Seeking Career Advice: How Can I Transition Back to BPO with My Diverse Experience?

Dear Seniors, I am seeking guidance on my career dilemma. Here it goes.

Career Background

I have over seven years of experience, out of which the initial four years were with a BPO as a Sr. Quality Analyst. Thereafter, I moved to the education space to gain cross-sectoral skills. I then worked for three educational startups and gained expertise in the establishment of institutions from the very seed of idea inception to complete implementation of the project. Now, I'm trying to come back to the BPO industry but am not sure where I will fit in.

Current Position and Education

Currently, I am working as a Sr. Business Manager with an institution and trying to improve my education from BCOM. I have just passed a PGD in PR from Annamalai University and am currently pursuing a PGD in Brand Management from ICFAI. I plan to acquire PMI's CMP and Six Sigma certifications by next year.

Seeking Advice

Please advise me on the following:
• If I am doing the right thing by going back to BPO.
• In BPO, what are the prospective jobs where my skill sets can be used?
• Is there any opening for me where I can be referred?

I have enclosed a copy of my resume, and I would like to thank you for the advice you may provide here. Since this forum is for HR professionals, I expect to receive the right guidance.

Regards,

Without even having read your attached CV, I am alarmed at your targeted employment sector. Admittedly, you began life at a BPO. But, since then you've acquired experience that very few people do. I say this because I too am an entrepreneur who has built his business from ideation to execution. So, I know the learning curve involved is enormously huge! And, no organization would have been able to provide you with that extent of width and depth of learning in so short a time.

You also write about Public Relations and Brand Management along with CMP and Six Sigma.

And yet, you intend to return to the BPO sector? I am sure you will be lapped up by any half-smart BPO. But, the question you want to ask yourself is this - given my richness of experience, do I really want to return to the BPO sector?

If your answer is yes, then my suggestion is that you start to look for General Manager or Chief Operating Officer type positions in small-scale BPOs. You may not think so, but the richness and diversity of your experience will be invaluable to most entrepreneurs.

You definitely don't want to go to a 'structured' role. Instead, what you should aim for is the uncertainty, risk, excitement, pressure, deadlines, buzz, and immense satisfaction of taking on projects and then seeing them through to fruition. And, to make sure you use your PR and Brand Management skills, please ensure that any employment you accept, these form a significant portion of your JD. That is why I am only suggesting senior positions for you.

I know you will get lucrative BPO positions with relative ease. And, if you do want to accept them, try and find one which is either at a mature start-up stage or is relatively young - post start-up. That is where your skills will shine. I get the feeling that you are now used to the flexibility, excitement, decision-making power, accountability, and responsibility that comes in working with start-ups. As such, you'll be suffocated trying to fit into a traditional role's straight jacket.

I hope my answer helps with your internal dialogue. I wish you an Abundant Life!

Thank you for your valuable advice. Today, I plan to go back to BPO only because my compensation has not increased in real terms, and with growing inflation, it's difficult to make ends meet. I agree that I have learned new skill sets and am looking forward to opening my own entrepreneurial venture in international education in a few years' time, but I'm desperately in search of decent compensation, which I think I can get in BPO with 5 days working and concentrate the rest of the time on the new venture.

Practical exposure to startups has given me skill sets but no improvement in the financial aspect. My current CTC of 3.6 lakhs annually is way too low, and in real terms, my package has gone down even though it has increased from 17.5k per month to 30k per month.

Once I stabilize my salary part, I will be able to put my expertise gained to open an entrepreneurial setup in international education. But for now, I'm in a catch-22 situation.

Once again, many thanks for your prompt response. I heartily appreciate it.

You have a great career ahead, either in BPO or IT/ITES, for sure as a people manager/project manager. You have to later upgrade yourself with PMP or ITIL to get salary hikes; otherwise, it takes time to reach your target salary. You have the experience right now; the only thing missing is the proof in terms of certification for MNCs.

Regards,
Kiruthika

Thanks, Kiruthika, for the lovely advice. That's the reason why I plan to pursue PMP once the PGD in Brand Management comes to an end next year. But what perplexes me is that just by finishing PMP, will I be able to get into a good position in a BPO/ITES firm? What are the other skill sets which I may require now?

The inputs which I have received from you and previously from Mr. Sareen have helped me clear a lot of my doubts, and further clarity would be much welcomed. God Bless and thanks once again.

Vikram,

We Indians suffer from a terrible dis-ease. It is called 'QUALIFICATIONANOMA'. Essentially, it means over-reliance on qualifications alone.

You ask the question - will PMP get you a good position in a BPO/ITES firm?

My answer to you is Yes and No.

Remember, a qualification is only 30% of the battle. The remaining 70% is practical, hands-on experience, also commonly referred to as 'runs on the board'.

While there will be many organizations that will give a significantly higher weightage to qualifications, you will want out of them fairly quickly. Why? Because once they hire you, they'll be looking for the next 'higher qualified one'. And chances are high that you will remain on edge.

On the other hand, if you have sufficient project management experience and can show a dossier to substantiate it, whether you have a PMP or not, it won't really matter. Perhaps a PMP will give you grounds to bargain for a higher compensation. On the other hand, if you have runs on the board but no PMP, you'll be surprised that your employer may actually put you through the paces themselves - obviously they'll ask for a return of service commitment. But at least you'll be working, earning, and studying - all at the same time!

Remember - qualifications alone are only sufficient for our first or second jobs. Once we've been in the workforce for about 5 years, our results matter considerably more than qualifications.

So, does this mean you shouldn't do PMP? Absolutely not! But, you must do it only if you are really interested in PM work. Alternatively, if you're doing it simply for the piece of paper with the possibility that you may get a good job from it, I would urge you to think again.

My suggestions to you in this post are in my capacity as a PRINCE2 accredited practitioner and project director from Sydney, Australia.

Dear Mr. Sareen, Kiruthika, Vaishalee, and Hussain,

Let me start by thanking you all for your valuable inputs. They have helped me in taking my next course of action. Yes, looking for certifications is not just for the sake of it but for further refining the knowledge I have gained. I understand that certifications alone do not guarantee successful implementation. I have seen many people with certifications in Six Sigma and similar fields who have not been productive for the institution.

In the end, I believe that in my current role, obtaining a well-established brand name will solve most of my financial troubles. Please share your inputs regarding this aspect and your experiences.

Thanks and God Bless.