overall impact. Build your career step-by-step
so that you leave a firm ground, before you head
for another territory. And also for employers
it is a great learning - Why hesitate in experimenting
if you have a good and organized training programme
particularly about the product. Then you do not
need professionals who are experienced yet incompetent.
It is better to have competent and mature individuals
than to take incompetent individuals with so called
"industry experience". The aforesaid is just a
food for thought because next 5 years, it will
be a big boom and if we have to rise to the top,
upgrade yourself and develop your career path,
and be a long term player.
With best wishes,
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