Career Dilemma: Should I Start in an Industry Job or as a Consultant?

Dear sir,

Could you please tell me what is the best option to start a career? Should I join an industry or start as a consultant?

Thank you.

Hi, my professor always told me two reasons to start with consultancy:

1 - It's called the stepping stone; it's where you get the fundamentals clear and groomed for recruitment. Also, this is where you learn, and once you grow, you can relate to your juniors and work better. Correct me if I'm wrong.

2 - The industry wants an MBA specialization. If you have one, then I'm sure you'll get placed through college appropriately. If not, then there are rare chances of you finding a position in a good company. If you do, it might be on a "contract basis," which someone recently told me carries the stamp of being on a contract that follows you. Correct me if I'm wrong and guide further.

Regards,
Sunayna

I think you should join an industry to start your career in order to understand what an industry is in the real world and what its needs are. Spending a few years in your early career will give you a better edge if you plan to become a consultant later. Even for managing your own consultancy organization, if you envision building it with people around you rather than as a single consultant, then you need a few years of organizational experience.

This is my view.

Govardhan

Hi,

I always feel that you should start your career as a consultant. This is the place where you get more exposure towards technology if you wish to become a recruiter. Not only that, if you work for a placement consultancy, you get used to working under high pressures. Today, if you need to work for an IT company as a recruiter, it's not an easy thing to do. Moreover, talking about the salary in a placement consultancy, it is definitely going to be a decent package, and you get incentives if you meet your targets on time.

I suggest you to get into a placement consultancy and then slowly move on to the corporate world.

All the best! Cheers, Naveen

Hi,

I believe joining an industry is better than a consultancy. My seniors advised me not to start my career with a consultancy.

Bye

Wow, this could be the debate of the year. Let's vote.

Divisha, can you start the poll please? Edit your entry and please start a poll.

Dear Friends,

I believe that someone who serves in the industry can perceive the world better than a person who only has clarity on concepts. In our management studies, we delve into various aspects of HR strategies and practices, which can sometimes prove futile in practical situations. A logical approach is essential for handling certain critical situations where exposure to practice becomes a mandatory requirement. Simply becoming a consultant without an industrial background means one may struggle to provide effective solutions to work-related problems unless they have encountered similar situations in a workplace.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that everyone spend at least a few years serving in an industry. This experience exposes individuals to various situations and instills the confidence needed to confront challenges in the field of consultancy. It also enhances the acceptability of the individual. I would appreciate hearing your views at srinivaskvmk@yahoo.co.in.

Bye,
Srinivas KVMK

Consultancy and RPO have been maturing in India and have the potential as a still-growing industry despite being full of competition. In a consultancy environment, your interactions are more with an external employee, i.e., a recruitee, while in a company, all are part of the same job profile. Therefore, work and job experiences should differ in both places. However, the pros and cons can only be written by a well-grown up and experienced person in both roles.

Yahoo!=umalme

Hi all,

The decision of whether to work with a consultancy or a corporate also depends on the individual's long-term goals and the level of exposure they desire to have in various aspects of HR. In a consultancy, the exposure is limited to recruitments, whereas in a corporate, even if you start with recruitments, there is always a scope to venture into other areas of HR.

If one wants to have a career solely in recruitments and later start their own consultancy, even if they are from IIMs, XLRI, or TISS, they would prefer to work in a leading consultancy. The incentives a person can earn from a good consultancy are tempting, especially considering that salaries in corporate HR at entry and mid-level are not that great.

Divya

Hi,

I would say it all depends on what kind of career you are looking at. If you get your options right, you yourself will know where you have to go.

Warm regards,
Poorna

Now, would you like to write a novel without knowing A, B, C, D...? The same is the case here. Industry exposure is a must to get into the shoes of consultancy!