10 hot job profiles or segments for job-seekers

The economy might still be wobbly. But for job-seekers, there are pockets of promise. ET picked the minds of the country's biggest HR names to zero in on 10 job profiles or segments in 2013: 1) Analytics Reason Recent developments in hardware and networking technologies have made it cheap to not only gather large volumes of data, but also to store it and retrieve it with ease. "The ability to analyse the data and make business sense out of it is a skill that is fast gaining prominence," says Ajit Isaac, MD and CEO at Ikya Human Capital Solutions, who projects 12,000-15,000 openings next year. Sectors Banks, consumer goods, retail, IT & IT consulting, business consulting, & e-commerce/online. Skills Training/experience in statistics or financial analysis; familiarity with statistical techniques, and software such as SAS and SPSS. Pay Rs 4.5-8 lakh (p.a) Entry level (Graduate/PG) Rs 8-12 lakh (Five years of experience) Rs 15 lakh for IITs & Premier Schools 2) Sales Reason India is being seen as a large consumer market for various industries. And, many organisations, globally, are directing resources to grow it. Muninder Anand, director, information solutions, Mercer, says there has been an increase in sales jobs at junior levels (sales executive, sales officer and area manager) and this, in turn, is creating opportunities at senior management levels (general manager sales and national sales manager) to manage the junior workforce. Sectors Consumer, pharmaceuticals, hi-tech, manufacturing & engineering, auto. Skills Communication & sales skills; exposure to industry. Pay Rs 4-10 lakh (p.a) Entry- to mid-level Rs 24-50 lakh Senior management 3) Chief operating officers Reason  2013 will be a year of greater competition, says E Balaji, MD & CEO, Randstad India. "So, as CEOs and business heads focus on increasing their market share, COOs would be focussing on cost control, cash flows and inventory management." The demand for COOs is expected to grow 30% in the next few years. Sectors IT and IT-enabled services, engineering, procurement and construction. Skills Ability to multitask, make decisions under stress, motivate pros. Pay Rs 1-2crore (p.a) in large organisations Rs 60-90 lakh SMEs and start-ups 4) IT & Mobile product development Reason  With the Internet becoming an ubiquitous part of more and more lives, a lot of economic activity has moved online as well. "A smooth, seamless user experience and a robust technical platform are key elements of a successful web presence," says Ikya's Isaac. "Firms recognise this, and, hence, people who can build such platforms are in great demand." Sectors IT product, e-commerce, IT consulting and mobile application. Skills Knowledge of the latest tech and an eye for consumer insights. Pay Rs 12-18 lakh per annum (Entry level) Rs 35-40 lakh (5 years of experience) 5) R&D professionals Reason  According to Mercer, India is being seen as an R&D hub; several organisations are investing in R&D centres across industries. The current requirement is for niche skills at the junior management level. Sectors Auto, chemical, consumer, pharma, healthcare and IT. Skills Ability to conduct research to create new products. Pay Rs 5-6 lakh (p.a) Entry level Rs 12-15 lakh Mid level 6) Supply chain, procurement & contract mgmt execs Reason  New projects are coming up in renewable energy segments. In engineering, there is demand for hard-core vendor development and people who know manufacturing/production processes enough to reduce cost. Sectors Oil & gas, power, petrochemicals, chemicals, auto, manufacturing and retail. Skills Experience in procuring capital equipment for petrochemical, oil & gas or power industries. Pay Rs 8-25 lakh (p.a) Mid level Rs 35-70 lakh Senior level (GM and above) 7) Non-exec board members Reason  India Inc is facing a paucity of independent directors. "Individuals with knowledge of corporate governance issues (among others) are in demand," says Anindita Banerjee, client partner of Stanton Chase India. Sectors Mining, agrochemicals, healthcare and life sciences. Skills Leadership skills to drive better governance and increase efficiencies in areas of environment, health, safety & clean tech. Pay Rs 15-30 lakh per annum (Retainer, for meetings on a quarterly basis) 8) Social media buffs Reason  Brands are going social, and customers and stakeholders are taking their conversations online. "Consumers are taking peer reviews seriously and basing their purchase decisions on them," says Balaji of Randstad India. Sectors Technology, media, e-commerce, auto, FMCG and lifestyle product companies. Skills Tech-savvy; certifications from Google, Yahoo and MS ad platforms will help. Pay Rs 4-6 lakh per annum (Mid-level as it is still a nascent segment) 9) Junior engineers Reason  Mercer's Anand says most organisations that employ engineers are planning to expand. Maximum openings are at the junior level, including IT engineers & process engineers, product and design engineers. Sectors IT, telecom, auto, manufacturing, engineering & chemical. Skills Engineering and project management. Pay Rs 3.75-16 lakh per annum (Entry to mid-level) 10) Training staff Reason  According to Amit Jain, business head, TimesJobs.com, as more educational institutes open up, more trainers would be hired. Sectors Education, training. Skills B.Ed, relevant bachelors /Masters degree Pay Rs 4-5 lakh per annum Entry level Rs 9-10 lakh Mid-level Source: ET