Query: I am looking for career options in Media Industry in India. Is it a right time to move?

Viewpoint: If you are having stable career abroad, then it is recommended not to aggressively look for opportunities in India. Due to recession and other economic reasons, most of the companies are going through right-sizing. If the offer is from companies with enough liquidity to sail through a couple of years, then you may want to give it a serious thought. 

Query: What kind of hike I should ask for in salary considering market recession?

Viewpoint: 15-25% is considered to be a decent jump in the salary during these times. If you are really convinced about the profile that is offered to you, a 20% jump in the salary would really be good. 

Query: Are there no opportunities in Media industry now since most of the companies are laying-off employees?

Viewpoint: There are enough opportunities in the market right now as well. But in case the same is to be compared with the scenario 6 months ago, then career opportunities are down by more than 50%. Companies with strong financial records, good leadership team and sound business model are still hiring employees for all key positions. 

Query: I am VP Business Development in my current company. The company from where I have got an offer is giving me Senior Manager Designation. Do you think it is meaningful to go down on designation?

Viewpoint: Designation structure varies from company to company. Start-ups or smaller companies find it easier to give higher designations like VP to their employees with just 5 years of experience whereas in larger organizations or MNCs, employees with 12 years or more of experience are given such senior designations. MNCs follow even strict norms and are not too lenient when it comes to giving designations. There are companies that will have 16 levels to reach the top and there are companies that will have just 8. You need to keep all these things in mind other than the scope of work offered while deciding if it is worth going down on designation. 

Query: I am working in sales function for the last 3 years. Now I want to move to marketing. Do you think the same is possible?

Viewpoint: As long as your fundamentals of marketing are strong, you can surely move from sales to marketing function. Most of the time, companies will look at your educational background while considering you for marketing function. Your chances will be brighter if you have done MBA Marketing from a good institute. You should also have done lot more in your sales stint other than selling just the inventory (Space/FCT/Banners etc). Those who have worked for marketing innovations, brand solutions, non-traditional ideas, events will also stand better chances vis-a-vis those who do vanilla deals. Smaller companies or companies with lesser marketing budgets are more favourable for shift from sales to marketing.

However, if you think you have done good work during your 3 years sales stint and you are on high trajectory growth, it is advisable not to change the function from sales to marketing. The change of function at times diminishes the scope of work.