Is BPO the right career choice?Today’s freshers are faced with a problem of plenty. And rightfully so. They have multiple options in front of them ranging from the IT industry to BPO to retail to telecom to banking. And the list goes on. Very unlike what it used to be just a decade back. At one end they try to logically connect their education to their career, the other end is the promise of industries with good salaries, high growth and then there is peer pressure coupled with parental guidance. So what should they choose and why? The BPO industry arguably is amongst the most attractive industries for today’s fresh candidates. And here is why. First the industry, changes personalities for the better. There are numerous examples of people who have been armed with life skills exuding confidence about their future after being in a BPO for sometime. While functional skills can be acquired in any profession, developing life skills is a significant leap forward and will help the employed from a long term perspective. Second is the exposure to global best practices. While the other industries too have best practices, the BPO industry provides the headstart in terms of “process maturity” of the companies in the industry and hence helps better shape the thinking and capabilities of a young workforce. The third is the opportunity to learn different international cultures. Interacting everyday either directly with customers as in a call center or being part of a team that works with international teams, today’s youngsters get the opportunity to experience what it is to work as a global professional.
And in tomorrow’s world being a global professional is not only an advantage but will become an advantage for those who want to grow. The fourth is the inherent opportunity to grow in the industry itself.
A very interesting aspect is many employees grow in to managing multi million dollar businesses at a very young age, may be mid to late twenties. From an entry level position to a managerial or even senior management position there are several examples of growth for employees. A phenomenon never witnessed before by any other industry. More over employees get to work on processes belonging to one or more industry verticals or choose to become an expert in one industry vertical. Then there are the added benefits of traveling outside the country either as part of the functional requirement or as part of recognition. Apart from this a number of BPO companies also have “learn while you earn” type programs. All this plus the regular benefits of good pay, soft benefits etc.
So why then, many freshers are still not clear about BPO as a career choice?
One root cause is the perception about the industry in their minds. There are two things happening here. For an industry that has grown to a Rs 50,000 crore industry within 8 years there has been a lot of talk and confusion about what this industry offers, does not offer etc. And as in any rapid growing industry there are always many positives and some negatives. However the negatives have caught the larger attention and have got strongly associated with the industry. The result is a negative perception or a not so very positive perception. One is the fact that unlike retail which is now booming or IT which was largely associated with technical qualifications, higher pay and traveling abroad the BPO industry came as a huge shock for the society. Here was an industry willing to pick up freshers largely not requiring a specialized educational qualification, pay them Rs 15,000 as a starting salary, working at different times of the day and night and creating massive employment. It shook the social establishment as the industry defeated all conventional norms of employment that were laid down by manufacturing, banking and later IT. So in other words it was a contrarian industry creating a stir and growing at a monstrous pace. The larger society could not digest the pace and quantum of change and were trying to make out what is happening. And the second thing happened. Instead of the good things getting highlighted the focus went on to some of the drags such as rash driving BPO cabs, possible health issues of late night working and whether the social fabric will change with so much money at the disposal of a young workforce. And this got portrayed more predominantly than the huge good that the industry has created. The consequence? BPOs positioned as a good for a stop gap but not for a long term career. How untrue.
With over 8 lakh people employed and growing it represents a vibrant and confident India taking on the world. So whether you are fresher seeking a career choice in BPO or an experienced person looking to move into BPO, have no doubts. This is the place of action. And those in the industry I am sure already proud to be part of this movement. |
