NIILM CMS IN BUSINESS TODAY “Should I Choose Marketing or HR - Which one is better?”

Excerpts from an interview given to Business Today for B-School Compendium Issue 2013 by Prof.S. Neelamegham, President, NIILM Centre for Management Studies.

How do you suggest the aspiring MBA students to decide if they are fit for Marketing or HR professional?

Human resource managers essentially deal with “People Management”. This includes recruiting, training and development, performance evaluation, negotiation, employee relations, assisting in policy and strategy formulation and consultancy. HR personnel have a direct influence and impact on the people working in a company. Those who enjoy networking with people, warm and sympathetic and good in perceiving the moods, feelings and reactions of others and enjoy tackling problems with logic will be found more suitable for HR professional career.

Marketing is a dynamic function and it is growing in importance. It covers a wide variety of functions including selling, advertising, promotion, marketing research, distribution, retailing etc. Those who have good communication and persuasive skills, enjoy meeting face to face with customers for selling products or services, willing to work hard, energetic and single minded , creative and  with  a strong imaginative sense  will find marketing profession more exciting.

What should the  students expect after post graduating in Marketing? (In terms of the profiles industry competition, salary packages etc).

For those who qualify in Marketing a variety of opportunities are available across a wide spectrum of industries including FMCG, Consumer Durables, Service sectors ( Banking, Telecom,  Insurance, Retailing , real  estate, Hospitality,Tourism) et  besides social media and communication, marketing research ,, and international trade. SME s is also looking for Graduates specialised in marketing. The salary range may vary between 2 lakhs to 20 lakhs per annum depending upon the merits of the candidates and the entry level.

 What is your take on myths about HR as a profession? (Common myths are HR is for women, HR pays you less with less growth options, HR is a laidback profession and is less important, HR is chosen by default when the person is not interest ted in any other field.

It is estimated that 60% of HR jobs across industries are held by women.  Human Resource is found more suitable for women since they are adept in counselling and nurturing skills, people focused and team oriented   which are essential to create a more conducive environment for greater productivity at work.   However the number of men  entering the profession is also on the increase  and the situation may change over a period of time as it has happened in other countries. HR may appear to be a little less glamorous compared to marketing but there are enough opportunities for growth in HR profession. Whether it is manufacturing, soft ware or other service sectors, NGOs and other non profit organisations, Consultancy, Media and communication the demand for well trained HR personnel is fast increasing.

FUTURE OF HR INDUSTRY     

Human resources industry in India has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 21% over the past few years and is pegged to be around Rs 22,800 cores according to a recent study. It is a maturing industry .Many global companies are in search of talent to reduce costs and this is creating demand for more HR professionals to recruit, develop and nurture talents across the globe. Several multinationals are also outsourcing human resource processes to India.

 The emergence of Social media as a powerful net working tools help HR professionals to create communities across the globe for sharing knowledge and support employees through new means of communication.  All these developments point out the growing job opportunities in HR area.

Any other suggestions?

One should try to work out one’s strengths, aptitude and values to avoid any job mismatch. Winning is about utilising your strength in full. At the same time to climb up the ladder, one should minimise weaknesses through determined efforts, training and experience. Last but not least we are living in a world of accelerated change. To succeed in any career one should be ready to accept the challenge of change and develop capacity to continuously learn and adapt to the new environment.