HR is more like customer service; you have to constantly deliver

…says Purav Sanghvi in conversation with Reshma Majithia. Purav is currently Manager, HR at BigAdda with seven years of experience in Human Resource Management, Employee Relations, Organisation Development, Corporate HR Strategy and Training & Development.

What are the points that are looked into while employing people?
A lot of things are taken into consideration whilst employing people. Few things that are given emphasis are previous relevant work experience, educational background, attitude, eagerness to learn and whether he is the right fit in the given structure.

How does an MBA degree add value to an individual’s career?
MBA provides you a strong foundation towards your professional career. A simpler way to explain this would be when you are counting money it helps to know your tables that you have learnt as a kid. MBA has the same effect in the corporate world.

What is the most important aspect of HRM?
People and logic. If the employee is being taken care of under the purview that suits the organisational needs and goals, what you are actually doing is practicing HR. At all times this management of people in line with company goals is the most important aspect of HRM. Like in any other profession, logic or rationale behind any decision is a must. So just ensure that any decision that you take as a professional has a valid logical reason behind it. Simply ask yourself ‘Why have you taken the decision?’ and most of the logic part would be taken care of.

How important is an MBA in getting top management jobs nowadays?
MBA helps in getting top management jobs. But a lot of other things also do go into making of a top executive. Things like attitude towards work, vision, ability to execute etc., the list could be endless. It is an important ingredient for the final dish like salt.

What factors should prospective students consider when choosing a school?

Always look for ranking, faculty and placement cell. All of these are very important

What kinds of jobs are available for graduating students who specialise in HR?
In HR there are various fields that you could work in, like recruitments, employee relations, industrial relations, payroll, MIS (Management information system), learning and development, organization development, strategy & consulting etc. It entirely depends on the person as to what he really likes. One should then choose his/her career accordingly.

What is the average salary one can expect?
It depends on the line the person has taken within HR and his experience. But all in all this profession does pay well and you can be a business-oriented person as well.

Attrition is a major problem for any organisation. How do you control/manage attrition?
If you manage your people well and develop a culture where people like to work, controlling attrition becomes easier. If at an office there is a culture where people feel a sense of belonging and a fun filled work environment it helps a long way in controlling attrition. We try and bring this into our work place and it has shown tremendous results.

You have had around 7 years’ experience in different sectors of HR. What was the most challenging experience of your life?